Charles Blahous
- J. Fish and Lillian F. Smith Chair, Senior Research Strategist
Charles Blahous is the J. Fish and Lillian F. Smith Chair and Senior Research Strategist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Blahous specializes in domestic economic policy and retirement security (with an emphasis on Social Security), as well as federal fiscal policy, entitlements, and health care programs.
Blahous’s media appearances range from The Diane Rehm Show and Fox News to C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. He was named to SmartMoney’s “Power 30” list in 2005 and has written for the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Financial Times, Politico, National Review, Harvard Journal on Legislation, National Affairs, Journal of Chemical Physics, and Baseball Research Journal, among others.
Blahous is the author of Social Security: The Unfinished Work and Pension Wise: Confronting Employer Pension Underfunding and Sparing Taxpayers the Next Bailout, as well as the influential studies The Costs of a National Single-Payer Healthcare System and The Fiscal Consequences of the Affordable Care Act.
Blahous served as a public trustee for Social Security and Medicare from 2010 through 2015. He was formerly the deputy director of President Bush’s National Economic Council, special assistant to the president for economic policy, and executive director of the bipartisan President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. He recently served on the Bipartisan Policy Center's Commission on Retirement Security and Personal Savings.
Blahous received his PhD in computational quantum chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley and his BA from Princeton University.
Latest Work
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Book Chapters Book Chapters
Pursuing Medicare Reform in the Context of a Financing Crisis
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Blahous’ Laws of Politics | Discourse
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Debt Ceiling Crisis May Be Over, but the Debt Crisis Is Not | North State Journal (NC)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
‘Across the Board’ Political Failure if the US Defaults on Its Debt | Fox Business Network
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Spending Growth, Not Tax Policy, Is the Main Driver of Federal Debt
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
President Biden’s Medicare Shell Game | Discourse
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Lies We Tell Ourselves About Economics | Discourse
Latest Work
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Book Chapters Book Chapters
Pursuing Medicare Reform in the Context of a Financing Crisis
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Blahous’ Laws of Politics | Discourse
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Debt Ceiling Crisis May Be Over, but the Debt Crisis Is Not | North State Journal (NC)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
‘Across the Board’ Political Failure if the US Defaults on Its Debt | Fox Business Network
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Spending Growth, Not Tax Policy, Is the Main Driver of Federal Debt
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
President Biden’s Medicare Shell Game | Discourse
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Lies We Tell Ourselves About Economics | Discourse
Latest Work
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Book Chapters Book Chapters
Pursuing Medicare Reform in the Context of a Financing Crisis
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Research Papers Research Papers
The Affordable Care Act's Medicaid Expansion Is Shifting Resources away from Low-Income Children
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Funding Parental Leave Today with Tomorrow’s Social Security Benefits Won’t Work
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Research Papers Research Papers
The Failure to Establish Effective Rules for Financing U.S. Federal Entitlement Programs
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Why We Have Federal Deficits: An Updated Analysis
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Understanding CBO’s Medicare for All Cost Estimates
Latest Work
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
‘Across the Board’ Political Failure if the US Defaults on Its Debt | Fox Business Network
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Medicaid Expansion Moves Low-income Children to the Back of the Line | Heartland Daily Podcast
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Medicare for All | American Radio Journal
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Medicare for All | American Radio Journal
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Medicare for All | The Lars Larson Show
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
US Budget Deficit | KRLD Radio (Dallas-Forth Worth, TX)
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Charles Blahous on Marketplace - Medicaid Expansion
Latest Work
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Spending Growth, Not Tax Policy, Is the Main Driver of Federal Debt
Latest Work
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Blahous’ Laws of Politics | Discourse
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Debt Ceiling Crisis May Be Over, but the Debt Crisis Is Not | North State Journal (NC)
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
President Biden’s Medicare Shell Game | Discourse
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Lies We Tell Ourselves About Economics | Discourse
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Getting Past the Debt Blame Game | Tribune News Service
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The New Year Presents a Rare Opportunity for Responsible Governance | Discourse
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Medicaid Expansion Is Leaving Less for Low-income Children | North State Journal
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary