News
Senate Dem: Health care bill ‘on life support’
Associated Press
1.29.10
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's health care appeal failed to break the congressional gridlock Thursday, dimming hopes for millions of uninsured Americans. Democrats stared down a political nightmare — getting clobbered for voting last year for ambitious, politically risky bills, yet having nothing to show for it in November.
Pelosi suggests maneuver to pass healthcare overhaul
Los Angeles Times
1.28.10
The speaker says the House should pass the Senate's version of the plan and then use 'budget reconciliation' to make changes that some lawmakers want. The procedure could circumvent a GOP filibuster.
Is Health Overhaul Possible Without Requiring Coverage?
Kaiser Health News
1.26.10
WASHINGTON — With a major health overhaul in deep trouble, some lawmakers want a scaled-back approach that targets the indisputably unpopular insurance industry, by enacting such popular ideas as requiring insurers to accept people with medical problems and barring them from canceling policies or charging more for customers with health problems.
Liberals Working To Resurrect The Public Option
Politico
1.26.10
A liberal group is trying to resurrect the public health insurance option as a way to kick start the stalled health care reform debate.
Dems Face Problems Moving Reform Piecemeal
National Journal
1.21.10
As members of Congress consider scaling back health care reform legislation to points of consensus, they are increasingly putting insurance reforms at the top of their "to do" lists. But even President Obama is warning that placing some restrictions on insurers without also significantly expanding insurance coverage or subsidizing the cost of premiums could throw the health insurance system dangerously out of whack.
Americans Are Worried Congress Will Make A Bad Health-Care System Even Worse
WSJ
1.20.10
A year of intense debate over how to overhaul health care has left the country scared and confused, with many Americans frustrated by the current system—yet fearful Washington will replace it with something worse.
Why ObamaCare Will Raise Your Bill
Forbes
1.18.10
When it becomes law, families will save on their premiums," President Obama declared in his weekly radio address before Christmas, pitching his health care reform.
Excise Tax On ‘Cadillac’ Health-Care Plans Is A Bad Idea
Washington Post
1.12.10
The idea of an excise tax on "Cadillac" health-care plans sounds like magic. It would raise almost $150 billion over 10 years to help finance health-care "reform"; it would be paid by employers, insurance companies and "the rich"; it would help "bend the cost curve" in the future; and for all I know, it might help regrow hair and cure warts.
Cutting Costs Is Real Issue In Health Care Overhaul
NYT
1.11.10
WASHINGTON — As Democratic Senate and House leaders privately hammer out a final compromise on their competing versions of health care legislation, the controversies focus on a government-run option and abortion. Some feel these are irrelevant to the important decisions that will affect the credibility and sustainability of the measure
Farewell, Company Health Plans?
CFO
12.31.09
Now that health-care reform bills have passed both the House and the Senate, some CFOs are seriously considering whether or not to drop employee coverage
Young Back Health Proposals Amid Potential Costs
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON -- Young adults remain some of the strongest supporters of a health-care overhaul, but many acknowledge they don't understand proposals that will likely saddle them with higher costs.
Age and higher premiums go together: Is it fair?
AP
WASHINGTON – Old people get sick more than young people, and in most states that adds up to them paying a lot more for their health insurance premiums.
GOP Focuses Effort To Kill Health Bills
Washington Post
July 21st, 2009
Summary: As the healthcare debate continues to increase in intensity and Obama’s public support on health reform continues to dissipate, this article discusses recently ramped up efforts by Republicans to attack Democrats on healthcare, with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) stating, “The last time the president made grand promises and demanded passage of a bill before it could be reviewed, we ended up with the colossal stimulus failure and unemployment near 10 percent. Now the president wants Americans to trust him again, but he can't back up the utopian promises he's making.
Democrats Grow Wary as Health Bill Advances
New York Times
July 17th, 2009
WASHINGTON - Three of the five Congressional committees working on legislation to reinvent the nation's health care system delivered bills this week along the lines proposed by President Obama. But instead of celebrating their success, many Democrats were apprehensive, nervous and defensive.
Mayo, others express concerns over House bill
ModernHealthCare.Com
July 17th, 2009
A letter signed by some of the nation's most influential health systems says a bill now advancing in the House could be financially dangerous to doctors and hospitals.
The Mayo Clinic, Intermountain Healthcare, Gundersen Lutheran health system and others warned federal lawmakers that a public health plan based on Medicare payments would “have a severe negative impact,” while a lack of provisions to deal with regional payment disparities could prove equally harmful. “The implementation of a public plan with similar rates (to Medicare) will create a financial result that will be unsustainable for even the nation's most efficient, high-quality providers, eventually driving them out of the market,” the letter states.
CBO: Public Health Plan Would Enroll Less Than 5% of Americans
Wall Street Journal
July 14, 2009
As we were poring over the analysis out today from the CBO (the Congressional scorekeeper whose estimates are key in shaping the debate), we were struck by one estimate in particular: total enrollment in the public plan would equal about 11 million or 12 million.
Health-Care Cuts Could Shift Costs
Washington Post
June 18, 2009
President Obama's plan to rein in federal spending on health care could end up shifting costs to the private sector, economists say.
Unless doctors and hospitals are able to respond to the government cuts by becoming more efficient, the result could be higher costs for insurers, employers, and people with private medical coverage, they say.
State Employee Health Care as a “Public Plan”
Heritage Foundation
May 28, 2009
President Obama has proposed that Congress create a new public health plan to compete with private health plans in a national health insurance exchange. The President says that Congress can create a "level playing field" nationwide to ensure a fair competition between the newly created public plan and private health…
Top Health Care CEO Says Govt-Run Plan Not Needed, But Supports Federal Insurance Mandates
CNSNews.com
May 29, 2009
Ron Williams, chairman and CEO of health-care giant Aetna, said that a government-run health care plan was not necessary to ensure universal health coverage, but that the government should establish a public-private partnership and build on the employer-based system to provide coverage for all Americans.At a press conference Thursday in…
Obama says health care changes must come this year
Associated Press
May 29, 2009
President Barack Obama warned Thursday that if Congress doesn't deliver health care legislation by the end of the year, the opportunity will be lost, a plea to political supporters to pressure lawmakers to act. "If we don't get it done this year, we're not going to get it done," Obama…
Review & Outlook: Taxing Health Care
Wall Street Journal
May 29, 2009
Politicians wouldn't be politicians if they didn't trim their sails to the prevailing winds. Even so, the emerging 180-degree turn by Democrats on taxes and health insurance is one for the record books. Democrats have spent years arguing that proposals to equalize the tax treatment of health insurance are an…
Editorial: On health care, Republicans move beyond ‘just say no’
USA Today
May 29, 2009
When President Clinton proposed a sweeping reform of the health care system in 1993, Republicans in Congress mercilessly savaged it as socialized medicine. A dozen years later, Democrats returned the favor. When President Bush proposed a plan to shore up Social Security in part by creating private accounts, they denounced…
Kennedy’s Health-Care Measure To Require Employers to Chip In
Washington Post
May 29, 2009
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) is circulating the outlines of sweeping health-care legislation that would require every American to have insurance and would mandate that employers contribute to workers' coverage. The plan in the summary document, provided by two Democrats who do not work for Kennedy, closely resembles extensive changes…
Warring Sides on Health Care Carry Their Fight to TV and Radio Ads
New York Times
May 28, 2009
The battle over the future of health care has taken to the airwaves, with interest groups spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on television and radio advertisements supporting or attacking legislation they expect to emerge from Congress. Five Congressional committees hope to approve the legislation next month, and the pace…
Insurers’ Role Key to Health System Overhaul, CBO Says
Washington Post
May 28, 2009
President Obama's plan to overhaul the nation's health-care system could dodge one of the bullets that felled Clinton-era reforms by maintaining an active and independent role for private insurance companies, congressional budget analysts said yesterday. In a report, the Congressional Budget Office said a government mandate requiring people to buy…
Groups urge NBC to pull health care ad
Politico
May 28, 2009
Progressive health care reform groups demanded on Thursday that Washington's NBC television affiliate refuse to air a 30-minute infomercial funded by a conservative group opposed to creating a public insurance plan. The Service Employees International Union sent a letter to NBC4, arguing that the station has a responsibility to pull…
Centrist Dem under fire for opposing Obama healthcare
The Hill
May 28, 2009
Centrist Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.) is under attack from an advertising campaign that criticizes his opposition to President Obama's healthcare plan. The Web and direct-mail ads specifically take on Nelson for opposing Obama's proposal to create a public health insurance program consumers could choose instead of private plans. The…
Dems, GOP to address health care
Politico
May 26, 2009
Congress may be gone from Washington this week, but for lawmakers and advocates paying close attention to the health care reform debate, the Memorial Day recess is hardly a break. Health care is expected to be front and center with constituents over the recess as House and Senate committees work…
Obama’s Dubious Health-Care Claims
New York Post
May 26, 2009
PRESIDENT Obama may pretend otherwise, but if Congress passes his health-care agenda, America will be taking a giant leap toward Canadian-style, government-run health care. And many Americans will find themselves left with no choice but to sign on. How so? Start with the fact that government already controls almost half…
Democrats, GOP to address Health Care
Politico
May 26, 2009
Congress may be gone from Washington this week, but for lawmakers and advocates paying close attention to the health care reform debate, the Memorial Day recess is hardly a break. Health care is expected to be front and center with constituents over the recess as House and Senate committees work…
Tax on Medical Benefits Gains Traction
Washington Post
May 22, 2009
A new tax on employer-provided health insurance is emerging as a likely option to finance an overhaul of the nation's health-care system, key Democrats say, despite opposition from organized labor and possibly the Obama administration. Critical details have yet to be resolved, including whether to tax the benefits of all…
Health care reform: Don’t ignore the costs of care
Star-Ledger
May 22, 2009
While the race for governor will dominate the political scene in New Jersey this year, we cannot turn a blind eye to Washington, where an aggressive health care reform agenda could have substantial affect on our lives. President Obama has led serious discussion about establishing a public health care system,…
Public Plan Option Likely to Be Included In Health Reform Legislation, Baucus Says
BNA
May 22, 2009
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said May 21 that some version of a public plan option likely will be included in health care reform legislation to be considered by the committee in June. Baucus would not comment on what form a public plan option would take in legislation.…
Republicans Offer Health-Care Plan
Wall Street Journal
May 21, 2009
Republican lawmakers stepped up their opposition to Democrats' plans for overhauling the nation's health-care system, introducing legislation on Wednesday that would give Americans tax credits to pay for health insurance. The plan, backed by some Republicans in the House and Senate, offers a glimpse into how the GOP is mobilizing…
Why Government Can’t Run a Business
Fox Business
May 21, 2009
The Obama administration is bent on becoming a major player in - if not taking over entirely - America's health-care, automobile and banking industries. Before that happens, it might be a good idea to look at the government's track record in running economic enterprises. It is terrible. In 1913, for…
Panel: Private sector has key role in health-care reform
Atlanta Business Chronicle
May 20, 2009
Any health-care reform legislation that emerges from Congress must rein in costs while preserving private-sector innovation that has made the U.S. a world leader in medicine, a panel of political leaders agreed Wednesday. Former U.S. Senate majority leaders Tom Daschle and Bill Frist, ex-Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Karl Rove,…
More Value, Private Coverage Essential To Health Reform, Former CBO Head Says
BNA
May 19, 2009
Health care reform should focus on controlling costs and promoting value while expanding access to affordable private insurance, according to a paper released May 18 by the Manhattan Institute's Center for Medical Progress. In the paper, author Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, carved out…
Editorial: Paying for Health Reform
Washington Post
May 19, 2009
WHAT IF there were a way to pay for expanding health coverage that would also help hold down health-care costs and be fairer to low-income Americans than the current system? You'd think that President Obama would leap at this opportunity. Well, there is such a way. Unfortunately, Mr. Obama campaigned…
Liberal attack ads push medical reform
Washington Times
May 19, 2009
As Congress inches closer to drafting legislation intended to overhaul the nation's health care system, liberal groups - determined not to repeat the mistakes of a similar attempt by the Clinton administration in 1993 - are becoming more aggressive in their push for universal medical coverage. The group Health Care…
New Taxes Loom to Pay for Health-Care Overhaul
May 19, 2009
To pay for an overhaul of the nation's health system, Senate leaders have formally laid out proposals for new taxes on everything from employer-sponsored health-care benefits and nonprofit hospitals to alcohol and sugary drinks. A bipartisan outline released Monday by the Senate Finance Committee suggests peeling back a number of…
Commentary: Big risk in health care reform plan
CNN
May 18, 2009
We know what the president wants when it comes to health care reform. We know what Sen. Ted Kennedy and Rep. Henry Waxman want. And we know what interest groups really want from any health care reform effort. But what do the American people want when it comes to comprehensive…
GOP response: Public health option won’t work
The Hill
May 16, 2009
Republicans agree with several of President Obama's principles for healthcare reform and hope to work with him on the issue, Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) said Saturday. Americans should not be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions and should be able to keep their current plans if they like them, Boustany…
Health Care Hits a Snag in Senate
Wall Street Journal
May 16, 2009
Senators couldn't resolve differences this past week over whether to create a public health-insurance plan, suggesting an uphill struggle in meeting their goal of passing a bipartisan health-care bill by August. An 8 1/2-hour meeting that ended Thursday night featured "an awful lot of conflict," said Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley,…
Reforming Health Care: How a government-run plan could fit—or not
Washington Post
April 27, 2009
Of the many possible issues that could snarl health-care reform, one of the biggest is whether the measure should include a government-run health plan to compete with private insurers. The public plan has become an unfortunate litmus test for both sides. The opposition to a public plan option is understandable; conservatives,…
Health Facts And Fibs
Chicago Tribune
April 21, 2009
Sounds like Democratic lawmakers in Washington have just about wrapped up a historic overhaul of the nation’s health-care system in record time. They’ve reportedly agreed that the system will require everyone to carry insurance. That employers will be required to help pay for it. That the government should offer a…
Health Care Cautions, From One Who Knows
New York Times
April 13, 2009
From a friendly ghost of health care debates past comes this caution for Team Obama and Congressional Democrats: Think smaller. Seek less. Don’t fail. The caution comes from Richard A. Gephardt, a former Missouri congressman and a major figure in Democratic politics in his 28 years in the House and…
The End of Private Health Insurance
Wall Street Journal
April 12, 2009
Above every other health-care goal, Democrats this year want to institute a "public option" -- an insurance program financed by taxpayers, managed by government and open to everyone, much like Medicare. This new middle-class entitlement is the most important debate in Congress this year, because it really is the last…
A Second Opinion
CQ Weekly
April 6, 2009
It seemed conceivable on the afternoon of March 5 that Congress might have a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health system on President Obama’s desk within months, if not weeks. A strange-bedfellows audience had greeted Obama as he opened his White House “forum on health reform” — lawmakers from both…