TOP STORIES
The New York Times
January 28, 2010
After spending 2009 emphasizing that a health care overhaul was his top domestic priority, Mr. Obama gave it much less prominence in his address, a sign of how imperiled the bill has become.
The Wall Street Journal
January 28, 2010
To move forward, Democrats will have to decide that abandoning the health care overhaul carries greater political risks.
Obama Message Turns from Hope to Cope
USA Today
January 28, 2010
The health care bill President Obama once demanded be passed last fall is in legislative limbo, and while he called action essential, he didn't outline a strategy to push it through.
Obama Tries to Salvage Health Care Bill
The Huffington Post
January 28, 2010
"Do not walk away from reform," Obama pleaded. "Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.
Obama on Health Care: Encouragement but not Priority
The Washington Post
January 28, 2010
With Democrats clamoring for Obama to focus on job creation and the economy, Obama said lawmakers should let "temperatures cool" and then take a fresh look at his health care plan.
INSURANCE
Avoiding Side Effects in Implementing Health Insurance Reform
NEJM
January 28, 2010
All U.S. health insurance reform proposals currently being discussed now include changes in the way insurers treat some people with above-average health risks, without which insurers would be subject to substantial adverse selection, but what are the side effects?
STATE NEWS
The Message from Massachusetts
Kaiser Family Foundation
January 27, 2010
To test the assumption that the Massachusetts vote was actually a referendum on national health reform, Kaiser Family Foundation conducted a post-election poll of Massachusetts revealing the story of health care and the special election is far more nuanced than some made it out to be.
MEDICARE/MEDICAID
Medicare/Medicaid Spending a National Threat
Fierce Healthcare
January 27, 2010
The Congressional Budget Office cites federal health care spending as "the single greatest threat" to the United States' budget stability.
REFORM EFFORTS
Nancy Pelosi Floats Two-Track Health Reform
Politico
January 28, 2010
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday floated the idea of a two-track plan for health care reform, with Congress pursuing easier-to-pass incremental changes now and comprehensive reform later.
House Sent Senate $300-Billion Reconciliation Package
Politico
January 28, 2010
House Democratic leaders have sent their Senate counterparts a package of changes to the Senate bill that would add $300 billion to the legislation’s cost, an “irrational” proposal that has Senate Democrats questioning whether the House is setting their chamber up to fail.
Medicine’s Ethical Responsibility for Health Care Reform-The Top Five List
NEJM
January 27, 2010
How can physicians, alone among the “special interests” affected by health care reform, justify demanding protection from revenue losses?
Press Ahead or Scale Back? The Reform Effort After the GOP Victory in Massachusetts
NEJM
January 27, 2010
Ultimately, one way or another, Congress and the White House will find their way to incremental health reforms - how the U.S. electorate generally prefers its policymakers to approach change.
American Values and Health Care Reform
NEJM
January 27, 2010
Serious concern for the values of quality, efficiency, and health underscore the need to ensure good stewardship of our health care dollars.
The President Came to a Fork in the Road and He Took It.
Healthcare Policy & Marketplace Review
January 27, 2010
The President came to a fork in the road tonight on health care reform - listening to his speech he seems to be taking both forks.
EMPLOYERS
Employers, Employees Concerned Health Reform Would Lead to Higher Overall Costs
Healthleaders Media
January 28, 2010
A significant majority of employers believe that the current health care reform proposals would lead to higher costs for both employer-sponsored benefit programs and health care services.
HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Political Earthquakes, Health Care Reform and Health IT
iHealth Beat
January 26, 2010
Health care reform might advance in a limited version (if at all), but it will have little direct consequence on health IT policy or funding.