The Administration announced last night that it would use a recess appointment to get Donald Berwick in place as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Recess appointments are controversial and this is no exception. Republicans are downright angry that the White House, apparently without much warning, …
health reform
“The Law of the Land”
Like it or not, the Affordable Care Act is now law. Barring full repeal or a court finding that it’s unconstitutional – impossible in the near term and fairly unlikely in the long term – there’s not much those opposed to the law can do to resist it.
But yet, some of the people who may be in charge of enforcing the law are telling …
Marco Rubio Doesn’t – or Didn’t – Get It
There are a few very simple truths about how health insurance works, which some commentators and politicians can’t seem to grasp. The result is a constant drumbeat of disingenuous statements that misrepresent how health reform will work and why the Affordable Care Act was written as it is.
The latest failure to grasp comes from …
National Politics and State Realities at Odds
Kevin Sack has an illuminating piece in the New York Times on the conundrum that politicians – especially Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats – face while trying to balance a fiercely partisan political climate against the woes of a sagging economy. Case in point: Medicaid, one of the most expensive programs in every state in the …
Inside the Passage of Health Care Reform
Jonathan Cohn may be the smartest, most well-sourced health care writer in the country. When I was first assigned to the health care beat in early 2009, his book Sick was among my required reading.
Today, he unveils the first in a series of five pieces that explain how the White House and congressional Democrats passed health care …
Pawlenty Tells Feds to Keep Their Medicaid Money
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is feeling pretty good today. After using his political power as the state’s Republican leader and his veto power as governor, Pawlenty has notched a massive state budget victory that Politico’s Ben Smith says lays the groundwork for the governor’s assumed 2012 presidential run.
Refusing to compromise …
Is the NFIB Really a Voice for Small Businesses?
Today, the National Federation of Independent Business joined the states suing the federal government on the grounds that federal health reform is unconstitutional. Wow – this ups the ante, right?
Politico seems to think so, saying its daily health care alert this morning:
…politically and symbolically, it could make the
…
“Rationing” is Back!
If you’re still mourning the loss of the health care debate’s heated rhetoric, don’t despair. It’s about to get another lease on life thanks to the upcoming confirmation hearing for Donald Berwick, Obama pick to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
This is a powerful position within the Department of Health and …
The Story Behind More Bad Headlines About the Cost of Health Reform
On Tuesday, we got word that the ten-year cost of the new health reform law may be more than the $938 billion that was reported when the bill became law. In a letter released yesterday afternoon, the Congressional Budget Office said $115 billion more in discretionary spending could be spent to fully implement the law. This is not pocket …
Elena Kagan and Health Reform
During Elena Kagan’s Senate confirmation hearing, the American public will get a sneak peak of a particularly contentious case that may reach the Supreme Court – the constitutionality of the new health reform law. Several Republican senators have already indicated they plan to ask Kagan about her view of the law’s mandate that …
Under Pressure
The final leg in the health reform debate marathon may seem like a distant memory. The media has been focused on financial reform, immigration reform and most recently, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the man who tried to bomb Times Square.
But some recent health care news provides good reason to look back on what pushed …
Another Critical Health Reform Report
Health reform proponents got another round of bad headlines today, as the chief actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a report saying that the new law will increase costs. According to an AP story by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, the report is “a worrisome assessment for Democrats,” showing that while cost …
When it Comes to the Health Care Law, Confusion Reigns
For the most part, Americans don’t understand the details of the new health reform law. This is understandable – the law is complicated, it’s not in effect yet and the political noise of the past year obscured a lot of the policy. I took a stab on Time.com yesterday at explaining 5 of the “immediate benefits” Democrats are so eager …