With American political polarization at historical highs, Peter Orszag argues the United States needs ways around its politicians.

The United States' fiscal future depends on whether the country can limit health-care costs.

The United States' fiscal future depends on whether the country can limit health-care costs.

Despite the failure of a supercommittee deficit deal, budget expert Peter Orszag says there will still be opportunity for policies, such as more economic stimulus and cutting healthcare costs, to avert a U.S. fiscal crisis.

Cutting the federal deficit is seen as essential for reviving the country's economic standing. CFR's Peter Orszag looks at some of the pros and cons of recommendations by a presidential commission's co-chairs to cut more than $3.8 trillion from national deficits.

GOP election gains make it less likely Congress will enact needed deficit cuts and more fiscal stimulus, and the Fed's quantitative easing plan could create new bubbles, says CFR Distinguished Visiting Fellow Peter Orszag.

Peter Orszag argues that reforming medical malpractice law to include "safe harbors" that protect doctors who follow evidence-based medical guidelines could bring down health-care costs without reducing the quality of care.

Peter Orszag argues that simplifying access to financial aid can help more Americans earn college degrees, reduce inequality, and boost economic growth.

Peter Orszag finds good news about health care costs in the latest budgetary and economic projections released by the CBO, but he cautions that the outlook for unemployment and federal spending is still gloomy.

Because a financial crisis can inflict lasting damage to productivity growth, Peter Orszag argues that the failure of U.S. policymakers to enact a "barbell" fiscal policy now could yield more economic troubles down the road.

Peter Orszag explains how globalization is lowering effective corporate tax rates and making it harder for Republicans and Democrats to agree on what tax reforms are needed.

Peter Orszag argues that aggressive action to continue recent slowing in health-care cost growth can help to stabilize the U.S. fiscal trajectory and increase take-home pay.

Peter Orszag outlines the obstacles that China faces on the road to becoming a high-income country and explains why other nations should take note.

Peter Orszag explains why and how the federal government should encourage more clinical data registries, which can cut health care costs and improve patient outcomes.

Peter Orszag explains why Build America Bonds could become victims of the fiscal cliff and why they should be saved.

Peter Orszag writes that reaching a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff will require Republicans and Democrats to be more flexible about the positions they have staked out over tax and entitlement reforms.

Peter Orszag writes that vague, simplistic strategies to limit tax deductions will lose their appeal as the legislative process exposes their flaws.

Peter Orszag explains how the transition of Chinese workers from farms to factories has a large role to play in determining the growth rate of the Chinese economy.

As the edge of the fiscal cliff approaches, Peter Orszag lays out the paths available to the Obama administration in negotiating with Congress over the expiring Bush tax cuts and entitlement reform.

Peter Orszag proposes a placeholder deal to get around Congressional gridlock over the expiring Bush tax cuts by establishing a temporary tax refund that would last until either a permanent deal was reached or the unemployment rate dropped.