Commentary Last week, I wrote that the path back to a balanced budget could not be simple stinginess, but smart reforms that produce long term returns of higher GDP and lower government spending. For instance, in the 1990s, I helped author four straight balanced budgets, during which we doubled the budget of the National Institutes for Health because we understood that biomedical innovation saves lives and money and grows the economy. Getting back to a balanced budget today will require a similar approach. Looking at budget projections, chronic illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease are the leading drivers of increased government spending. This spending impact from chronic disease is easiest to see in Medicare and Medicaid, but it also negatively impacts economic growth by removing those afflicted and their caregivers from the workforce. This lowers tax revenue, exacerbating the problem. Clearly, any solution to balance the budget …