It's safe to say Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), the only Republican who appears to be entertaining support for the Democratic health reform bills, is no fan of the House legislation. "I do not know what world they live in," Snowe said in an interview. "But all I know is it is  totally detached from the average person, the average business owner who is struggling to keep their doors open… Read more

Democrats in Congress are embracing the spirit of President Obama's call to slow the runaway rise of health-care costs but are shying away from some of the most aggressive techniques for achieving that. Instead of revolutionizing how care is delivered and paid for, experts say, the legislation being shaped takes a cautious approach to reining in costs. "The bills are directionally… Read more

Obama Administration officials have repeatedly emphasized the need to "bend the curve" of health-care costs. Reducing increases in health spending, they argued, was essential to controlling future federal budget deficits and making insurance affordable for most Americans. Now, in the first comprehensive evaluation of one of the major congressional health reform bills, analysts find that… Read more

  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) yesterday wrote that , “Total national health expenditures under [H.R. 3200] would increase by an estimated 2.7 percent in calendar year 2019.” Over the next 10 years, CMS predicts overall national health expenditures will jump by 2.1 percent, or $750.3 billion. To review the other CMS findings including Medicare cuts, tax… Read more

After nearly a month of requests from Ways and Means Republicans to remove the misguided gag order placed on Medicare plans from communicating with their members, the Obama Administration finally lifted the ban Friday evening. As a result, Medicare plans will once again be able to communicate factual information on pending legislation without penalty or political pressure. Below are a… Read more

Healthcare reform is dividing the membership of the AARP more than any other issue ever has. Despite expending vast resources, the AARP has not been able to unite its own membership, Nancy LeaMond, the executive vice president of the organization’s social impact group, told reporters on Wednesday. AARP’s membership is roughly divided between Democrats, Republicans and independents,… Read more

Some of the headlines in recent days are not worthy of belief. No, I'm not referring to the headlines that Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, however odd that many seem to many (including, it seems, Obama himself). I'm referring to the headlines earlier in the week to the effect that the health care bill sponsored by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus will cut the federal… Read more

As Ways and Means Republicans have noted, the health plans Congressional Democrats are proposing have already failed at the state level. The results of these misguided policies have been significantly higher premiums, higher health care costs and reduced access to care. Below is a Wall Street Journal opinion piece further illustrating the problems with nationalizing these failed state… Read more

"If the goal of reform is to provide the best possible patient care, let's take the government-controlled 'public option' — and any legislative trick that could lead to a public option—off the table. It will result in long waiting lines to see a doctor, substandard care, and an end to medical discovery." We aren't among the doctors invited to a Rose Garden event today to "join the… Read more

Medicare Advantage is a recently instituted federal program that allows individuals eligible for Medicare to opt to take their coverage from a private carrier, such as a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) of Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). These MA deals usually offer somewhat better coverage at a somewhat higher price. The entire program is meant to introduce competition into… Read more