Galen Institute

Highlights: January & February 2015

IMPACT AND HIGHLIGHTS

The year began with a new Congress and preparations for the new challenge to ObamaCare. In January, we hosted a Boot Camp for Senate staffers with speakers offering a broad overview of the health policy challenges and opportunities ahead.

We also have been incredibly busy writing, speaking, and working with federal and state officials and with policy colleagues about policy options should the Supreme Court rule for the plaintiffs in King v Burwell. We made it into the editorial pages of The New York Times with an idea we are proposing, and we wrote for many other publications to educate the public and the media about the importance of the case. A win would present our best early chance to get back on track with the right reform that gives consumers more options of more affordable coverage.

PUBLICATIONS

Grace-Marie wrote a column for Forbes on Jan. 5, ObamaCare Slaps States with $15 Billion in New Costs

We updated our growing list of changes to ObamaCare to 47, then 48, and now Forty-nine…So Far.

The Heartland Institute published Grace-Marie’s commentary, Obamacare Insurance Tax Will Hit State Budgets on Jan. 22

Forbes published our column, Gov. Pence’s Medicaid Transformation on Jan. 22

Real Clear Policy published Grace-Marie Turner and Tom Miller’s article on Feb. 9 explaining the impact of a decision in favor of the petitioners, If SCOTUS Rules against ACA Subsidies

Forbes published our commentaries, What Happens to the ACA if the Petitioners in King v Burwell Win at the Supreme Court? And First Biosimilar Poised for FDA Approval on Feb. 13

The New York Times published Grace-Marie Turner and Diana Furchtgott-Roth’s Op-Ed, A New Fix for ObamaCare, on Feb. 14

Forbes published Grace-Marie’s column Congressional intent is clear: Congress intended subsidies only for state exchanges on Feb. 26

Grace-Marie wrote a column for Forbes on Feb. 28, The Next ACA Battle: Extending the Children’s Health Insurance Program
GALEN IN THE NEWS

Galen was active on TV and radio, and Grace-Marie provided commentary with television interviews on:

Fox Business, Varney & Co., ObamaCare and your Taxes, on Jan. 20

On Feb. 16 Grace-Marie was interviewed by Shannon Bream of Fox News about King v Burwell, If administration loses looming Supreme Court case on ObamaCare, what’s next? The segment aired on Special Report with Brett Baier.

The Galen Institute was also active on radio interviews and podcasts around the country, including interviews with Grace-Marie on:

The Drew Mariani show with the Relevant Radio on Jan. 14 about the upcoming Supreme Court Case, King v Burwell Jim Blasingame hosted Grace-Marie on Jan. 20 to discuss How is the Obamacare employer mandate impacting businesses? and What Senate staffers wanted to know about Obamacare

Sandy Rio’s Show, about ObamaCare and the upcoming Supreme Court Case on Feb. 4

Feb. 6, The Jimmy Barrett Show, on NewsRadio 1140 WRVA, based in Richmond, about King v Burwell.

SPEECHES, MEETINGS, AND EVENTS   We hosted or attended more than 50 meetings, conference calls, and briefings in January and February with colleagues from think tanks across the country, state legislators, governors’ staffers, congressmen, senators, congressional and Senate staffers, and many, many others. Here are some highlights:

  • The Galen Institute hosted a Health Policy Boot Camp for Senate staffers on Jan. 16, with more than 100 staffers attending. Speakers included Doug Holtz-Eakin, Tom Miller, Bill Hoagland, Nina Owcharenko, Diana Furchtgott-Roth, and Kansas Lt. Gov. Jeffrey Colyer, M.D.
  • Grace-Marie traveled to Cincinnati and Orlando in February for Focus Groups to gauge public opinion on responses to the King v Burwell decision.
  • Grace-Marie was invited to participate in and speak on a number of conference calls with state leaders about legislative battles over Medicaid expansion.
  • The Galen Institute attended Real Clear Policy’s “Meet the New Members of Congress” forum Jan. 22 which hosted newly-elected Senators Tom Cotton, Steve Daines, Mike Rounds, Dan Sullivan, and Thom Tillis
  • The Galen Institute attended the PACE Conference, a cutting edge cancer research innovation conference, on Jan. 29
  • We attended two meetings of the Repeal Coalition in the U.S. Capitol, Feb. 4 and 24.
  • On Feb. 5, we hosted a conference call with colleagues from sister think tanks to talk about the Path2Cures initiatives and our complementary writings and research.
  • Also on Feb. 5, we hosted a conference call with leaders from the Catholic Medical Association as we assist them in developing an updated health policy position paper.
  • Grace-Marie spoke on a national media call with reporters from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, The Washington Examiner, PBS, NPR, San Jose Mercury News, and The Daily Caller on Feb. 25. The topic was the lead up to the Supreme Court arguments.
  • The Galen Institute sponsored a booth at the annual CPAC conference Feb. 25-28, making new contacts, getting our message out, and attending panels and speeches. We featured our newly-designed website, ObamaCareWatch.org.
  • We were invited to speak on a conference call with state attorneys general on Feb. 27 by the Rule of Law Defense Fund to discuss state options for action post-King.
  • Grace-Marie spoke Feb. 27 on a panel at CPAC hosted by the Competitive Enterprise Institute to discuss the Supreme Court case King v. Burwell
  • We attended a number of additional policy and planning meetings on and off Capitol Hill.

IN OTHER NEWS

The Galen Institute and Grace-Marie were cited and mentioned in numerous blogs and publications throughout the country. Some examples: