BUDGETIZED HEALTH ENTITLEMENTS AND THE FISCAL CONSTITUTION IN CONGRESS 1995-1996 BUDGET BATTLE

Congress initially established health care entitlements outside of the appropriations process, shielding them from annual budget battles. Wh ile this non-integrated model of entitlements helped protect the right s of the sick and the elderly, it also contributed significantly to a soaring deficit. Congress now realizes that it cannot afford to allow health care entitlements to remain isolated from the rest of the budge t process. In this Article, Professor Tiefer uses the 1995-1996 budget battle to explore the means by which future Congresses may integrate health care entitlements into the budget process and the future effect s that the budgetization of health care entitlements will have on indi vidual security.