Policy Spotlight - Healthcare Reform
Healthcare Reform: The Real Problem
Everybody knows that America spends far more than other nations on healthcare and has failed to control costs to the point of serious crisis. But it is rare to find an essay with the explanatory power of Atul Gwande's "The Cost Conundrum: What a Texas town can teach us about health care," which appears in this week's New Yorker. Gwande, a Boston-based surgeon, writes of traveling to McAllen, Texas, a mid-size city that, for no apparent reason, has some of the highest healthcare costs in the world. READ MORE
Healthcare Reform: Terms of Engagement
Healthcare reform is at the top of President Obama's domestic agenda and House and Senate committees are working on sweeping legislation that could be introduced as early as mid-June. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, party strategists are engaged in a struggle to control the debate. For a fascinating look inside the GOP playbook, it's worth reading Frank Luntz's confidential 28-page memo, "The Language of Healthcare 2009" (May 5). READ MORE
Not to be outdone, Democratic strategist and CNN commentator Paul Begala responded with a rebuttal to Luntz entitled "Countering Republican Orwellian Rhetoric on Health Care" (May 19). The GOP has three basic goals, he wrote: (1) Co-opt our messaging; (2) Confuse voters; and (3) Kill healthcare reform. In a briefing to Hill staff before the Memorial Day recess, Begala urged Democrats to direct their attacks on what he characterized as Republican "mendacity" about their plans, adding "Your job is to smoke them out." READ MORE