Last week, I expressed some skepticism about a study produced by McKinsey consultants claiming that 30% of employers will stop offering health insurance to their workers as a result of health reform. This high percentage is an outlier and so I was interested in how exactly McKinsey came up with this figure. The company wouldn’t say. …
health reform
Health Care Lawsuits: Why the 11th Circuit Might Matter More
Updated at 3:20 p.m.
The Affordable Care Act was back in court on Wednesday, with the government and a coalition of 26 states presenting arguments in an Atlanta courtroom for and against the constitutionality of the law. Oral …
Health Care Court Battles – Predictable as Ever
As I noted this morning, health care reform made another court appearance today. A three-judge panel in the Fourth Circuit heard arguments for and against the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate. The appellate court, reviewing two district court decisions, is just one more stop on the way to the Supreme …
Health Reform Turns 1. So What?
In case you happened to have avoided seeing the hundreds of articles and press releases announcing the one-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare: FYI, it’s today.
Both sides of this issue have been working hard over the past week to guide the news narrative around this momentous occasion. See here, here, here, here, …
Already Angling for Berwick’s Replacement
The New York Times reports today that some members of Congress have offered an early seal of approval to a health care administrator who could succeed Medicare/Medicaid chief Don Berwick. According to the Times, Berwick’s deputy Marliyn Tavenner has emerged as a leading candidate to fill the post before or once Berwick recess appointment …
What Alaska’s Refusal to Implement Health Reform Really Means
Yesterday, Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell gave a speech in which he refused to implement the Affordable Care Act. Citing a recent Florida court ruling that the law is unconstitutional, Parnell said, “We will not proceed down an unlawful course to implement it.” Here’s Parnell:
In its daily health care e-mail newsletter, Politico …
Why Congress (Probably) Won’t Scrap the Individual Mandate
Ezra Klein of the Washington Post has said a version of this already today, but it’s worth repeating. There is only a very, very slim chance that the individual mandate will be repealed by Congress, despite Politico’s contention that the policy might be on the ropes thanks to four Democratic senators.
As Ezra points out – and …
A Rare Glimpse of the Real Legal Debate Over Health Care
It’s been a disheartening week for supporters of Democratic health care reform. On Monday, a second federal judge ruled that their signature health reform law is unconstitutional. Democrats maintain that the Affordable Care Act – including its individual mandate – is perfectly legal. They point out that two other federal judges …
Romney Relieved at Health Care Ruling?
Ben Smith makes a good point today about how yesterday’s health care ruling might affect 2012 presidential election landscape. Mitt Romney is leading the field, but is believed to be highly vulnerable in the primary season because he ushered in health care reform in Massachusetts while he was governor. That reform plan is extremely …
Affordable Care Act Unconstitutional, Says Florida Judge
In a big blow to the Obama Administration, a second federal judge has declared that the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate is unconstitutional. The mandate is a central provision of the health reform law that will, beginning in 2014, require nearly every American to maintain health insurance coverage.
Florida Judge Roger …
More Than Half of All States Now Suing Over Health Reform
Yesterday, six states – Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Wyoming and Maines – joined the Florida lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The federal suit, in which a ruling is expected within weeks, now includes 26 states. In addition, Virginia is pursuing its own case and Oklahoma’s attorney general has …
House Republicans Repeal Health Reform. Now What?
UPDATED
The House repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which passed Wednesday evening 245-189, isn’t the first time the landmark legislation has had the appearance of vulnerability. In fact, exactly one year before the repeal vote, Republican Scott Brown was elected to the U.S. Senate, filling the late Ted Kennedy’s seat and …
Health Care: The Good, The Bad and The Political
Things are a little slow around TIME’s New York office this week, with some of our staff still stranded elsewhere thanks to the blizzard of 2010. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is also notoriously slow in the news business, with the President out of town and Congress out of session.
All of which makes it a perfect time …