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House Faces Off on Farm Bill, Late-Term Abortions

Billy House | June 16, 2013

The Senate continues its floor focus on amendments to its immigration-reform bill.

Americans Know They’ve Already Lost Their Privacy

Ronald Brownstein | June 13, 2013

In an exclusive poll, many say they're anxious about the brave new world of connectivity and surveillance.

How to Lower Your Risk of Diabetes

Margot Sanger-Katz | June 13, 2013

The YMCA has invented a cheap, successful program that teaches at-risk patients how to avoid the condition.

Americans Really Hate Congress, But They're Feeling a Bit Better About Banks

Matt Vasilogambros | June 13, 2013

Confidence in Congress is at an all-time low, but things are looking a little brighter for banks on the public-opinion front.

When Cities Aren't Enough

Sophie Quinton | June 12, 2013

Living Cities CEO Ben Hecht explains why private institutions can be the key to helping cities improve low-income communities.

Senate Gears Up for Floor Fight on Immigration

Billy House and George E. Condon Jr. and Nancy Cook and Amy Harder and Catherine Hollander and Fawn Johnson and and Sara Sorcher contributed | June 9, 2013

Following a scheduled vote on its farm bill, the Senate this week will press ahead with major legislation to legalize 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Wal-Mart’s Super-Counterintuitive Health Care Plan

Margot Sanger-Katz | May 23, 2013

Instead of skimping on the most expensive care, the giant retailer is sending its workers to top-tier hospitals. Turns out, it’s a great way to save money.

Good News for Doctors and Budget Hawks

Catherine Hollander | May 14, 2013

The price tag for repealing a flawed Medicare doctors' pay formula will remain near a recent record low, according to a new estimate from the independent Congressional Budget Office released on Tuesday. It’s good news for the physicians and lawmakers who hope to see a permanent “doc fix” in 2013, and suggests the momentum behind achieving repeal is likely to continue this year.

The Cajun Comeback

Adam B. Kushner | May 2, 2013

Eight years after Katrina, New Orleans is finding new ways to address old problems. Scenes from a turnaround.

Meet the Yahoo Caucus

Norm Ornstein | May 1, 2013

Congress is filled with informal caucuses, from the Black Caucus to the Wine Caucus. I have a new one to propose, which might be among the largest: the Yahoo Caucus.

Corbett Badly Trails Democrats in New Poll

Kevin Brennan | April 29, 2013

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett faces long odds in his reelection bid, and it might not matter which Democrat emerges as his opponent. A Quinnipiac University poll released Monday shows the Republican trailing all three of the Democrats tested against him by at least nine points, and the Keystone...

Five Cool Innovations to Lift Workers Into the Middle Class

Sophie Quinton | April 25, 2013

From rent-subsidized apartments for single moms to an online medical clinic that saves $88 per diagnosis, American ingenuity works.

The 'Obamacare' Rollout Will Be a Bureaucratic Nightmare

Margot Sanger-Katz | April 18, 2013

When the last major government insurance plan launched in 2006, it was a disaster. The president’s health law will be even worse.

No, Oncologists Are Not Going Broke

Margot Sanger-Katz | April 18, 2013

Cancer doctors say the sequester forces them to turn away dying patients. Nonsense.

Health Care Interests Have Much to Monitor

Margot Sanger-Katz | April 17, 2013

Because entitlement reform could touch nearly every medical lobby, all will keep eyes and ears on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s doings.

A Polarized Committee Reflects a Gridlocked Congress

Amy Harder | April 17, 2013

Shortly after Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., won the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in December 2010, he invited all the former committee chairmen and their wives to dinner at Carmine’s in downtown Washington.

No Big Bills, But Plenty of Action on Health Care

Margot Sanger-Katz | April 17, 2013

The Energy and Commerce Committee won’t be passing any blockbuster health care bills this session—much as some GOP members would still love to repeal the Affordable Care Act—but several smaller measures on the agenda are likely to make it to the House floor.

Time Looks Right for Permanent ‘Doc Fix’

Margot Sanger-Katz | April 17, 2013

Since 1997, when Congress passed legislation with the dreaded “sustainable growth rate” formula, the problem of how to compensate doctors who treat Medicare patients has been a perennial issue before the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Congress as a whole.

Doctors Badly Want a Prescription for SGR

Margot Sanger-Katz | April 17, 2013

The sustainable growth rate formula that’s used for physician reimbursement under Medicare has been the top priority for doctors’ lobbies for years. The prospect of a permanent “doc fix” matters to them tremendously because it means certainty for physicians who have grown weary of worrying about looming pay cuts year after year.

Why Dr. Kermit Gosnell's Trial Should Be a Major News Story

Conor Friedersdorf - The Atlantic | April 12, 2013

The dead babies. The exploited women. The racism. The numerous governmental failures. It just is insanely newsworthy.

The O'Malley Factor

Ronald Brownstein | April 11, 2013

Can Gov. Martin O'Malley ride his Maryland success to the White House?

America's Chronic Disease

Michael Hirsh | April 5, 2013

The American economy is more than ever like a chronically ill patient suffering from a mysterious wasting disease that physicians would call “idiopathic” (a fancy term that means they have no idea what’s causing it).

Healthy Benefits

Jerry Hagstrom | April 3, 2013

Nonprofit hospitals could reap credit for improving the eating habits of their patients and communities.

On the Move: March 23, 2013

Christopher Snow Hopkins and Mike Magner | March 21, 2013

Kelly Nallen is American Crossroads' new director of digital. Former Hillary Clinton collaborator Kris Balderston is a senior partner at Fleishman-Hillard. Onetime DeLay policy director Juliane Sullivan heads the House Education and the Workforce staff.

Picking Up a Diagnosis With Your Doritos

Sophie Quinton | March 21, 2013

With retail clinics at a growing number of neighborhood convenience stores, you may not have to wait for a doctor's appointment.

Chickening Out on Medicare

Margot Sanger-Katz | March 14, 2013

They agree the entitlement is in deep trouble. So why didn't pols cut as much as they could have?

Washington Gets Back to Its Day Job

Major Garrett | March 12, 2013

After years of busting its deadlines, Washington rediscovers what matters with the latest round of budgets.

Dueling Budget Plans Help Define Both Parties

Nancy Cook | March 10, 2013

By the middle of this week, Americans will once again be plunged into the wildly different world views of Republicans and Democrats as the two parties release competing budget proposals within hours of one another.

Why the Republican Plan to Reform Medicare Could Really Make It More Expensive

Margot Sanger-Katz | March 7, 2013

Republicans like Paul Ryan want more market competition in federal health care programs. Trouble is, those plans don't save money.

Why the Senate Democrats' Budget Will Be Vague

Nancy Cook and Margot Sanger-Katz | March 7, 2013

The fewer specifics they offer, the less political ammunition there will be for the GOP to use against them.

House Budget Chairman's Track Record on Medicare Belies His Rhetoric

Margot Sanger-Katz | March 6, 2013

Paul Ryan's plans for current seniors in Medicare are not much different from President Obama's.

The Obama Administration's Super-Expensive, Legally Dubious Medicaid Plan

Margot Sanger-Katz | March 5, 2013

Arkansas is a test case for a new privatization plan that could win support from GOP politicians in other states.

Rep. Allyson Schwartz Steps Down as DCCC Fundraiser

Shane Goldmacher | February 28, 2013

Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., is stepping down as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's chief fundraiser. She will be replaced by Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., a former Goldman Sachs executive.

Why Medical Providers Don't Mind the Sequester

Margot Sanger-Katz | February 21, 2013

A grand bargain to reduce the budget deficit would sting health care providers. The sequester, by contrast, won’t really hurt.

Florida Governor's Embrace of Medicaid Money Undercuts GOP Attacks on 'Obamacare'

Beth Reinhard and Margot Sanger-Katz | February 21, 2013

Republicans who seemed united against "Obamacare" just two years ago suddenly find some prominent party leaders taking a different tack.

The Young and the Powerless

Ronald Brownstein | February 21, 2013

Social Security and most of Medicare are exempt from automatic spending cuts. That means the sequester falls hardest on America's youth.

Full Text: President Obama's 2013 State of the Union Speech

National Journal Staff | February 12, 2013

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow citizens:

Live Blogging the State of the Union Address

Niraj Chokshi and Brian Fung | February 12, 2013

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Fate of ‘Obamacare’ May Rest With Hispanics

Margot Sanger-Katz | February 7, 2013

For the president’s health care plan to work properly, young, healthy people need to sign up. One challenge: informing and persuading Latinos.

Prospects Improve for a Permanent Medicare 'Doc Fix'

Margot Sanger-Katz | February 6, 2013

The Congressional Budget Office just handed the doctors and lawmakers eager to fix a longstanding Medicare-physician pay problem a big gift.

You Can Thank the Health Care Industry for the Economic Recovery

Margot Sanger-Katz | February 1, 2013

Happy about the country’s shrinking unemployment rate? You have the health care industry to thank.

What I Learned Covering Hillary Clinton

Ron Fournier | February 1, 2013

I stopped betting against Hillary Rodham Clinton 23 years ago when I watched her crush one man’s ambitions to preserve her husband’s.

Health Care: Great for the Economy Today, Terrible Later

Margot Sanger-Katz | January 31, 2013

Hospitals like Pittsburgh’s UPMC created enough jobs to end the recession. If they keep it up, they’ll wreck the economy.

A Boy Scout Rebel Who Accepted Gays in 1992 Is About to Be Vindicated

Brian Resnick | January 31, 2013

21 years ago, Scoutmaster Michael Cahn made a bold challenge to the Scouts' orthodoxy. Now, the change he called for could be happening.

We Need to Talk About Mental Health Even If It's Only a Sideshow to the Gun Control Debate

Fawn Johnson | January 24, 2013

Even if Republicans focus on mental health as a way to shy away from addressing new gun laws, the attention to treatment and research is welcome.

At Retreat, House Republicans Hope to 'Turn Things Around'

Billy House | January 16, 2013

Will motivational speeches from the CEO of Dominos Pizza and the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest help House Republicans in an effort to use adversity to their advantage and turn things around in Washington?

Here's What's in the Fiscal-Cliff Deal

Catherine Hollander | January 1, 2013

Although the legislation will avert many of the year-end tax hikes and spending cuts that were set to kick in, it failed to address some of the major issues.

A Blood Clot in Hillary Clinton's Brain: How It Can Turn Out Just Fine

Richard C. Senelick for The Atlantic | January 1, 2013

Yesterday evening the U.S. Secretary of State was hospitalized in New York City for treatment and monitoring of a thrombosis in a cerebral vein. Her doctors expect a full recovery. What that means.

Here’s What’s In the Fiscal Deal Passed by the Senate

Catherine Hollander and Chris Frates | January 1, 2013

Early on New Year's Day, the Senate passed a measure aimed at pulling the country back from the "fiscal cliff" of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts. The measure, hammered out by Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, still needs approval by the House. Here's what's in it:

In the Hospital with a Blood Clot, Hillary Clinton Is Not In Good Health

Adam Clark Estes - The Atlantic Wire | December 31, 2012

Secretary of State and wouldn't be New York City mayor Hillary Clinton is back in the hospital, after doctors discovered a blood clot related to the concussion she suffered earlier this month. Clinton was admitted to New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Sunday night, so that her treatment team could monitor how she handles the anti-coagulant medication that's been prescribed to deal with the clot. (Read the State Department's full statement on her condition here.)

Cliff Diving Would Pose Dangers For Obama's 2nd-Term Agenda

Caren Bohan | December 27, 2012

If Washington plunges off the fiscal cliff on New Year’s Day, President Obama will have a strong hand to play in the fight over expiring tax cuts and automatic spending reductions set to hit the economy, but a drawn-out standoff could also wreak havoc on his ability to tackle big second-term agenda items such as tax reform, immigration and gun control.

EPA Scrambles on Year-End Regulatory Push

Amy Harder | December 21, 2012

Forget the fiscal cliff and the National Rifle Association. The Environmental Protection Agency really went back to business on Friday after an election-year bottleneck. It unleashed two new regulations and a controversial report on oil and natural-gas drilling.

First Robin of Spring?

Margot Sanger-Katz | April 26, 2012

Something weird is happening. Medicare is growing much more slowly than anyone expected, and nobody knows why.

The New Goliaths

Margot Sanger-Katz | February 16, 2012

The health care reform law, which was designed to lower costs, could end up raising them instead. The law is triggering a wave of hospital mergers and acquisitions, and decades of data show that hospital consolidations almost always lead to higher prices for patients.

Heart Palpitations

Margot Sanger-Katz | December 8, 2011

The program's reimbursement formulas affect physician behavior. Just look at what’s happening to cardiologists.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS - Collateral Damage

March 15, 2003

The first American war against Iraq, fought a dozen years ago, produced an overwhelming, if transitory, U.S. victory, while also popularizing several phrases that slipped almost lightheartedly into the world's lexicon. But if the U.S. military's new "smart bombs" helped make a mockery of Saddam Hussein's bluster about winning "the mother of all battles," there was nothing funny about "collateral damage," the Pentagon's time-honored euphemism for the killing and wounding of everyday Iraqi people with cruise missiles and airpower.

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