Marooned in the Horse Latitudes
The US economy languishes while the health system continues adding jobs. Are the two phenomena related? Is America marooned in the horse latitudes?
Eight Rules From The Heart Of Power: How Did Obama Do?
In his book on Presidential politics and health reform, Heart of Power, health policy analyst Dr. David Blumenthal offered eight rules for Presidential conduct of health policy. How did President Obama do?
Last Helicopter Out of Saigon!
President Obama is running out of time and public patience in the health reform debate. Obama must move quickly or health reform will slip from his grasp. The political price paid for health reform will be steep.
Panicky People Make Bad Decisions : Salvaging Health Reform after Scott Brown
After Scott Brown’s shocking election to Ted Kennedy’s Massachusetts vacant Senate seat, the Democrats lose their filibuster proof Senate majority. Can health reform be saved? This posting advocated starting over with a stripped down, affordable new bill.
There Be Dragons: The Fiscal Risk Of Premium Subsidies In Health Reform
The core of health reform is transforming a nearly $1 trillion private health insurance market. Health reform legislation will eliminate most of the health insurance industry’s risk management practices (medical underwriting, etc.) and restrict its gross margins and earnings. The Congressional Budget Office issues an astonishingly rosy forecast of how health reform will affect private health insurance markets. What is wrong with their forecast? What are the fiscal and policy risks of health insurance reform?
The Leaning Tower of Jello: Why No-one Believes Health Reform will be Deficit Neutral
Critical to health reform’s enactment is President Obama’s pledge that the bill will not increase federal deficits, already running at $1 trillion a year. Why no-one believes health reform will be deficit neutral, despite Congressional Budget Office assurances.
Capitol Shortage: Can the Two Democratic Parties Get It Together on Health Reform?
Will divisions inside the Democratic Party doom health reform? Can the “safe seat” and “running scared” Democrats find a health reform plan both can support? This posting predicted that health reform could blow up in the President’s face and cost the Democrats control of Congress.
The Accountable Care Organization: Not Ready For Prime Time
A major component of health reform is how to change healthcare payment to make it less inflationary. Unfortunately, the most discussed idea in the debate, the so-called Accountable Care Organization, or ACO, isn’t ready for prime time.
A Wild Pitch: HR3200 Brushes Back Health Reform
The White House decision to let the House of Representatives take the lead in drafting health reform legislation may have dealt a fatal blow to the process. The House Democratic leadership releases an inflammatory and highly partisan draft of health reform legislation, alienating Republicans and trapping moderate Democrats. This draft ignites the Tea Party summer. A Wild Pitch Brushes Back Health Reform.
No Country for Old Men
Squaring his campaign promises for health reform with political realities will be a difficult enough challenge for President Obama. But the real problem will be a shortage of bandwidth in Congress. Why health reform is “no country for old men”.