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Friday, April 8, 2011

Health Care

News                                                                                                                             
US News | 6 Pages of Obamacare Equals 429 Pages of Regulations
Giving proof to Main Street's worries that President Obama's healthcare reform will lead to thousands of new and costly regulations, the Department of Health and Human Services has taken on small section of the law and written enough new rules to every page of Obama's campaign book, plus another 45 pages.
WSJ | Senators Push to Open Database on Medicare
Two senators have introduced legislation to overturn a 1979 court injunction that bars the government from revealing what individual physicians earn from Medicare.
NationalJournal | Medical Errors Cost Health Care System Billions
As much as 45 cents out of every dollar spent on U.S. health care is related to a medical mistake, researchers reported on Thursday
NationalJournal | Feds, Insurers Both Reject Ryan Budget Plan for Medicare
Government health officials and industry executives on Thursday soundly rejected the plan in Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal to convert Medicare to a voucher program, saying it will take people out of an organized system that works and put them into a less coordinated framework.
Politico | Government shutdown won't stop health law implementation
Implementation of the health reform law will not stop if there is a government shutdown. If it's funded by mandatory spending in the Affordable Care Act, implementation can continue, however; regulation writing would likely be significantly hindered because those staff salaries are funded by discretionary dollars.

Econ Comments                                                                                                             
AEI | Complaints about Budget Plan Veer Off Path
Personally, if I were on a plane that had one engine out and was belching smoke, I would certainly hope somebody with some judgment and competence might calmly remove his oxygen mask long enough to suggest "ending this flight as we know it"

Blogs                                                                                                                             
Heritage Foundation | House Moves Toward Draining Obamacare Slush Funds
Efforts to defund Obamacare one bite at a time are making progress in the House, although Senate prospects remain dim.  The House is addressing parts of Obamacare which are so loosely-drafted that House Speaker John Boehner and others label them multi-billion-dollar “slush funds.”