Henry J. Aaron

Henry Aaron
Born	1936
Occupation(s)	Economist, policy expert
Years active	1967–present
Known for	Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution; Chairman of the Social Security Advisory Board

Henry Jacob Aaron (born 1936) is a distinguished American economist and policy expert who has held the position of Bruce and Virginia MacLaury Senior Fellow within the Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution since 1968. He led this program as its director from 1990 through 1996.

In 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Aaron to chair the Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB), a role for which he received confirmation by the United States Senate. He supports implementing a single-payer healthcare system, while also acknowledging the challenges involved in its adoption within the United States.

Aaron was honored with the Daniel M. Holland Medal from the National Tax Association in 2010, recognizing his lifetime contributions to taxation and public finance.

Career

Aaron earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and completed his doctorate in economics at Harvard University. In addition to his longstanding affiliation with Brookings, he taught at the University of Maryland between 1967 and 1989. He held the post of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1977 to 1978, followed by chairing the Advisory Council on Social Security in 1979. During 1996–1997, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship at Stanford University's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. In recognition of his significant work in social insurance, Aaron received the Robert M. Ball Award in 2007.

On September 8, 2014, following President Barack Obama’s nomination, the Senate confirmed Aaron’s appointment as Chairman of the Social Security Advisory Board by a vote of 54–43.

Aaron has argued that some form of healthcare rationing is an unavoidable reality within the U.S. system.

Affiliations

He holds membership in several prestigious organizations, including the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and serves on the advisory committee for the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. His leadership experience encompasses serving as vice-president and executive committee member of the American Economics Association, as well as president of the Association of Public Policy and Management. Additionally, he has been a trustee at Georgetown University and served on the board of directors for the College Retirement Equity Fund. Presently, he sits on the board of directors for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Publications

Aaron has produced an extensive body of work with citations exceeding ten thousand according to Google Scholar metrics.

Among his most influential publications are:

• Shelter and Subsidies: Who Benefits from Federal Housing Policies? (1972, Brookings Institution)
• Who Pays the Property Tax? A New View (1975, Brookings Institution)
• Auerbach, Aaron, and Hall’s "Corporate Taxation in the United States," published in Brookings Papers on Economic Activity (1983)
• The Painful Prescription: Rationing Hospital Care (1984, Brookings Institution)
• Politics and the Professors: The Great Society in Perspective (2010, Brookings Institution Press)

External links

• Roberts, Russ. "Henry Aaron Discusses Health Care Expenses," EconTalk, Library of Economics and Liberty, November 15, 2007