Posts Tagged ‘Health Care Reform’
BLOGGER VS. BLOGGER: Obama Stirs the Pot With Supreme Court Comments
President Obama on Tuesday pulled back on previous comments on last week’s Supreme Court oral arguments over the constitutionality of the federal health reform law, after those remarks were rebuked by several Republican lawmakers. Conservative and liberal bloggers also were critical of the President’s statements.
Why ‘HillaryCare’ Failed and ‘ObamaCare’ Succeeded
Since March 30, 1992, when American Health Line first launched, there have been two major efforts to reform the country’s health care system.
In the early 1990s, President Clinton called on first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to lead an effort to enact major health reform legislation. That effort famously (or infamously) failed.
It wasn’t again until 2009, when President Obama took office, that lawmakers attempted such a large-scale effort to overhaul the U.S. health care system. Obama and congressional Democrats overcame decades of failed efforts to enact the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, now known as the federal health reform law, the ACA or “ObamaCare.”
We looked back at past coverage in American Health Line to examine the difference between the two efforts and why one was successful, and the other was not. Here are a number of key moments from each reform effort that helped determine their failure or success.
AHL’s TOP STORY: House Ways and Means Committee Approves IPAB Repeal Bill
The House Ways and Means Committee yesterday approved legislation (HR 452) that would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which was created under the federal health reform law to rein in Medicare spending, The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” reports. Read the rest of this entry »
AHL’s TOP STORY: House Energy and Commerce Committee Advances IPAB Repeal Bill
The House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday approved legislation (HR 452) that would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which was created under the federal health reform law to rein in Medicare spending, The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” reports (Baker, “Healthwatch,” The Hill, 3/6). Read the rest of this entry »
AHL’s TOP STORY: Insurers Likely To Focus on Patients With Costly Chronic Conditions After Overhaul Implementation
Health insurers are expected to begin more closely monitoring beneficiaries with costly chronic conditions after the federal health reform law is fully implemented in 2014, the New York Times reports. Read the rest of this entry »
AHL’s TOP STORY: Per-Person Cost of High-Risk Health Plan Twice as High as Estimates; 50K Now Enrolled
Health care costs for enrollees in the temporary high-risk insurance pools established by the federal health reform law are expected to be more than double initial predictions, according to a report released by the Obama administration, the Washington Post reports (Kliff, Washington Post, 2/23).
The report also found that between November 2010 and November 2011, enrollment in the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan increased by about 400% — helped by about 8,000 new applicants monthly in the second half of 2011 — to about 50,000 U.S. residents. That figure is well short of initial estimates by the CMS actuary, who predicted that 375,000 U.S. residents would enroll by the end of 2010 (Pecquet, “Healthwatch,” The Hill, 2/23). Read the rest of this entry »
WHAT WE’RE READING: An Ocean Can’t Spare You From Santorum’s Bogus Claims
- “Dutch Puzzled by Santorum’s False Claim of Forced Euthanasia,” New York Times‘ “The Lede”: No wonder Americans are perceived as ignorant.
- “Will Men Go Extinct? New Research Says It’s Unlikely.” Christian Science Monitor: Phew. Mankind dodges a huge bullet.
- “How the Computer That Won ‘Jeopardy!’ Could Change Medicine,” The Atlantic: It’s time to bring the A game. Read the rest of this entry »
AHL’S TOP STORY: CLASS Repeal Bill Expected To Pass House, Not Senate
The House today is expected to easily pass legislation (HR 1173) that would repeal the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports program created by the federal health reform law, but the bill is unlikely to receive the necessary votes to pass in the Senate, The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” reports (Baker/Pecquet, “Healthwatch,” The Hill, 1/31). Read the rest of this entry »
AHL’S TOP STORY: DOJ Brief Argues Most of Reform Law Can Stand Without Individual Mandate
The Obama administration last week said that if the Supreme Court strikes down the federal health reform law’s individual mandate, most of the law can remain intact, Politico reports. Plaintiffs in the case have argued that the entire law must be voided if the mandate is struck down (Haberkorn, Politico, 1/27).
[Ed. Note: For background on the Supreme Court's review of the federal health reform law, click here.]
In a brief filed with the court, Department of Justice lawyers noted that just two provisions would need to be eliminated if justices deem the mandate unconstitutional: one requiring health insurers to accept individuals regardless of their health status and the other prohibiting insurers from charging higher premiums based on an individual’s medical history (Vicini, Reuters, 1/27). Read the rest of this entry »
