Obama Gives Little Attention To Healthcare Reform Law In SOTU Speech.

Politico (1/25, Haberkorn) reports that while the healthcare reform law “is Obama’s most significant domestic policy accomplishment…it only got a fleeting mention Tuesday” during his State of the Union speech. Obama “cited the healthcare law as a sign that he’s willing to put ideology aside and work with Republicans.”
The Hill (1/25, Baker) reports in its “Healthwatch” blog, “Although Democrats insist that Obama will be able to campaign on the healthcare law, it was almost entirely absent from a speech that helped establish the themes and frames of his reelection campaign.” The piece notes, “It’s by far the smallest amount of attention healthcare has gotten in Obama’s three State of the Union addresses, never mind the joint-session address he devoted entirely to trying to push healthcare across the finish line in 2009.”
MedPage Today (1/25) reports, “Obama devoted a mere one sentence of his more than one-hour address to healthcare reform, saying, ‘I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.’” Medscape (1/25, Lowes) also reports this story.

The Chicago Tribune (1/21, Frost) reports, “A week after the Obama administration slapped Lake Forest-based Trustmark Life Insurance Co. for what it called an ‘excessive’ rate increase, small insurers like United Security fear they may be the next in line for a public shaming.” Some “critics say the administration’s stepped-up reviews and heightened scrutiny are more about showcasing the value of the new health law in the run-up to the 2012 elections, a charge the Department of Health and Human Services denies.” Meanwhile, “some small insurers and industry observers also complain that the added scrutiny could be harmful for small and midsize carriers.” The piece cites HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ press release regarding Trustmark

President Obama is expected to “adopt a much different tone” on the issue of healthcare reform in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday, after offering to work with Republicans to revamp the healthcare reform law, The Hill (1/23, Pecquet) reports in its “Healthwatch” blog. While it is “unclear how much Obama will address healthcare reform” in the address, the “battle lines this year are even more sharply drawn ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the law’s constitutionality.” An Administration official “declined to discuss the contents of Obama’s speech on Tuesday, but said, ‘We’ve worked diligently to implement the Affordable Care Act and we’re making incredible progress. Thanks to the new law, 2.5 million more young adults have health insurance, millions of seniors have cheaper prescription drugs and we’ve ended the worst insurance company abuses.”

Some Small Insurers Concerned About Increased Scrutiny From HHS.

The Chicago Tribune (1/21, Frost) reports, “A week after the Obama administration slapped Lake Forest-based Trustmark Life Insurance Co. for what it called an ‘excessive’ rate increase, small insurers like United Security fear they may be the next in line for a public shaming.” Some “critics say the administration’s stepped-up reviews and heightened scrutiny are more about showcasing the value of the new health law in the run-up to the 2012 elections, a charge the Department of Health and Human Services denies.” Meanwhile, “some small insurers and industry observers also complain that the added scrutiny could be harmful for small and midsize carriers.” The piece cites HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ press release regarding Trustmark

Special Lawyers: Postpone Healthcare Law Ruling

(1/10, Norman, Subscription Publication) reports that the Supreme Court could “allow implementation” of the healthcare law “and remove it as an issue in the presidential campaign” which, “from a policy point of view…might be preferable for those who back the law and believe it will become more popular the longer it’s in place and as states move further down the path of establishing exchanges and the rest of the law’s framework.” But, “It could also muffle the volume of the debate over the law in the presidential and congressional campaigns if there’s no final court decision on the merits of the measure to defend or attack.” The piece notes that court-appointed special lawyers said “justices should indeed pursue a third way and postpone a ruling on the overhaul.”

Supreme Court To Review Healthcare Reform Law In March.

The Supreme Court’s announcement that it would take up the challenges to healthcare reform drew heavy print and broadcast coverage, including nearly 7 and a half minutes of coverage on network newscasts (it was the lead story on NBC Nightly News) and several stories that appeared on the front pages of major newspapers. Most reports place the arguments, scheduled for March, against the backdrop of a politically charged presidential year.
ABC World News (11/14, story 3, 2:15, Sawyer) reported, “Word today that the Supreme Court will weigh in on a lightning rod issue, whether the President’s healthcare law is constitutional. A question that spawned heated debates on both sides. A Supreme Court ruling being heralded as the most important since Bush vs. Gore in 2000. Not to mention, the decision will come during the heat of the presidential race.”

Report: Most US Metropolitan Areas Lack Competitive Health Insurance Market.

The Chicago Tribune (10/26, Cancino) reports, “Four out of five metropolitan areas in the United States lack a competitive health insurance market, according to a study released Tuesday.” Investigators “used 2009 enrollment data from health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and preferred provided organizations (PPOs) from 368 metropolitan markets in 48 states.” In half of those “states, including Indiana and Michigan, the two largest health insurers had a combined market share of more than 70 percent.”
The AP (10/26) reports that “Alabama had the least competitive health insurance market with two companies controlling 95 percent,” while “Oregon has the most competitive market with the top two controlling 39 percent,” according to the report.
The Detroit Free Press (10/26, Anstett) reports, “Michigan has the fourth least-competitive health insurance market in the nation, according to” the report. The report indicates that “Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, which covers 71% of the state’s residents with commercial insurance, dominates 13 of 15 metropolitan areas in the state, controlling at least two-thirds of those markets.”

HHS Pull the Plug on Long Term Care in Healthcare Reform Bill

The AP (10/14, Alonso-Zaldivar) reported that HHS has “pulled the plug on a major program in the president’s signature health overhaul law — a long-term care insurance plan dogged from the beginning by doubts over its financial solvency.” This program, “targeted by congressional Republicans for repeal,” became “the first casualty in the political and policy wars over the healthcare law. It had been expected to launch in 2013.” Sen. John Thune, who led opposition to CLASS in the Senate, said, “This is a victory for the American taxpayer and future generations.”

House Votes To Prohibit Abortion Coverage In Healthcare Plans Under ACA.

Passage of a House bill that limits coverage for abortion under the healthcare law received wide media coverage on Thursday. Sources characterized the vote as mainly symbolic, since the measure is unlikely to receive support in the Senate. The AP (10/14, Abrams) reports, “The House on Thursday returned to an abortion issue that nearly sank President Barack Obama’s health care law last year with legislation that bars an insurance plan regulated under the new law from covering abortion if any of its customers receive federal subsidies.” Insurers “that offer abortion coverage would have to set up identical plans without abortion coverage to participate in the health insurance exchanges to be set up under the new law.” The measure “is unlikely to be considered by the Democratic-led Senate and faces a veto threat from President Barack Obama.”
The Hill (10/14, Kasperowicz) notes in its “Floor Action” blog that “Democrats put up fierce opposition to the bill.” CNN (10/14, Walsh) reports, “Supporters of the measure argued that the health care law contains a loophole that allows those receiving federal subsidies to use the money to enroll in health care plans that allow abortion services.” Roll Call (10/14, Stanton, Subscription Publication) in its headline says the bill has “No Chance of Becoming Law.”

Supreme Court May Wait Until After Election To Rule On Healthcare Reform

Politico (10/5, Feder) reports a Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of healthcare reform could “have a lasting impact on the reputation of the court,” which court experts say could affect the Justices and “steer them away from an election-year ruling.” Besides seeking to not affect, or be seen as affecting, the presidential race, the Court may wait to see if a GOP victory removes the issue.

Obama Administration Asks Supreme Court To Rule On Health Reform

Print media provided heavy coverage of the Obama Administration’s appeal of an Atlanta court’s ruling against the healthcare law. Many sources said that the move indicates the Administration is confident that the Court will rule in its favor, while others highlighted the political risk inherent in the action. The AP (9/29, Sherman) reports, “Raising prospects for a major election-year ruling, the Obama administration launched its Supreme Court defense of its landmark health care overhaul Wednesday, appealing what it called a ‘fundamentally flawed’ appeals court decision that declared the law’s central provision unconstitutional.” The government “formally appealed a ruling by the federal appeals court in Atlanta that struck down the law’s core requirement that individuals buy health insurance or pay a penalty beginning in 2014.” The AP says that the law was “destined…for a high court showdown,” and it is “sure to figure prominently in President Barack Obama’s campaign for re-election next year.”