Mark McClellan
Will Bogus Policy Arguments Swing the Supreme Court?
Several dozen organizations filed “friend of the court” briefs for the lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act. And virtually none of these briefs are likely to have much impact. But, based on what transpired at oral arguments, one brief appears to have gotten the attention of conservative justices. That is deeply worrisome, because the brief betrays some fundamental misunderstandings of how health care actually works. READ MORE >>
Second Opinion
The Conservative Think-Tank Purge
David Frum is like Obi-Wan Kenobi -- they thought they slew him, but he continues to haunt the right: READ MORE >>
Meet The Don
President Obama is done waiting for the Senate to approve his nominee to run Medicare and Medicaid. On Tuesday evening, the White House announced Obama will use a recess appointment to make Don Berwick director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). That means Berwick can serve as the agency's administrator without Senate approval, but only until the next congressional session expires in 2011. READ MORE >>
Save Donald
This column is a collaboration between KHN and The New Republic. He’s a socialist! He’ll redistribute wealth! He wants to pull the plug on grandma! That’s what Republicans said about President Barack Obama back in 2009, while he was trying to make health care reform bill law. Now they’re saying it about Donald Berwick, the man Obama has appointed to help make health care reform work. READ MORE >>
Listen to These Eggheads
A group of economists has issued a letter endorsing both the principles of cost control in the Senate Finance bill and the idea of health care reform more generally. But this is not just any old group of economists. This is an unusually impressive group, including a pair of Nobel laureates and some figures who don't typically weigh in on current policy debates: Kenneth Arrow, Victor Fuchs, Daniel McFadden, Joseph Newhouse. READ MORE >>
Who Likes the Baucus Bill?
Ron Brownstein does. No, he doesn't have a vote in Congress. But he's somebody to whom Congress listens--and rightly so. He is smart, careful, and happens to know a lot about health care. So what has him so happy? The bill's attack on rising costs: READ MORE >>
A Plan B on Health Care?
Former Bush Medicare administrator Mark McClellan makes an interesting point in Sheryl Gay Stolberg's Times piece this morning: READ MORE >>
