The brouhaha over liberals demanding that members of Congress turn down their congressional health insurance if they campaigned against Obamacare is misguided, but it does provide a teaching opportunity that could be very helpful in advancing the right policy solutions.Members of Congress are employees of the federal government, and they get their health insurance through their jobs – just as 160 … [Read more...] about Should Congressmen Turn Down Health Insurance?
Archives for November 2010
Drug Delays Hurt Research
The extraordinarily expensive and time-consuming process of getting a new medicine approved by the Food and Drug Administration is becoming even more perilous. Take the case of Avastin. The FDA approved Avastin to fight late-stage breast cancer in 2008, but the agency has spent much of 2010 debating whether to reverse its decision.Medical researchers and patients are on hold until Dec. 17, when … [Read more...] about Drug Delays Hurt Research
Congress, States Gearing Up To Fight ObamaCare
Legislators returned this week to Capitol Hill to start making plans for the next Congress, and the 80-plus freshmen have the fight against ObamaCare at the top of their lists. Likewise, most of the 29 Republican governors meeting this week in San Diego are making plans to resist what many see as a federal take-over of their health sectors. For example, The New York Times today reports that … [Read more...] about Congress, States Gearing Up To Fight ObamaCare
Allow Real Competition in Medicare
The best way to get Medicare spending under control is to follow the model of a successful program that is actually costing less than expected: the Part D prescription drug benefit.Medicare Part D was projected to cost $111.2 billion in 2009 under original estimates. But the most recent Medicare Trustees’ Report found that the benefit actually cost the federal government $60.8 billion last … [Read more...] about Allow Real Competition in Medicare
80 to 100 Million Could Lose Current Coverage
An analyst from McKinsey & Company knocked the socks off insurance company executives yesterday when she told them the new health law will bring "fundamental disruption to the health care economy" -- so much so that "something in the range of 80 to 100 million individuals are going to change coverage categories in the two years post-2014." They will lose their employer coverage, move into … [Read more...] about 80 to 100 Million Could Lose Current Coverage
Post-Election Predictions for ObamaCare
While the White House and Democratic leaders in Congress try to pretend otherwise, a vote for the health law was a death knell for Democratic candidates in the Nov. 2 elections.All five of the House Democrats who flipped from voting "no" to "yes" on final passage lost their seats. Seniors voted overwhelmingly against candidates who supported passage and defeated many of them. The two Democrats who … [Read more...] about Post-Election Predictions for ObamaCare
Anger Over Health Reform Swamped Dems
The evidence is clear: Health reform was a serious liability on the campaign trail for Democrats who supported passage of the massive overhaul law.President Obama had promised Democrats who were nervous about voting for the unpopular bill last March that he had their backs: If they voted for his signature legislation, he said he would work relentlessly to overcome public opposition and convince … [Read more...] about Anger Over Health Reform Swamped Dems
Support for ObamaCare Was a Death Knell for Candidates
The New York Times has a terrific graphic depiction today of the dramatic shift to the right in Tuesday's elections. The American people have been trying to tell Washington that we are a center-right country in every way they could -- from town hall meetings, marches on Washington, and electing Republicans in very blue states, to creation of an entirely new political movement. Washington didn't … [Read more...] about Support for ObamaCare Was a Death Knell for Candidates