Health Care News Jan. 24 - 28

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News
FRIDAY
House GOP debates Medicare privatization plan
Americans wary of idea to reign in spending on health program for seniors.
HHS: Health care reform is already working
The Obama administration is firing back at one of the major attacks Republicans have leveled at the health reform law: that it will make insurance premiums rise.

THURSDAY
Congress Will Probe Special Exemptions to Health-Care Law That Obama Administration Gave Select Unions and Businesses, Says Republican Senator
The waivers allow the health insurance plans, carried by the unions and companies involved, to impose annual limits on what they will spend on a policy holder’s medical coverage for a given year.

WEDNESDAY
Health gets little time, big reaction
The president spent less than 300 words on health care - but he elicited the evening’s first groan when he brought it up, followed quickly by a laugh when he said he’d heard “rumors” that some in the room had concerns about the law.

TUESDAY
Is long-term care insurance worth the price?
If you have long-term-care insurance, get ready for sticker shock.
Federal Government Recoups Record Amount in Medicare Fraud
Federal health officials recouped a record high $4 billion last year in Medicare and Medicaid fraud and introduced tighter measures to clamp down on criminal activity in the future. More than half of the money has been returned to the Medicare Trust Fund.
A State of the Union challenge: Health reform
President Obama will have two challenges when he talks about his signature health care law Tuesday night: Get the public back on his side, and don’t spend too much time on it.
Medicaid expand birth control access
As reproductive health advocates brace for a wave of state-level abortion restrictions, they also see a glimmer of hope in a little noticed health reform provisions: increased Medicaid access to family planning and contraceptives.

MONDAY
Senate Republicans eye health care repeal
Democratic and Republican senators agreed Sunday that the Senate will vote to change elements of the health care legislation passed in the last Congress, most likely through amendments to other bills.

Economist Comments
FRIDAY
A winning health care strategy
Obama can’t run away because we’ll be everywhere.
Health reform's political fallout
Despite talk earlier this week that the health care law was gaining favorability in the wake of the House repeal effort, polls now show it continues to be unpopular among a majority of the American public.

TUESDAY
Just Call Me Liar of the Year
Tonight President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address to a chamber that just voted overwhelmingly to repeal his health care law. Before you believe anything I might have to say about that, however, there's something you should know: I am a liar.

Blogs
WEDNESDAY
Obama Supports Repealing 1099 Rule
In addition to a corporate tax cut, Obama takes another one out of Cato’s playbook in his State of the Union address. He supported repealing an idiotic IRS requirement in the 2010 health care law that mandated hundreds of millions of additional 1099 tax forms.
Opposition to ObamaCare Hits New High in Kaiser Family Foundation Poll
ObamaCare‘s unfavorables reached 50 percent in the latest Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

TUESDAY
Some “No”s and “Yes”es of Health-Care
Objecting to efforts by ‘the party of No’ to repeal Obamacare, you ask “What Comes After No?”

MONDAY
Healthcare’s Uncertainty Uncertain
Widespread uncertainty about the effects of the healthcare legislation persisted throughout polling leading up to its passage in March of 2010. Uncertainty about the law’s effect is also likely contributing to the different results pollsters are getting. With such ambiguity, whom the public trusts to handle the issue becomes more important in swaying public opinion. When in doubt, the public supports whom they trust more. But with trust evenly divided between Obama and the Republicans, uncertainty remains.
How the States Can Carry the Torch to Repeal Obamacare
So far, 27 states have filed suit against the new law’s individual mandate and requirements forbidding states from reducing eligibility for their Medicaid programs. But the legal battle isn’t the only way states can throw a wrench in the health care overhaul. This week, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) debuts “The State Legislators Guide to Repealing Obamacare” highlighting ways in which states can continue the battle.
Micromanagement of Health Benefits Under Obamacare Begins Now
The House of Representatives passed a measure to fully repeal Obamacare, but the negative effects of the law will continue to unravel until the legislation makes it to the President’s desk. These include the requirement under the new law that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) define “essential health benefits,” which must be included in all plans sold in the new health exchanges beginning in 2014.

Reports
FRIDAY
How to Limit the Damage from Obamacare—Pulling It Out Weed by Weed
Although attempts to repeal the massive and misnamed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) are being blocked by the Senate and the White House, there are multiple tools that lawmakers can employ to reduce the damage that “Obamacare” is inflicting on the U.S. economy and American freedoms. In its rampant and uncontrollable growth, Obamacare resembles weeds that take over a lawn, going even further to become a government version of kudzu.

THURSDAY
Helping Americans Keep the Coverage They Have and Promoting Transparency
As of today, a total of 733 waivers have been granted for 2011.