Tag: Uncategorized

Daschle out at HHS – Sharfstein in at FDA?

Feb 6, 2009• 21

By MERRILL GOOZNER

The early stages of the Obama administration are beginning to
resemble the Clinton years, which I
observed from afar (I was a foreign
correspondent in Tokyo at the time). Take Zoe Baird and substitute Tom
Daschle, who dropped out of the running for Secretary of Health and
Human Services today because of tax and conflict-of-interest problems.
Take gays in the military and substitute putting in charge of the bank
bailout a man (Tim Geithner) who knows all the bankers from his years
at the New York Fed, seems overly solicitous to their needs, and has
his own tax problems.

Once again, a new Democratic president appears to have a semi-automatic weapon semi-permanently aimed at his foot.

The Case for Ron Wyden

Feb 5, 2009• 17

By ROBERT LASZEWSKI

Let me be the first to suggest that the President name Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) to be the next
Secretary of HHS. The withdrawal by Tom Daschle has underscored just how important it will be for the President to name someone who can bring a number of key strengths to the job.

All day reporters have been asking me whom the best person was for the
President to now turn to and get his health care agenda back on track.

Seems to me Ron Wyden fits the bill.

Berwick “Perfectly Designed” for HHS Secretary Post?

Feb 5, 2009• 10

By Michael L. Millenson

Several well-informed sources independently told me that Institute for Healthcare Improvement founder Dr. Donald Berwick had been chosen by the Obama administration to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — a fascinating selection. (This article, though, reminds us of Don’s background in public health and in government commissions that deal with a broad swath of the policy elite.)

But would Berwick continue to agree to serve under an HHS secretary with less prestige, Congressional clout, presidential access and deep understanding of health care than Tom Daschle? I’m presuming here that Berwick already had a personal relationship with Daschle and his senior advisers. Still, Berwick has spoken in recent months of reform from “the inside out,” and there are few “insider” positions with more influence over health care than being in charge of the Medicare program.

The Perils of Play or Not Pay

Feb 5, 2009• 12

By ROGER COLLIER

Remember those heady days with a newly-elected Democratic President and solid Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, when it seemed that national health care reform was just around the corner? Remember how, after the face-off between the liberals who wanted a single-payer system and the conservatives who wanted as little change as possible, the centrists took command? Remember the early 1990s, and play-or-pay as the magical way to universal coverage?

So you do remember play-or-pay? Be careful about admitting it. After the failure of the Clinton plan and the collapse of similar state reforms in Washington and Massachusetts, a mere mention of the term would cause political eyes to roll, while its inclusion in any reform plan was enough to kill the proposal dead, dead, dead.

Two-year SCHIP fight over with Obama’s signature

Feb 5, 2009• 4

By Sarah Arnquist

After a nearly two-year ordeal that divided Democrats and Republicans and involved two presidential vetoes, President Obama signed a bill on Wednesday to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

SCHIP provides health insurance coverage to about 7 million children. This expanded bill will extend coverage to an additional 4 million children.

The WSJ Health Blog reports that doctor-owned hospitals were winners in the bill and big tobacco was a loser.

The bill will increase the national tobacco tax by 60 cents to about $1 per pack to fund the $33 billion expansion. This will please the tobacco control folks, who say the best way to reduce smoking is by increasing the price of cigarettes through taxes. It does mean, however, the expansion is funded through a declining revenue source.

Obama remains committed to health reform, White House official tells wonks

Feb 5, 2009• 35

By Sarah Arnquist

President Obama remains committed to comprehensive health care reform in 2009 and believes the declining economy emphasizes its urgency, a top White House official told hundreds of health policy experts Monday in Washington D.C.

“The current economic crisis has really highlighted the problems and put them under fluorescent lights," said Jeanne Lambrew, deputy director of the newly created White House Office of Health Reform.

The Academy Health conference is probably the wonkiest of meetings on the increasingly crowded health reform conference circuit. University PhDs and private sector policy analysts are here to discuss and assess the impacts of reform.

Mythology and Healthcare Reform

Feb 4, 2009• 43

By MONTE UYEMURA, MD

Successful healthcare reform is critical to the well-being of our nation. Who has the answers? As a rural family physician, I keep shouting in vain that they are backing the trailer up to the wrong barn. Reform proposals utilizing creative accounting keep conjuring up healthcare expenditure savings where they don’t exist, and even is we could attain this mythological information technology utopia, it will be mere cough medicine for our healthcare system’s pneumonia. It scares me to think that healthcare reform is being guided by myths.

Carmona could be logical pick for HHS job

Feb 4, 2009• 2

By Val Jones MD

Merrill Goozner
has been speculating about who will be nominated as the new Secretary
of HHS. He reviewed his most likely candidates (David Cutler or David
Blumenthal), and threw in a “dark horse” potential nominee: Ken Thorpe
(whom I’ve interviewed several times on this blog and spent time with during Obama’s inauguration ceremony).

Tommy Thompson told me that the nominee is likely to be a current or former democratic governor (such as Kathleen Sebelius or Howard Dean).

But I’ve been pondering the “long shot” question and think that
Goozner may have missed a more obvious choice – someone who works with
Ken Thorpe at the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease: former Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona.

Calendar: The Haas Business of Health Care Conference Feb. 7th 2009

Feb 4, 2009

My Desktop Economic Indicators

Feb 3, 2009

By John HALAMKA

Economists track changes in the money supply, personal debt, consumer
confidence, and durable goods orders. My signs of economic health are
more subtle.

1. Email volume on nights and weekends

In
good times, people eat out at restaurants. They go to concerts, plays,
and movies. They take weekend trips with the family.

In bad times, they stay at home and email.

For
the past two months, I've received an average of 100 emails between
6pm-12am and another 50 between 12am and 6am. This is double the usual
volume for those hours.