Leading Health Care Experts Tell Senate to Step It Up
(Talking Points Memo, January 27, 2010)
Democratic insiders, members of Congress, and health care reformers are now ramping up pressure on the Senate to take procedural steps to assure a comprehensive bill can become law.
A “Scaled Back” Health Bill Won’t Work
(Real Clear markets, January 26, 2010)
Enacting just the popular parts of the bill (which tend to be insurance regulations) will explode premiums and make it harder than ever for uninsured people to find coverage. This isn’t just speculation — it’s what happened in New York when the state enacted similar insurance reforms without the “comprehensive” approach discussed in Washington.
How the Democrats may solve their health care problem
(Washington Post, January 22, 2010)
For those who believe in health-care reform — and who think the Democrats would be committing suicide if they gave up on health care now — it’s heartening to hear that serious people are making serious efforts to get a health bill through.
Enough Hand Wringing. Get the Job Done.
(Huffington Post, January 22, 2010)
Congress can still pass historic legislation that will make health care a right, not a privilege, in the United States. While the procedural route may be different, Congress still can do what it intended to do before Tuesday. It can enact a comprehensive bill that will make good health care affordable to tens of millions of people.
Where Do We Go From Here?
(Center for Community Change, January 21, 2010)
Community organizers and progressives have a critical role in shaping the understanding and response to what actually happened in MA. We must avoid a disastrous turn toward caution and incrementalism.
New York’s Congressional Delegation Says Full Speed Ahead on health Care Reform (City Hall, January 20, 2010)
Members of New York’s Congressional delegation said yesterday they were optimistic about enacting health care reform within weeks, even in the wake of Tuesday’s Republican upset in Massachusetts, and would consider supporting dramatically transformed legislation than had previously been passed, so long as they can salvage core principles of the earlier bills.
Brown’s Victory was not a referendum on health care
(Think progress, Janury 20, 2010)
Democrats are misinterpreting Senator-elect Scott Brown’s (R-MA) surprise victory in Massachusetts as a referendum on national health care reform.
Martha Coakely and “Side Care Reconciliation”: The Public Option Lives Again (FireDog Lake, January 19, 2010)
The Democrats can’t just walk away from the signature issue they’ve devoted so much energy to, nor can they pass a giant giveaway to the insurance companies and PhRMA without huge electoral consequences
Health Insurers Funded Chamber Attack Ads
(National Journal, January 13, 2010
Just as dealings with the Obama administration and congressional Democrats soured last summer, six of the nation’s biggest health insurers began quietly pumping big money into third-party television ads aimed at killing or significantly modifying the major health reform bills moving through Congress.
Easier than It Looks (The New Republic, January 11, 2010)
Reaching agreement on a health care bill is harder in theory than it will be in practice. Between now and the day the measure goes to President Obama’s desk, there will be many crisis points, much posturing and dire warnings of impending failure. There are real differences between the bills passed by the House and the Senate. The last few votes are always the most difficult to get.
Critical Loophole in Senate bill (Marketwatch, January 7, 2010)
A critical loophole in the current version of the Senate health-care bill would allow insurers to charge more for those who don’t participate in wellness programs, essentially negating the measure’s key goal of eliminating higher costs for those with pre-existing conditions.
Obama Urges Excise Tax on High Cost Consumers
(NYTimes, January 6, 2010)
The White House has long expressed a preference for the excise tax on high-cost plans, which health economists say could be an important tool in controlling long-term health care spending for the government and for individuals and families.
House Priorities (Politico, January 6, 2010)
During a two-hour session Wednesday morning in the Capitol, top House Democrats highlighted some of their initial priorities for health care negotiations with the Senate.
Dozens of Topline Differences (Politico, January 5, 2010)
To truly understand the extent of the differences between the House and Senate health care bills, take a look at an 11-page chart compiled by the Tri-Committee House staff. It offers the clearest snapshot yet of the decisions that President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry will need to make. There are more than 50 “topline differences” that need to be resolved, from the amount of taxes levied to the minimum benefit package offered in the exchanges, according to the chart.
Hell Freezes Over (SEIU Blog, January 4, 2010)
Limbaugh then turned to health care reform, citing his Honolulu experience as evidence that the health care system doesn’t need fixing.
Senate-House Bill Comparison (Huffington Post, December 24,2009)
A comparison of the health care bills passed by the Senate and House.
