House vs. Senate
| December 23, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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The perspective this week has already shifted toward how best to effectively and efficiently merge the House and Senate bills. There is still not a preferred strategy between the conference committee or ping pong, but either way it is clear that Congressional leaders will cut their vacations short and return… more
ITUP Matrix, Immigration, and Congressional Christmas Poetry
| December 22, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Here is an updated version of the ITUP Health Reform Comparison Matrix, which includes the new CBO scores for both the House and Senate bills as well as the Senate Manager’s Amendment. There are also reports that the Senator Menendez (D-NJ) amendment (which never made it to the floor) has… more
One Down….
| December 21, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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…three votes to go. Late last night, the Senate voted along party lines (60-40) to break a Republican filibuster and limit debate on the Manager’s Amendment. Below you can find some important resources on the legislation including: Highlights of the Manager’s Amendment (pdf) The Manager’s Amendment (full text) CBO Score… more
Lieberman Socks
| December 18, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog, Federal, Legislation/Policy |
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Thought I’d end this bumpy-road-of-a-week for the Senate with a brilliantly simple clip featuring an imitation Senator Joe. Majority Leader Harry Reid will offer his Manager’s Amendment to the health reform bill tomorrow after the 1 a.m. vote on the Department of Defense bill, which will include the compromise to… more
Glass Half Full
| December 17, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Despite the disappointment of many progressives as a result of the public option’s death, it is important to understand that the current bill still holds true to its core values, and is a significant improvement over the Finance Committee’s draft (and still must eventually merge with the House bill). The… more
16%, 15,000/day, and a First
| December 16, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a collection of the planet’s most developed 30 countries, released their annual Health at a Glance Report last week. The report compares a number of measures of health between countries, including outcomes, quality and expenditure. The highlights for the United States remain… more
Inching Along
| December 15, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Senator Lieberman has now expressed support for the Senate health reform bill with the removal of the Medicare buy-in, though Ben Nelson is still not officially on board. Some of the issues he raises as problematic are: Medicare Advantage reductions, the CLASS act provision, and abortion language. Look for Senators… more
New Reports and Early News
| December 14, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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The White House Council of Economic Advisers released their Economic Case for Health Care Reform Update today, presenting new findings from the Congressional proposals. The report finds that: -Taken together, the combination of Medicare- and Medicaid-related provisions in the Senate’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are estimated to reduce… more
Thoughts on the Medicare Buy-In
| December 11, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Lots of discussion surrounding the Medicare buy-in proposal, and there is a general consensus that the provision must include subsidies or some type of risk adjustment in the Exchange in order to keep the program from becoming a bad-risk pool. Some conservative Democrats are expressing reservations about the idea, though… more
Bi-Partisan Amendments and American Health Care
| December 10, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Three amendments to be offered by Senators Wyden (D-Oregon) and Collins (R-Maine) after the 4-5 day break waiting on the CBO score: -Wyden’s Free Choice Amendment, which allows employers qualified to purchase insurance through the Exchange to be able to give employees vouchers to instead purchase their OWN plan (as… more
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