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.”
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
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