National Journal Topics | NationalJournal.com

Are Health Care Costs Healing Themselves?

Niraj Chokshi | May 15, 2013

A mysterious shift in health spending patterns could have major implications for the fiscal policy debate—if only experts could figure out what’s behind it.

'Obamacare' Repeal: Will the 37th Time Be the Charm?

Billy House and Nancy Cook and Coral Davenport and Fawn Johnson and Sara Sorcher and and George E. Condon Jr. contributed | May 12, 2013

With tensions over fiscal issues building, and the three-month suspension of the nation’s debt limit set to expire Sunday, lawmakers this week will be rehashing on the House floor their messaging war over repealing President Obama’s three-year-old health care law.

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.

Karen Nelson, Deputy Minority Staff Director on Health, Full Committee

Margot Sanger-Katz | April 17, 2013

For more than 30 years, Karen Nelson has been the Democrats’ go-to health aide on Rep. Henry Waxman’s staff.

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.

Slow-Motion Gun Battle Plays Out in Senate

Billy House | April 14, 2013

Lawmakers will stage some slow-going drama this week as the Senate proceeds in its deliberations on gun-control legislation with a series of votes on amendments—many of them likely to usher in their own mini-floor fights, or even filibusters.

Progressives Fight Obama on Entitlements with Eye on 2014

Rebecca Kaplan | April 10, 2013

For progressive Democrats in Congress, a fight with President Obama over the inclusion of cuts to Social Security in his budget proposal may be just a warm-up for the real looming battle: the 2014 midterms.

GOP Health Experts Agree: Don't Count on 'Obamacare' to Fail

Jill Lawrence | April 8, 2013

Is the Obama administration totally bungling implementation of its signature universal health care law? The White House gets some surprising backup from top health officials from two GOP administrations.

Why the Obama Administration’s Novel Medicaid Idea Might Not Catch On

Margot Sanger-Katz | March 29, 2013

The promise of a private option for Medicaid expansion excited GOP politicians. But new rules are likely to dampen their enthusiasm.

The One Word You Can't Say in Washington

Niraj Chokshi | March 21, 2013

Democrats agree on the need for stimulus. Just don't call it that.

Obamacare Is a Prescription for a Democratic Headache in 2014

Alex Roarty and Beth Reinhard | March 21, 2013

With key provisions of "Obamacare" set to take effect in 2014, both parties are assessing the potential political fallout from the seismic changes coming to our health care system.

The Man Who Could Turn Texas Blue: Rick Perry

Ronald Brownstein | March 21, 2013

By opposing Medicaid expansion, the governor could hurt the GOP in a must-win state.

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.

Public Opinion Stays Static on Affordable Care Act

Margot Sanger-Katz | March 20, 2013

In the three years since the Affordable Care Act became law, it has become fodder for campaign ads and the subject of a high-profile Supreme Court challenge, while news analysts have endlessly debated and dissected it. None of that has had any effect on public opinion.

Obamacare at Age 3: Still Too Young for Prognosis

Margot Sanger-Katz | March 19, 2013

Most major components of the Affordable Care Act don't go into effect until next year.

The Rightward March of the Republicans

Ronald Brownstein | March 14, 2013

Republicans in Congress were supposed to moderate their message. It's not happening.

In New Budget, Senate Democrats Offer Alternative Political Vision

Nancy Cook | March 13, 2013

For the first time since 2009, Senate Democrats on Wednesday introduced a budget resolution, which promised to stabilize the debt over the next decade and raise new revenue and cut spending in equal parts.

House Republican Budget Offers More of the Same

Nancy Cook | March 12, 2013

By unveiling a budget blueprint that would erase the deficit in just 10 years, House Republicans sought on Tuesday to make that goal the gold standard and bare minimum for all future budget battles between the two parties.

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.

Paul Ryan's Budget, Simplified: Save the Rich, Spare the Old, Forget the Poor

Derek Thompson - The Atlantic | March 12, 2013

It balances the budget! But it solves our income inequality problem like a flamethrower solves a house fire.

What Paul Ryan's New Budget Means for Health Care

Margot Sanger-Katz | March 12, 2013

No Medicare changes for 10 years. Big Medicaid cuts right away. And a kind-of-sort-of Obamacare repeal.

Paul Ryan's Obamacare Repeal Fantasy

Jill Lawrence | March 11, 2013

Even with Obama in the White House until 2017, the Wisconsin Republican's new budget relies on repealing most of the Affordable Care Act.

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.

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.

How an Obscure 911 Tax Could Have You Paying for Washington's Budget Cuts

Brian Fung | February 28, 2013

With the countdown to a massive federal budget cut ticking away, top-level agencies everywhere are bracing for bad news. But they're not the only ones: the sequester puts many state budgets at risk, too.

Chris Christie is a Republican Without a Party

Jill Lawrencence | February 26, 2013

Right after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced he would expand Medicaid under the new federal health law, Tea Party Nation opined in a tweet: “Liberal jello blob Chris Christie thanks Obama by expanding Obamacare to NJ.” That was followed by a #liberalsellout hashtag.

The Real Reason Why Chris Christie Wasn't Invited to CPAC

Elahe Izadi | February 26, 2013

ACU Chairman Al Cardenas criticizes New Jersey's Republican governor for supporting Sandy aid bill, Medicaid expansion.

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.

Rick Scott Agrees to Medicaid Expansion, Despite Criticism of Health Care Law

Jordain Carney | February 20, 2013

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a long-time critic of Pres. Obama’s health care law, announced on Wednesday evening that the state would support a three-year Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. "I was a strong advocate for better ways to run health care,” Scott said during a press confer...

Rick Scott's Medicaid Decision is a Big Win for the White House

Margot Sanger-Katz | February 20, 2013

Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s decision to expand his state’s Medicaid program is a huge political and practical win for the Obama White House.

Why Obama's Optimism on Health Costs Is Premature

Margot Sanger-Katz | February 14, 2013

The country has just experienced four straight years of slow health care growth, a trend with huge implications for the federal budget, wages, and many people’s out-of-pocket costs. But what’s causing the trend is unclear.

John Boehner Talks Foreplay and Immigration Reform

Major Garrett | February 12, 2013

Speaker waxes about everything from ‘foreplay’ and immigration to poker games and the sequester.

Missed Opportunity? Obama May Avoid Spending-Cut Debate in Speech

Nancy Cook | February 12, 2013

When President Obama takes to the podium Tuesday night for the State of the Union, he’s expected to give scant attention to one of the most pressing issues facing Washington: the upcoming $85 billion in spending cuts.

The Math Behind the GOP Goal of Balancing the Budget in 10 Years

Nancy Cook | February 8, 2013

The plan spearheaded by Paul Ryan could prove to be an ingenious move for his party — or a disaster.

Why the GOP's Resistance to Medicaid Expansion Is Eroding

Ronald Brownstein | February 7, 2013

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer wants her state to join the expansion, key to Obama's health care reform. Will other Republican governors follow suit?

Michigan Republicans Say Rick Snyder Won’t Face Competitive Primary

Alex Brown | February 7, 2013

When Gov. Rick Snyder, R-Mich., announced his support of a federal Medicaid expansion Wednesday, it signified a move to the middle after a divisive 2012 fight over right-to-work legislation. Meanwhile, legislative Republicans showed they still have a healthy appetite for partisan battles, introducin...

A 12-Step Program for the Republican Party

Tim Alberta and Jim O'Sullivan | January 24, 2013

The GOP has finally admitted it has a problem winning over voters. Here’s a 12-step program to get the party back on track.

The Waxman-Berman Machine Finally Shuts Down

Shane Goldmacher | January 24, 2013

For more than two decades in Southern California, if you wanted to run for office, you had to deal with the team of Howard Berman and Henry Waxman. That era is officially over with Berman’s loss last fall.

Why Improving Mental Health Would Do Little to End Gun Violence

Margot Sanger-Katz | January 24, 2013

Screening gun purchasers for mental illness may not do much to reduce violent crimes.

What Obama Wants and What Congress Will Give Him

Stacy Kaper and Rebecca Kaplan and Coral Davenport and Fawn Johnson and Margot Sanger-Katz and and Amy Harder contributed | January 21, 2013

How the president's vision fits with what Congress is likely to do.

Full Text of President Barack Obama's Second Inaugural Address

January 21, 2013

President Obama's speech given on January 21, 2013, at the U.S. Capitol.

Congress Feels the Heat on Idea of Carbon Tax

Coral Davenport | January 15, 2013

Moments after the fiscal-cliff deal passed the House on New Year’s Day, Grover Norquist, the powerful antitax lobbyist, tweeted, “Obama’s budget adds ten trillion more debt. We cut more spending or he smashes average Americans with energy taxes. I vote: cut his spending.”

Why Obama Needs a Better Understanding of Republicans

Major Garrett | January 15, 2013

President Obama is of one mind on debts, deficits, and spending. They are not a problem.

The Fiscal Cliff's Greatest Threat Is to American Unity

Ronald Brownstein | December 27, 2012

The fiscal cliff was an opportunity to push off partisanship. But, following incentives, legislators only increased it.

Job Moves: American Health Care Association GR Shop Grows

Elahe Izadi | December 21, 2012

The American Health Care Association has grown its government relations shop with the addition of three new employees.

How the Fiscal Cliff Battle Is Really Just a Battle of Demographics

Ronald Brownstein | December 20, 2012

Washington’s battle over the fiscal cliff is best understood as a confrontation not only between Democrats and Republicans, but also as an early skirmish in what could be a decades-long struggle for resources and influence between the Brown and the Gray.

Behind the Fiscal Cliff is a Demographic Struggle

Ronald Brownstein | December 20, 2012

Washington’s battle over the fiscal cliff is best understood as a confrontation not only between Democrats and Republicans, but also as an early skirmish in what could be a decades-long struggle for resources and influence between the Brown and the Gray.

Republicans in Congress Make a Quick About-Face on Medicare

Margot Sanger-Katz | December 3, 2012

In just a few short weeks, the dominant Republican line on Medicare has shifted from attacking the Democrats for making cuts to the program to demanding a new round of cuts to reduce the federal deficit.

Is Social Security Still Off-Limits?

Jim O'Sullivan | November 29, 2012

The White House wants to unparcel Social Security from the fiscal cliff and a package designed to deal with the debt.

Why a 'Grand Bargain' Wouldn't Target Medicaid

Margot Sanger-Katz and Nancy Cook contributed | November 29, 2012

The Supreme Court has made Medicaid a much less appealing target for cuts in any deficit-reducing deal.

Medicare Competition Makes Bipartisan Comeback

Meghan McCarthy | November 25, 2012

After President Obama’s reelection win, you might think that" talk of competition in Medicare—a cornerstone of Mitt Romney’s campaign—would fall by the wayside. But introducing greater competition into the health program for older Americans is an idea that could prove ripe for a bipartisan compromise in any Grand Bargain" on the budget.

Spielberg’s Lincoln: A Lesson in Realpolitik for a Squeamish Age

Jill Lawrence | November 19, 2012

The gulf between Lincoln’s means and his ends, as portrayed by Steven Spielberg, is staggering. If Lincoln were operating now, though, Americans would be following all the wheeling, dealing and good-government lamentations in real time on Twitter and cable TV.

Jack Lew: The Man Who Could Save Obama's Legacy

Nancy Cook | November 1, 2012

Lew’s power has grown over less than a year as President Obama’s chief of staff—and he already has Republicans dreading a budget confrontation with him during the lame-duck session of Congress.

The (Fiscal) Case for Death

Margot Sanger-Katz | June 21, 2012

Over the long run, effective preventive health policy could cost the federal government more than it saves.

NJ Topics Medicaid

Follow National Journal