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”.
The Public Plan: Not Worth The Risks
The so-called “public option”, a Medicare like publicly sponsored health insurance plan to be offered as part of health reform, is not worth the fiscal and economic risks. Why the public option will not be a part of health reform.
Open Wide: Here comes the change you thought would never happen
Obama hits the ground running. Based on his reported transition planning, this posting inaccurately predicted an effort to enact health reform by mid spring, 2009, based on Tom Daschle’s policy blueprint.
Obama’s Health Policy Options: 3 Scenarios
President Obama is elected. His three choices for proceeding on health reform: complete the New Deal by enacting an expensive new entitlement to complement Medicare and Medicaid financed by new taxes, take on the healthcare industry and carve the funding out of their existing payments, or wait and let the economy recover. What Will Obama Do?
Is Mandated Universal Coverage the Right Way to Achieve Health Reform? The Health Reform Debate We Haven’t Had Yet, by Jeff Goldsmith
Do we want to reform health care by providing universal health insurance coverage, or by funding access to safety net health systems for those without insurance, e.g. direct access? The safety net is the reason the US could have 50 million uninsured without a revolution. It’s the health reform debate we never had.