health care reform

Could the Public Option Get a Third Lease on Life?

I’m not a fan of making health reform-related predictions – especially after the Scott Brown election – so I won’t say No. But I am comfortable saying that it’s EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY unlikely.

But hey, you can’t blame public option devotees for trying. Sixteen Democratic senators and 119 House Democrats have now signed freshman …

UPDATE: Billy Tauzin Out at PhRMA

News broke overnight that Billy Tauzin, the Democratic congressman turned Republican turned lobbyist, was stepping down as head of the the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Tauzin led the group when it struck a mid-2009 backroom deal with President Obama and the chair of the Senate Finance Committee. The deal, …

Today’s Health Care Checkup

Here’s the latest on the health care front:

* Speaking at a fundraiser last night, President Obama made another strong pitch for health care reform, this time with some more details on his preferred pathway and timeline.

* But at least one observer thinks the big news is that Obama acknowledged the possibility that health reform …

Atul Gawande and His Pesky Checklists

The New Yorker’s Atul Gawande wrote one of the most influential stories about health care in 2009. The piece, published in June, was about geographic disparities in health spending, specifically why McAllen, Texas is one of the most expensive places in the country to get medical care. The article raised so many vital questions about …

The Unsustainable U.S. Health Care System

Here’s a newsflash for those fretting that Democratic health reform will lead to a “government takeover of the health care system” – the feds will account for more than half of all U.S. health spending by 2012 even if nothing changes. According to a report out today from economists at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, …

The Democrats’ Communication Problem

Democrats are still smarting from Scott Brown’s upset victory in Massachusetts last week. Health reform seemed inevitable and then, suddenly, it wasn’t. As Karen pointed out, Democratic lawmakers are still searching for a path forward that might include reconciliation. They may succeed, but certainly not because the American people …

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