21 Healthcare Provisions that Kick In 2011

Those include: Nutritional labeling, which "requires disclosure of the nutritional content of standard menu items at chain restaurants and food sold from vending machines."
Grants for states funding health insurance exchanges.
Grants for employers that start wellness programs.
Read the entire 2011 timeline here.
Healthcare explained simply:

End of Life Care Revived

End of life care, known as "death panels" to the irrational and manipulative, will be alive and well under a new Medicare regulation:

Under the new policy, outlined in a Medicare regulation, the government will pay doctors who advise patients on options for end-of-life care, which may include advance directives to forgo aggressive life-sustaining treatment.

Congressional supporters of the new policy, though pleased, have kept quiet. They fear provoking another furor like the one in 2009 when Republicans seized on the idea of end-of-life counseling to argue that the Democrats’ bill would allow the government to cut off care for the critically ill.
...
Under the rule, doctors can provide information to patients on how to prepare an “advance directive,” stating how aggressively they wish to be treated if they are so sick that they cannot make health care decisions for themselves. More at NYT

Obama Tries Once Again to Explain Healthcare

There is nothing that Obama can say that will get people to understand healthcare reform. It's complex and it's something that requires research on the part of people and most people wait to be fed. But if you want some good info on healthcare reform, Kaiser Health Reform gateway is a great place to learn, so is Healthcare.gov. This question was from Obama's backyard meeting in Seattle today:

Obama Administration's New Pregnancy Assistance Fund

The grants, part of healthcare reform, aim to help pregnant women and teen parents with schooling, child care or other assistance. Supporting pregnant women and teens is one of the ways the White House wants to find common ground with abortion foes. Abortion foes usually see things as black and white, though. They don't believe in the pragmatic goal of working toward reducing abortions.

The Obama administration announced its first round of grants from a new fund aimed at helping pregnant women and parenting teens on Wednesday, a move the White House framed as part of its "common ground" approach to abortion.

The Health and Human Services Department distributed $27 million for the federal government's Pregnancy Assistance Fund on Wednesday, the department said in a press release, awarding grants to 17 states and 13 American Indian tribes

The grants support programs helping pregnant women and teen parents who are trying to complete high school or who need assistance with health care, child care and housing, HHS said. The grants can also be used to combat violence against pregnant women. CNN

Read the HHS release.

Alter on Obama's Cold and Bracing Meeting

Newsweek's Jonathan Alter speaks about his observations of Obama. Alter has a new book, "The Promise: President Obama, Year One."

Alter recounts when Obama called Gen. Stanley McChrystal's boss on the carpet, Admiral Mullen, with Robert Gates, and "dressed them down."

McChrystal was behaving as though he set the policy on Afghanistan. Alter described Obama's meeting with Mullen and Gates as "cold and bracing."

When I saw the video below from Nov. 2009, it appeared to me that McChrystal had little respect for Obama's process of determining troop numbers.

Obama does get angry, Alter said. "What he doesn't do is he doesn't flip out," he said. "It's more of a kind of a cool anger, which can be scarier if you're on the receiving end of it. There's nothing nasty about it." Most people like working for Obama, Alter said.

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Obama Speaks on Health Reform Benefits So Far

In Obama's weekly address, he talks about healthcare benefits that have kicked in.

Kaiser Outlines 9 Major Changes to Healthcare

Obama will be at George Mason University at 11:35 am eastern speaking on health reform, one last time (I hope). There will be a live stream at WhiteHouse.gov and Msnbc.

HEFTIER SUBSIDIES: Compared to the Senate legislation, the reconciliation bill would provide more generous subsidies to low- and moderate-income Americans to help them buy health coverage.

THE "MASERATI" TAX: The levy on high-cost insurance plans is scaled back and delayed, rendering it more a "Maserati" than a "Cadillac" tax. It would apply only to the portion of plans costing more than $10,200 a year for individuals, up from $8,500, and $27,500 for families, up from $23,000. The tax wouldn't kick in until 2018, reducing the projected revenue to the government by 80 percent. Over time, however, the tax would hit more and more plans, because the tax's threshold is set to increase at the rate of inflation while premiums are expected to continue to grow much more quickly than that.

CLOSING THE DOUGHNUT HOLE: Unlike the Senate bill, the reconciliation measure would eventually close the coverage gap, called the "doughnut hole," for Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Part D drug plans. (Currently, seniors who hit the gap must bear the full cost of their medications until they spend a certain amount, when coverage kicks back in.)

Under the new bill, seniors who hit the gap this year would get $250 to help cover the costs of their medications. Starting next year, they'd get a 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs, with the cost borne by the drug industry. In subsequent years, the discounts would expand and begin covering generic drugs, with the expense picked up by the government. By 2020, the discounts would reach 75 percent.

SHIFT IN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PAYOUTS: Government payments to Medicare Advantage, the private-health plan alternative to traditional Medicare, would be cut back more steeply than under the Senate bill: $132 billion over 10 years, compared to $118 billion.

The government currently pays the private plans an average of 14 percent more than traditional Medicare. The new bill, besides reducing payments overall, would shift the funding; some high-cost areas would be paid 5 percent below traditional Medicare, while some lower-cost areas would be paid 15 percent more than traditional Medicare. The Senate's plan that would have shielded some areas of the country such as South Florida from major cuts was largely eliminated.

Read the rest here.

White House ad for healthcare:

Healthcare Numbers Game

If these presumptions from the republicans are correct, it will be a miracle if the bill passes. I don't understand what's wrong with the democrats. The vote shouldn't be this close. Dems should know that they're screwed no matter what, they're all screwed (70% plus disapproval of Congress) so they may as well do something for the greater good and vote for the bill:

From the Republican side, it's the second group that matters. Just like Democrats need 216 votes to pass the bill, Republicans and their Democratic allies need 216 to stop it. I just got off the phone with a well-placed House GOP source, and the Republicans' latest count is that there are 209 votes against the bill at this moment, leaving opponents seven short of being able to defeat it. By the same count, there are 204 votes for the bill, leaving the Democratic leadership 12 short of being able to pass it. There are 18 votes thought to be undecided.
This is the way it breaks down. There are 431 members of the House, 253 Democrats and 178 Republicans. All the Republicans oppose the bill. At the moment, GOP sources believe that more than 30 -- they think it's 31 -- Democrats are opposed. Those Democrats are motivated by a variety of concerns. "It's abortion, it's cost control, it's taxes, it's Medicare, and for some of them, it's just their district," says the GOP source.
Of the 18 Democrats who are undecided, Republicans will have to win seven votes to prevail, provided Republicans do in fact have 209 votes now. The Democratic leadership would have to win over 12 undecideds, if in fact Democrats are at 204 now. Wash Examiner

Stupak Optimistic on Healthcare

Stupak, a Roman Catholic, is looking for some sort of especially special abortion language. This is one of those things that is so frustrating because of the politics. You can't tell which side is telling the truth.

Prospects are good for resolving a dispute over abortion that has led some House Democrats to threaten to withhold support of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, a key Michigan Democrat said Monday.

Rep. Bart Stupak said he expects to resume talks with House leaders this week in a quest for wording that would impose no new limits on abortion rights but also would not allow use of federal money for the procedure.

"I'm more optimistic than I was a week ago," Stupak said in an interview between meetings with constituents in his northern Michigan district. He was hosting a town hall meeting Monday night at a local high school. More at msnbc

Democrats Just Can't Get it Together

All this talk about focusing on jobs instead of healthcare is so disingenuous by everyone. People know that government can't create jobs. Obama did all he could with the stimulus. Anything else is just pretend stuff. The economy is coming back. It will come back when Americans are done paying off some of their debts, paying down their credit cards and socking money away. Americans are getting their financial houses in order.

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Obama Accused of Acting Like Karl Rove

Joe Scarborough says Obama's pulling a Karl Rove move by using reconciliation. But it seems republicans lost the reconciliation-is-bad battle, thanks this time to a media that informed itself and noted that the whole healthcare bill won't be passed with reconciliation, just fixes. The media has also pointed out how reconciliation has been used by republicans and how Clinton used it to pass welfare reform.
I think Obama's okay with reconciliation because healthcare is important for the people. I don't think Obama is pushing through a bad bill for the sake of politics. What would be the gain, politically or otherwise? If the bill does what it's supposed to do without any horrific side effects, people won't give reconciliation a second thought. It seems that that's what republicans are afraid of. If the bill passes and it works like it's supposed to and the people like it, well then, they'll have to come up with another strategy besides waterloo.

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Obama Speaks on Healthcare Way Forward March 3

Update: In a nutshell, Obama said the time for talk is more than over (see video below). The debate has gone on for decades, the criticism in the media has bordered on obsession. He said Americans deserve a final vote. I've noticed that Obama seems to have a process. He lays out his vision, then he lets everyone debate. He lets everyone beat their heads against a wall until they're completely worn out. Then he steps in as the lone adult, to say "enough," time to get it done.
Robert Gibbs just tweeted:

POTUS hitting the road next week for health insurance reform - stops planned Monday in Philly and off to St. Louis on Wednesday

Full video:


Obama will speak at 1:45 pm eastern today on the way forward for healthcare. It will be live streamed at WhiteHouse.gov or msnbc.com. Obama and Pelosi's House challenge in passing healthcare is that four former yea votes are gone:

Obama Notifies Congress on Healthcare Reform's Final Bill

In a letter to Congress, Obama says he's open to including some republican ideas in healthcare reform. Another good sign, moderate democrat Ben Nelson signals he's up for healthcare. And yet another, Steny Hoyer talks about the way forward.

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Republicans Big Users of Reconciliation

Reconciliation, by the way, isn't being used to pass the whole bill just pieces. Republicans have used reconciliation, which blocks a filibuster and requires only 51 votes, 16 out of the 22 times it's been used. So, as usual, we have the republicans acting like trolls because it's what they do best.

Republicans are also on a record setting pace for filibusters:

More certain, however: Opposition Republicans are using the delaying tactic at a record-setting pace. "The numbers are astonishing in this Congress," says Jim Riddlesperger, political science professor at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.

The filibuster, using seemingly endless debate to block legislative action, has become entrenched like a dandelion tap root in the midst of the shrill partisanship gripping Washington.MSNBC

Republicans view themselves as the ruling party when they're in and out of power. It's as if we didn't even vote.

Memo to Republicans: Americans Want Health Reform

At least, a media outlet makes an attempt to get other points of view besides the tea partier opinion. The way the media has been portraying the healthcare debate, this nation is just a nation full of tea baggers.

Obama Announces What's Next for Health Reform Next Week

Yesterday's health reform meeting

Obama will announce next week the plan going forward. It sounds like it's going to be reconciliation, the process that would block a republican filibuster and require only 51 votes. Steny Hoyer on reconciliation:

"Since 1980, I think reconciliation has been used 22 times; 16 by Republicans; more than two-thirds of the time; that's probably 70 percent of the time. For their tax bills, welfare reform, other pieces of legislation. And they act as if somehow this is a process that should not be used." NPR

Today, Nancy Pelosi is pushing reconciliation. Sometimes Pelosi appears flimsy, eccentric and just plain weird, but when she wants to get something done, she can be very effective. But democrats are still noodling around.

Reconciliation isn't for the entire healthcare bill. It looks like the House needs to pass the Senate bill and then certain fixes are made through reconciliation:

Reconciliation for Filibusters

Yesterday's meeting was worth every minute of its 7 hours (I watched the whole thing) because it illustrated the differences between the republicans and the democrats on healthcare.
Republicans simply believe that healthcare is unaffordable. They haven't put much time into thinking about it.

Democrats think that health reform is the right thing to do and the necessary thing to do, economically speaking, to save Medicare/Medicaid and bring down the cost of health insurance premiums. Republicans are truly thinking conservatively. Democrats are leaning toward bold, but I'm not sure they have the backbone to get it done. It's also uncertain whether the democrats agree among themselves. After all, we wouldn't be here if they hadn't spent so much time arguing about the public option. After yesterday though, democrats seem to be thinking more cohesively. The meeting may have been the kick in the pants that they needed.
I'll believe it when I see it.

The only path left is reconciliation, which would block a filibuster. The republicans are calling foul. I'd agree except for the fact that the republicans have challenged just about every piece of legislation with a filibuster, also foul. So to be fair, reconciliation is a good end.
This is a pretty good summary:

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There's still Anthony Weiner, who still thinks there are enough votes for a public option. This guy has way too much time on his hands because he's always on TV:

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Bipartisan Healthcare Meeting Feb. 25 Video

Update: Session over. Obama sums up by saying that there are some major philosophical differences between the republicans and democrats. He says the democrats will NOT start over and that reform CAN'T happen incrementally. He said much of what the republicans talked about were already in the bills.

Essentially, he made it clear that republicans have to choose if they're in or they're out. If they're out, it's up to the democrats. This meeting was a good exercise because the dems got to oppose the republicans rather than themselves. I feel somewhat optimistic that reform can happen, unless the democrats start arguing over the public option again.

For the republicans' part, they made it perfectly clear that they're not interested in health reform. Eric Cantor said it early on: It's a money thing. Republicans think it costs too much.

This is part one of the six-hour meetup:

Part 2:

Video Clips From the Healthcare Meeting Feb. 25

Obama's opening remarks and hope for more than political theater. But theater came by way of republicans and democrats. Eric Cantor wasted trees and printed out the health care plan, to which Obama called him on his prop and informed Cantor that healthcare is complex. Cantor did get to the crux of the problem, which is republicans say we can't afford health reform and democrats say we can't afford not to reform healthcare. How to reconcile those two differing philosophies?
Watch the live stream here, which resumes at 1:45 pm eastern.

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Lamar Alexander introduces the republican talking point: Let's start over

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Obama points out areas of agreement and disagreement. It's clear that if Obama's not the smartest person in the room, he's certainly one of them. Obama takes on the role as moderator and mediator:

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Obama sets McConnell straight on polling:

McCain Campaigns During Healthcare Meeting

This clip doesn't show all of McCain's remarks, but he was getting hot under the collar, so much so that I could feel it right here. He really was campaigning. He didn't offer anything meaningful to the discussion. But few have. It's been interesting though and in the end, I think it will be worthwhile. Watch the live stream here. They'll be back at 1:45 pm eastern.

Better clip: