Washington's week
This week and next should be relatively quiet in Washington, with the members of the House and Senate back in their districts for an Easter break. They aren't due back in the Capitol until May 1. Meanwhile, President Obama is scheduled to travel to several U.S. cities to promote his framework for cutting the deficit.
Before leaving Washington, the House and Senate ended months of haggling over the 2011 budget. They agreed to legislation that cut about $39 billion. Bipartisan majorities in both chambers voted to override both the conservative complaints that the budget didn't cut enough spending, and liberal complaints that it cut too much from social programs for the needy. "Welcome to divided government," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said. Steny Hoyer, the minority leader, quoted Henry Clay: "If you can't compromise, you can't govern."
Here are a few of the cuts that affect health care:
- $2.2 billion eliminated for the implementation of health insurance cooperatives
- $78 million from research on health costs, quality and outcomes
- $600 million from community health centers
- $35 million from rural health programs
- $119 million from the building/facility budgets of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
A number of health-related bills also were introduced last week, including these (many bills are introduced that are never seriously considered):
- Repeal the health insurance industry tax established by the health reform law (introduced by a House Republican)
- Repeal the CLASS program, a voluntary insurance program established in the health law to help seniors pay for services and supports (introduced by a Senate Republican)
- Require private insurers and federal health programs to cover medically necessary food (introduced by a House Democrat)
- Repeal the part of the health reform law that eliminated the Medicare open enrollment period for January, February and March (introduced by two House Democrats and two House Republicans)
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Supreme Court decided to wait to decide whether to fast-track Virginia's lawsuit against the health reform law. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has asked that the case be allowed to skip the lengthy appeals process and go directly to the high court so the states won't spend a lot of time and money implementing a law that may be declared unconstitutional.
But the biggest topic of conversation in recent weeks has been the 2012 budget. That conversation is likely to be long and arduous, since it has many big parts – for example, competing visions of government, of what makes America great, of the social contract – and a difference of opinion over the superiority of various economic models.
But the biggest topic of conversation in recent weeks has been the 2012 budget. That conversation is likely to be long and arduous, since it has many big parts – for example, competing visions of government, of what makes America great, of the social contract – and a difference of opinion over the superiority of various economic models.
