What Role For Health Care Reform Approaching Midterms?
As Congress gears up to return for its final legislative weeks before the midterm elections, Americans appear to be split on which party would better handle health care issues. A USA Today/Gallup poll released Sept. 1 found that 43 percent believe Republicans would be better stewards of health care policy, while 44 percent said Democrats would be the stronger party. This comes after reports of a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign from liberal interest groups to garner support for the overhaul law, organized with guidance from the White House.
Is it possible for Democrats to win voters over to the health care overhaul before the midterm elections? Should they continue talking about the benefits of the bill, or ignore the legislation until the midterms pass?
September 13, 2010 5:35 PM
Could they both be right?
By Jack Lewin
CEO, American College of Cardiology
There was an interesting back and forth recently when former HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt and the current CMS Administrator Don Berwick engaged in a tit-for-tat on The Washington Post opinion page over the health of Medicare.
Leavitt, the former Bush Administration official makes good points. Despite the report from Medicare's trustees last month that the hospital insurance trust fund will not be depleted until 2029, he points out that Medicare is no better off than it was a year ago in that the proposed savings can only go to reducing costs, OR increasing the entitlement, but not both.
But Administrator Berwick is also right in acknowledging if the new health reform law is fulfilled; it should produce the estimated savings.
This is indicative of where both parties currently stand. I know this is crazy talk in an election year, but heading into the mid-term elections, dare I say that both Republicans and Democrats could be right?
Guaranteeing the Medicare trust fund savings is tougher than it appears on paper. Leavitt (and Republicans) is ...
There was an interesting back and forth recently when former HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt and the current CMS Administrator Don Berwick engaged in a tit-for-tat on The Washington Post opinion page over the health of Medicare.
Leavitt, the former Bush Administration official makes good points. Despite the report from Medicare's trustees last month that the hospital insurance trust fund will not be depleted until 2029, he points out that Medicare is no better off than it was a year ago in that the proposed savings can only go to reducing costs, OR increasing the entitlement, but not both.
But Administrator Berwick is also right in acknowledging if the new health reform law is fulfilled; it should produce the estimated savings.
This is indicative of where both parties currently stand. I know this is crazy talk in an election year, but heading into the mid-term elections, dare I say that both Republicans and Democrats could be right?
Guaranteeing the Medicare trust fund savings is tougher than it appears on paper. Leavitt (and Republicans) is right that promised savings are not guaranteed. And Berwick (and Democrats) is right to continue talking about what health care reform can bring to the table if implemented appropriately.
Instead of constantly talking about having the best health care system in the world, we have an opportunity to create it and both parties leading up to and after the midterm elections would be wise in continuing bringing forth fresh ideas on how to improve our health care delivery system. There is a great foundation in place, the real question is does Congress have the political will to build upon it.
I guess we’ll know on November 3rd.
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September 7, 2010 2:42 PM
Putting Lipstick on the Pig
By John C. Goodman
President and CEO, National Center for Policy Analysis, and Kellye Wright Fellow
These poll numbers represent a major shift from past polling results. Traditionally, people have always trusted Democrats more than Republicans on health -- if for no other reason than the fact that Republicans tend to ignore health care altogether.
The problem the Democrats now have is that the health reform law is a very bad bill. People don't like it for very good, objective reasons. (Do you know anyone who really likes the bill? I don't.)
So I predict that no matter how much the Democrats spend, they will not be able to convince people that bad is good and vice versa. And this will be especially true of the elderly, who got sold out by AARP and really taken to the cleaners.