December 2008 Archives

As Washington draws nearer to a health care reform debate, some big names are no longer part of the health care scene, such as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sen. John McCain, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. But are there pieces of their health care proposals that should be salvaged and can mesh with popular Democratic ideas?

Also, the Congressional Budget Office last week released its long-awaited report analyzing the effects of heatlh care reform proposals on health care spending. You can find it here. With Peter Orszag heading CBO, there were predictions that he would score savings for proposals that his predecessors would not have, in untested reform areas. But Orszag is moving to the White House's Office of Management and Budget. With Orszag gone, will CBO be a help or hinderance when it comes to finding money for health care reform, and what do we learn from last week's report?

-- Marilyn Werber Serafini, NationalJournal.com

7 responses: Glenn Hackbarth, John Sheils, Uwe Reinhardt, Karen Davis, James P. Gelfand, Len Nichols, John C. Goodman

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has proposed some changes to Medicare as part of his health care reform plan. He would allow people over 55 to buy into Medicare early as a temporary measure until that age group is covered by a national insurance pool.

Baucus also would make it easier for people with disabilities to enroll in Medicare. Currently, there is a two-year waiting period, but Baucus would phase that out.

What is the likely impact of these proposals on Medicare, and on the health care system as a whole? What is the financial impact?

-- Marilyn Werber Serafini, NationalJournal.com

8 responses: Uwe Reinhardt, Stuart Butler, Uwe Reinhardt, Donna Shalala, Karen Davis, John C. Goodman, John Rother, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.

President-elect Barack Obama has proposed creating a public health insurance program to compete against private insurance plans for people not getting coverage through an employer.

Is this a good idea? How would a public program change the existing health care system? Some feel that it would lead to a single-payer health care system. Can Republicans and stakeholders live with this idea, in any form?

-- Marilyn Werber Serafini, NationalJournal.com

13 responses: Newt Gingrich, Glenn Hackbarth, David B. Kendall, Glenn Hackbarth, Uwe Reinhardt, Andy Stern, John C. Goodman, Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming, Marilyn Werber Serafini, Marilyn Werber Serafini, Stuart Butler, Karen Davis, James P. Gelfand

How much does health reform really cost, what elements are worth it, and what are the best and worst options for paying for it?

When it comes to raising the money, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has talked about adjusting the current tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health coverage so that richer people get a smaller tax break, or so that people with richer benefits get a smaller tax break. President-elect Obama has proposed allowing President Bush's tax cuts to expire for higher income people.

Should we allow an increase in the budget deficit, or back-load the cost?

What are the best and worst ideas, and which have the best chance of flying politically?

-- Marilyn Werber Serafini, NationalJournal.com

11 responses: David B. Kendall, Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Len Nichols, David Nexon, Andy Stern, Stuart Butler, John C. Goodman, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., Karen Davis, David Blumenthal