Commentaries
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February 26, 2010
The focus of the health reform debate has shifted about a mile down Pennsylvania Avenue, from Capitol Hill to Blair House, where members of Congress and President Obama met Thursday to determine whether bipartisan cooperation on reform legislation is possible. The political dynamics do not bode well. The White House insists Mr. Obama is "adamant about passing comprehensive reform similar to the bills passed by the House and the Senate."
January 25, 2010
Interest in the Massachusetts health reform plan remains high as observers at the federal and state levels monitor its progress toward achieving universal health insurance coverage and controlling rising health costs. Many of the features of the Massachusetts plan are contained in legislation under consideration in Congress, including a bill offered by Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Therefore, it is worth assessing the experience with the Bay State’s reform initiative so far for lessons that may be useful for federal lawmakers.
January 13, 2010
During his six terms in the U.S. Senate, Michigan Democrat Carl Levin has repeatedly challenged "big business special interests." Yet, in voting for the comprehensive health overhaul bill last month, Levin made a special deal with the Senate leadership to exempt one special big business interest -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan -- from paying any portion of a new health insurance premium tax the Senate bill would create.
January 11, 2010
In his new television ad, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson defends his vote for the Senate’s health overhaul bill with a number of compelling arguments — compelling, but not supported by the facts. Sen. Nelson tells Nebraskans the bill “lowers costs for families and small businesses, protects Medicare . . . and reduces the deficit. And it’s not run by the government.
December 6, 2009
Nebraska’s interests have become the nation’s interests as the health reform debate reaches a critical stage in Washington, D.C., and U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson is one of a handful of key players who will determine whether the legislation helps or harms the state and the nation. While some senators, such as Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu, have shown they are willing to sell their votes for $100 million or so, others are focusing on the big picture and not on small favors tucked inside the 2,074-page bill.
November 5, 2009
In its efforts to expand access to health insurance, Congress is planning to add millions more people to Medicaid -- already the largest health plan in the country. The government has controlled Medicaid for nearly 45 years, and the program has enormous problems with cost, quality, and access. Rather than expanding Medicaid, Congress should start by reforming it -- now.
October 27, 2009
Three years after Massachusetts enacted its sweeping health-reform legislation, rising health costs continue to bedevil the state and threaten to derail reform efforts. Despite a significant restructuring of the state's health sector and dominance of nonprofit health plans, Massachusetts still has the highest health-insurance costs in the nation, averaging $13,788 for a family, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
September 18, 2009
The State of Utah recently launched a new program that lets employees of small businesses shop for a health insurance plan that best suits them and their families and purchase a policy at affordable rates. Called the Utah Health Insurance Exchange, it demonstrates why state-level policy innovation--not top-down, federal planning--is the key to improving America's health sector.
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