As the discussion begins at today’s bi-partisan meeting on health care, it is important to remember the stakes in this debate. Nationally 31 million people are projected to gain health coverage under the President’s proposal. The White House plan would expand Medicaid eligibility at the same level as passed by the U.S. Senate and provide … Continue reading »
Reading tea leaves in Massachusetts
Fevered analysis by pundits and the general populace alike is linking the Republican victory in Massachusetts to repudiation of national health care. It may come as a surprise that there is actually some decent data on which to judge this election. And it suggests that Martha Coakley lost the election by failing to rouse much … Continue reading »
An increasingly wish-washy president signaling surrender
I’m not going to get into the future-guessing game, except to say that with our increasingly wishy-washy President already signaling he is going to surrender to the pundits who eagerly declare that the Massachusetts election was all about the health care bills (as they say on “Law & Order,” they know drama!), it is beginning … Continue reading »
Pass the bill
The House should act quickly and pass the Senate bill as is. They should simultaneously use the budget reconciliation process to deal with the main outstanding financial issues: improving the subsidies for lower income families, amending the excise tax on high cost plans and other changes as needed on the financing of the bill. Whatever … Continue reading »
Tyranny of the minority
Without wanting to seem too cynical, I think that this election, in itself alarming to me, will not make much difference at all vis-a-vis health care reform, which was nearly dead anyway. I am of the opinion that it is better to have no bill at all than one that only gives prizes to the … Continue reading »
Senator-to-Be Scott Brown and Health Care Reform
One of the stranger things about the Washington DC reaction to Scott Brown’s victory is that very few people seem to have noticed that Scott Brown approves of the health care reform bill–he thinks that it is good policy, that it would be a good set of reforms to the country’s health care system. Why … Continue reading »