The White House Blog has posted a new letter that President Obama sent to the congressional leaders in both parties about the recent health care summit. To show that Democrats have incorporated Republican ideas, Obama pointed to four examples. I’m going to highlight the last: 4.Senator Barrasso raised a suggestion that we expand Health Savings [...]

One of the many big problems with the current crop of health care reform proposals is that they do not do enough to address cost control. If we are serious about addressing cost, one of the important tools available is a centralized provider reimbursement negotiator. It is an agency which negotiates or sets provider reimbursement [...]

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) spent most of the year claiming he was a champion of the public option. Now that there is a possibility of getting a public option with a simple majority using reconciliation, Harkin has made clear that he will actively work to kill the public option, while tying himself in incoherent, illogical [...]

HOLLYWOOD: Knows the difference between a hero and a villain. Not surprised when a movie fails because the audience finds it emotionally unsatisfying.

DC: Populated by political stenographers who can’t seem to tell the difference between a hero and a villain. Stunned when the general public can.

Democrats should be concerned about their path forward with health care reform. The current Senate bill is very unpopular as a result of bad policy decision on the part of Democrats combined with poor messaging. Taking out the popular public option — while fighting to keep the very unpopular individual mandate as well as the [...]

If (and that is a big if) Democrats move forward with health care reform using reconciliation, it is likely that there will eventual be an up-or-down vote on the public option. All it takes is one senator to offer a properly designed amendment – perhaps one of the 30 Senate Democrats who are on record saying they support an up-or-down vote on the public option. Maybe the American people will finally get to see who stands with the American people and which senators are working to protect the profits of the private insurance companies.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has become the latest prominent Democrat to say that the House must move first on health care reform before the Senate can act.