Galen Institute

Highlights: November & December 2015

Impact

This week, the Congress has its first opportunity ever to send a bill repealing ObamaCare to the president.  The House has passed repeal legislation in every Congress since the health overhaul law was enacted, but the Harry-Reid-controlled Senate never acted, blocking the bill from reaching the president.

That changes this week. The Senate already has passed repeal legislation, using the lengthy and complex “reconciliation” process. The House will act this week on the bill which will land on Mr. Obama’s desk. He will veto the bill, of course, but it sets an important marker.  Nearly six years since it was enacted, the health law is as unpopular as ever with huge premium increases, disruptions in coverage, and costly mandates on individuals and businesses negatively impacting tens of millions of Americans.

Most of those in the House who will vote to repeal ObamaCare were not even in Congress when the law was passed in 2010, but they will be fulfilling a promise to their constituents. Speaker Ryan also has pledged to pass legislation through the House this year to show voters the preferred free-market, consumer-focused alternative.

See below for a round-up of our continuing efforts to educate the American people about the law, its impact, and our better ideas. And we are most pleased to welcome Doug Badger, our new senior fellow, to the Galen Institute. You will see his work here, with much more to come!

Publications

We also produce a weekly round-up of the top articles on our ObamaCare Watch website, which is updated daily to reflect the latest news and commentary about the health care law. You can sign up here to receive our ObamaCare Watch newsletter.

Galen in the News

Varney & Co. of the Fox Business Network invited Grace-Marie to discuss UnitedHealth’s decision to withdraw from ObamaCare exchanges in 2017 on Nov. 19.

Fox News’ The Special Report with Bret Baier invited Grace-Marie to talk about how ObamaCare is detrimentally impacting job growth, Dec. 9.

Grace-Marie joined Varney & Co. live in the NYC Fox Business studios to discuss job growth under ObamaCare on Dec. 9.

Grace-Marie provided commentary with radio interviews, including:

The Galen Institute was cited in numerous blogs and publications throughout the country in November and December, including:

Meetings and Speeches

The Galen Institute both facilitated and attended meetings in November and December with reporters, legislators, and other think tanks, including:

  • On Nov. 4 and Dec. 2, the Galen staff attended the Repeal Coalition meetings on Capitol Hill.
  • Grace-Marie spoke with Mary Powers of The American Media Institute news organization on Nov. 6.
  • She spoke with Tor Constantino of HealthZette about the ObamaCare co-op failures on Nov. 18.
  • On Dec. 1, spoke with Dennis Cotter of The Medical Technology and Practicing Patterns Institute about the Biosimilar Payment Rule.
  • Grace-Marie spoke at the Drug Pricing Policy Forum for Capital Alpha Partners on Dec. 3.
  • Held the Galen Institute Annual Board meeting on Dec. 7.
  • Grace-Marie was invited to speak at a conference held on Dec. 9 by Pfizer in New York City about themes and trends for 2016.
  • On Dec. 17, met with the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Technology to discuss the ObamaCare state exchanges.
  • Participated in a conference call on Dec. 18 to prepare for the Midwest Healthcare & West Coast Chief Physicians Executive Summit.
  • On Dec. 19, met with Alternative Health Association staff.

Events

The Galen team attended a number of events during the months of September and October:

  • Grace-Marie attended an event for the Jack Kemp Foundation, “Celebrating Jack’s Legacy” on Nov. 1.
  • On Nov. 3, the Galen team attended a House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health hearing titled, “State of ObamaCare’s Co-op Program.”
  • Attended an Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight hearing on Nov. 5 titled, “Examining the Costly Failures of Obamacare’s CO-OP Insurance Loans.”
  • On Nov. 5, the attended the launch event for www.RealClearHealth.com
  • Grace-Marie attended the American Enterprise Institute’s dinner honoring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
  • Attended a reception for the HER Resiliency Center on Nov. 15.
  • On Nov. 18, attended the Independent Women’s Forum Annual Gala for the Woman of Valor Awards.
  • Attended a “New Conversation on Medical Discovery” event about the importance of new treatments and medical breakthroughs on Dec. 2.
  • Attended the Center for Competitive Politics gala on Dec. 2.
  • Grace-Marie was invited to attend an address by Speaker Paul Ryan on Dec. 3, where he outlined his vision for 2016 and the House’s pro-growth agenda.
  • On Dec. 7, attended the “Reception with Marilyn Tavenner” hosted by America’s Health Insurance Plans and Morning Consult.
  • The Galen team attended the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight’s hearing on Dec. 8, “An Overdue Checkup Part II: Examining the ACA’s State Insurance Marketplaces.”
  • Attended a speech by Henry Olson at the American Enterprise Institute titled “The Four Faces of the GOP” on Dec. 10.
  • On Dec. 14, attended “Opportunities to Strengthen Intellectual Property Beyond Trade Agreements” policy discussion and roundtable at Pfizer.
  • Attended the Reservoir Communications holiday party on Dec. 15.
  • Attended the American Enterprise Institute holiday celebration on Dec. 16.