News
National Journal | GOP Governors Push Washington to Ease Medicaid Rules
President Obama has the power to relax the rules, allowing states to tighten eligibility requirements to ease their commitments to the hugely expensive program. But doing so, the Post reports, would alienate the left and undermine the primary goal of Obama’s health-care law, expanding health insurance coverage. Still, GOP governors are getting fed up.
Blogs
Atlantic: Megan Mcardle | How Superbugs Will Affect Our Health Care Costs
Remapping Debate has a very, very sobering piece on antibiotic resistance, and what it means for the future of health care. Two graphs sum up the problem. The first shows the rise of antibiotic resistance in various common infections.
Heritage Foundation | Obamacare’s Premium Subsidies Will Stifle Small Business
As small business goes, so goes the economy. They have been responsible for creating almost two-thirds of all net new jobs over the last 15 years. Indeed, one reason Obamacare is such a concern is that it will significantly reduce the incentive for small businesses to hire. Especially once the premium subsidies become available in 2014.
Reports
CBO | Changes in Payments to Physicians
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that, under current law, payment rates for physician services will be reduced by 29.4 percent in 2012. That large reduction called for under current law follows several years of legislative action to either maintain or increase physician payment rates under the Medicare program when those rates were otherwise scheduled to decrease under the provisions of law known as Medicare's Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) mechanism. Such legislative actions have overridden the SGR.
