» Sign up to receive the Daily Dose by email every weekday
Action Is Brewing! Tea Party Updates
Desert Conservative
[...]The government-run health insurance plan has reared its ugly head again - and this time around the Democrats are trying to spin it as a way to save money. It should come as a surprise to no one that government-set price controls, underpayments to providers, and rationed care "saves" the government money. Today, Rep. Lynn Woolsey introduced H.R. 5808, "To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to establish a public health insurance option." This bill creates a government-run plan controlled by government bureaucrats, paid for on the backs of taxpayers ($2 billion in "start-up funds") to "compete" in state Exchanges.
Single-Payer or Bust
Philip Klein - The American Spectator
The new national health care law may represent the largest expansion in the role of government since the Great Society, but for liberal activists, it was just the appetizer. Here at the annual Netroots Nation conference for self-described progressives, organizers discussed their strategy for pushing toward their ultimate goal of a fully government-run, or single-payer, health care system. To reach the promised land, they first have to protect the gains they've already made.
Desert Conservative
[...]The government-run health insurance plan has reared its ugly head again - and this time around the Democrats are trying to spin it as a way to save money. It should come as a surprise to no one that government-set price controls, underpayments to providers, and rationed care "saves" the government money. Today, Rep. Lynn Woolsey introduced H.R. 5808, "To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to establish a public health insurance option." This bill creates a government-run plan controlled by government bureaucrats, paid for on the backs of taxpayers ($2 billion in "start-up funds") to "compete" in state Exchanges.
Single-Payer or Bust
Philip Klein - The American Spectator
The new national health care law may represent the largest expansion in the role of government since the Great Society, but for liberal activists, it was just the appetizer. Here at the annual Netroots Nation conference for self-described progressives, organizers discussed their strategy for pushing toward their ultimate goal of a fully government-run, or single-payer, health care system. To reach the promised land, they first have to protect the gains they've already made.
The public deserves a hearing for a Medicare appointee
Editorial - Washington Post
"I
CAN'T PLAY political games on these issues. I've got a government to
run," President Obama said in explaining his move to sidestep the Senate
and use a recess appointment to install Donald Berwick to run Medicare
and Medicaid. Mr. Obama's hurry would have been more understandable had
he not waited for more than a year to select an administrator for the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Then again, Senate
Republicans had made it pretty clear that they would do their best to
block Dr. Berwick's confirmation. With deadlines looming for
implementing the new health-care law and the key agency without a
confirmed leader since 2006, Mr. Obama chose to use his recess
appointment power. As the president told NBC News, "At a certain point
we have to go ahead and just make sure that people are in place to deal
with the enormous challenges that are ahead." Side Effects: Obamacare Encouraging Insurers to Cut Corners
Kathryn Nix - Heritage Foundation
With or without Obamacare, health insurance
costs are on the rise. And that has businesses searching for more
affordable options. One increasingly popular option: health plans
covering services provided by a relatively small number of participating
doctors and hospitals. These plans are most attractive to small
employers, but The New York Times reports, "Large employers, as well,
are starting to show some interest, and insurers and consultants expect
that, over time, businesses of all sizes will gravitate toward these
plans in an effort to cut costs."
Health tax credit irks businesses
Nancy Madsen - Watertown Daily Times
More
than four-fifths of small businesses in New York will be eligible for a
health care tax credit, according to a report released by two advocacy
groups. But local small businesses said that the rules don't encourage
growth and that other provisions in the massive health care overhaul
that passed in March will cost them. Small businesses that cover at
least 50 percent of each employee's health insurance premiums will
receive up to 35 percent of the average cost of a small group plan in
the state as a tax credit. The business can employ up to 25 full-time
equivalent people, including the owner, with average wages of less than
$50,000.Heartland Exposes Radical Agenda of CMS Head Donald Berwick
The American public has learned a good deal this month about the radical views of Dr. Donald Berwick, the new head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, thanks to the efforts of The Heartland Institute. Ben Domenech, Heartland research fellow and managing editor of Health Care News, used some old-fashioned investigative reporting to track down video footage of a speech Berwick delivered to a British audience in 2008.
The 'Public Option' Is Back
Michael F. Cannon - Cato @ Liberty
That
didn't take long at all. Left-wing congresscritters have
(re-)introduced legislation to create a "public option" in ObamaCare's
health insurance exchanges. The Congressional Budget Office scores the
bill as reducing federal deficits by $53 billion by 2019. How? Paying
doctors and hospitals less! Put that on a bumper sticker! The public
option would use Medicare's price and exchange controls to pay doctors
and other health care providers 5 percent more than Medicare does. Proposed deficit remedy: the healthcare 'public option'
Noam Levey - LA Times
As
both political parties worry about the growing federal deficit, an
unlikely proposal is returning from last year's divisive healthcare
debate: the "public option." Creating a major government health
insurance program was roundly rejected last year, but 128 House
Democrats are pushing to reconsider the idea, contending that it would
hold down federal spending. Their bill, which faces long odds, would
allow Americans who do not get insurance at work to choose a government
health plan starting in 2014.Healthcare Bill Will Cost Hawaii Taxpayers
$204 Million, State Consultant Says, But Advocates Say 'Reform' is
Needed; Hawaii Medical Providers Prepare for the Impact
Greg Wiles - Hawaii Reporter
Months
after passage of the much-debated healthcare reform bill, it's still
unclear to Hawaii's political leaders, insurers and taxpayers how much
the measure will cost in Hawaii. The state says the tab from healthcare
reform could run more than $204 million over a 5-year period.
Healthcare insurers say it's difficult to come up with a number until
more is known about the law's pending regulations, but that it is bound
to add to costs in the next few years. At the same time local insurers
say they haven't been waiting around for the reform bill and are
pursuing ways to lower bills on their own.Attorney general candidate pledges to combat 'Obamacare'
Mike Rose - Austin Daily Herald
While
kicking off a multicity tour to launch his campaign for Minnesota
attorney general, Republican Chris Barden stopped in Austin Tuesday and
said that the federal health care overhaul needs to be repealed. "We
were sold a bill that doesn't exist in reality," Barden said. "It just
transfers power to Washington." The candidate added: "It will dumb down
Minnesota's health care system."Forcing Health Care Out of Business
Cal Thomas - Crosswalk
The
White House has issued new rules requiring health insurance companies
to provide free coverage for dozens of screenings, laboratory tests and
other types of preventive care. We who opposed nationalized health care
saw this coming, along with federally-funded abortions, which are
occurring in Pennsylvania. The White House always denied it, of course.Obamacare mandate far worse than a tax
Ken Blackwell and Ken Klukowski - Daily Caller
In
the Wall Street Journal today, we discuss why the Obamacare mandate is
not a tax, and even if it were, it would still be unconstitutional. But
there's much more to the story, which could forever change the reach of
federal power. The Wall Street Journal piece, and what follows, comes
from our intensive research for our new book, The Blueprint: Obama's
Plan to Subvert the Constitution and Build an Imperial Presidency.
Chapter 4 explains why Obamacare is unconstitutional, and how to defeat
it in federal court.Premiums Rise As HMOs Hoard Cash Before ObamaCare
David Whelan - Forbes' The Science Business
Today
Consumer's Union released a report that accuses nonprofit Blue Cross
plans of overcharging their customers. By collecting more in premiums
than they need for medical claims or overhead expenses, some plans have
racked up a surplus, according to the advocacy group. The point of the
report is to say that these insurers could charge less. Yet there are
legitimate reasons to have extra capital lying around--especially as
health reform gets slowly implemented.Constitutionality of ObamaCare on the docket
Charlie Butts - One News Now
A
federal court is pondering the constitutionality of the healthcare
reform act in a lawsuit that was filed moments after the bill was signed
into law on March 23, 2010. The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) filed the
lawsuit challenging the individual mandate section of ObamaCare
legislation. Federal District Court Judge George C. Steeh agrees "that a
prompt resolution of the constitutional issue would serve the public
interest."Rules to ease consumer appeals in health coverage
Alison Young - USA Today
Consumers
will get new and expanded rights to appeal denials of health insurance
claims under federal regulations released Thursday. The rules, part of
the nation's new health care law, will make it easier for consumers to
dispute an insurer's decision within the plan and require coverage to
continue during the appeal, said Phyllis Borzi, an assistant secretary
in the Department of Labor. Consumers will have the right to an
independent, third-party review of insurers' decisions.Massachusetts Meltdown A Model For ObamaCare
David Hogberg - Investor's Business Daily
During
the health care debate, President Obama claimed his proposal was
similar to RomneyCare, passed in 2006 in Massachusetts under then GOP
Gov. Mitt Romney. Unfortunately, RomneyCare portends a bleak future for
the U.S. under ObamaCare. Little by little, the system is falling apart
in Massachusetts under the weight of ever-increasing costs: * On Tuesday
the Boston Globe reported that primary care physicians are harder than
ever to find.New Mexico Implements Health Care Reform Strategic Plan And Recommendations
Governor
Bill Richardson has announced the state is moving forward on several
initial recommendations from the New Mexico Health Care Reform
Leadership Team's Strategic Plan. Governor Richardson appointed the
leadership team to develop a plan for the state to implement the Federal
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed by Congress earlier
this year.Friday healthcare
Mike Lillis - The Hill's Healthwatch
ON
CAPITOL HILL: -- The White House might have resubmitted Medicare chief
Donald Berwick to the Senate for a confirmation hearing, but Democratic
leaders appear intent not to hold such a thing. Despite threats from
GOP leaders that Berwick's recess appointment threatens his legitimacy
atop the agency (not to mention his working relationship with
Republicans), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus says he wants
to "focus on the work before us." | Latest Polling |
|
Rasmussen Reports July 19, 2010 56 percent of voters favor repealing Obamacare |