Yesterday evening, the Obama Administration announced it was renominating Dr. Donald Berwick to be head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The White House formally nominated Berwick last year as well, but installed him via recess appointment to avoid a contentious Senate confirmation hearing. Berwick has been on the …
affordable care act
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 …
Politifact’s “Lie of the Year”
It says something about the success of a misinformation campaign when it’s called out for official recognition two years in a row. Politifact, the independent fact-checking web site associated with the St. Petersburg Times, named “death panels” it’s “Lie of the Year” in 2009. This year’s winner: “government takeover of …
That Other Individual Mandate Lawsuit
In Pensacola, Fla. today, federal Judge Roger Vinson indicated he sympathizes with those who say the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate violates the Constitution. If Vinson ultimately rules that the requirement that all Americans maintain health insurance coverage is unconstitutional, it would be a second brutal court blow to the …
Individual Mandate is Unconstitutional, Says Federal Judge
(This post has been updated to include comments from Ken Cuccinelli.)
Casting a shadow of doubt over the future of the Affordable Care Act, a federal judge in Virginia ruled this afternoon that a major tenet of the new health reform violates the Constitution.
The decision, from George W. Bush-appointed Judge Henry Hudson, says that …
In Defense of the Fox News Ban on “Public Option”
Fox News Washington managing editor Bill Sammon is under fire today for instructing his newsroom – during the height of the health care debate – not to use the term “public option.” Here’s the supposed smoking gun: an e-mail obtained by Media Matters:
From: Sammon, Bill
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 8:23 AM
To: 054
…
Will the Affordable Care Act Become Government’s Piggy Bank?
As first reported by Politico, Republican and Democratic Senate leaders are close to reaching a deal that would stave off impending cuts in Medicare reimbursements. To pay for the so-called “doc fix” – a perpetually vexing circumstance in which Medicare reimbursements would fall more than 20% without repeated congressional action – …
What the 1099 Logjam Says About the Future of Health Reform
Of all the controversial pieces of the Affordable Care Act, the one that seems ripest for rollback is a new requirement that businesses file tax forms on every purchase over $600. Yet, despite calls for its demise from both sides of the aisle and seemingly every business group in America, this provision lives on, which raises an …
A Health Care Fix Bernie Sanders and Tim Pawlenty Can Both Love?
Sen. Ron Wyden, of Oregon, has a knack for linking up with Republicans to introduce innovative health care policy that can garner real bipartisan support. When the Affordable Care Act was but a glimmer in President Obama’s eye, Wyden and Republican Sen. Bob Bennett, of Utah, introduced the Healthy Americans Act. This health care reform …
Breaking: Don Berwick to Answer Questions
Tomorrow, Don Berwick, the head of Medicare and Medicaid, will appear before the Senate Finance Committee. Republicans are, to put it mildly, looking forward to this. Berwick was installed via recess appointment, bypassing a Senate confirmation hearing. Expect a peek of what’s to come in 2011, once Republicans control the three …
Welcome to Washington, Mr. Congressman!
Liberals are having a good chuckle today over a great little item in Politico today about a freshman congressman. Apparently, anti-Obamacare crusader and physician Andy Harris threw a bit of a fit yesterday when told his government-subsidized health insurance wouldn’t begin until 28 days after he starts his new job on Capitol Hill. At an …