Roll Call Profiles Health Care Issues for Next Congress

• "Lawmakers Ponder Fix for the FDA": Recent news about problems related to FDA, including tainted imported drugs, has raised concern among lawmakers about the agency's ability to perform its duties within its budget. Although there are a number of proposals to improve food and drug safety, budgetary constraints and a lack of effort by the agency to seek additional funds leaves these plans and programs in limbo. However, the "possibilities for reform appear much greater in 2009 if there is a Democratic administration," Roll Call reports (Langel [1], Roll Call, 5/22).
  
  
• "A Medicare Crisis Gets Even Worse": Although the problems with entitlement spending are on lawmakers' minds, "there's still a real question as to whether the political will exists to make the wholesale changes necessary to fix the program -- and whether enough money can be found to pay for it all," according to Roll Call. The article profiles legislative efforts to overhaul Medicare and concerns about program spending as baby boomers prepare to retire (Langel [2], Roll Call, 5/22).
  
  
• "K St. Ready for Lots of Health Care": Lobbyists are already preparing to address health care issues in the upcoming Congress. Topics that are garnering the most attention among lobbyists include follow-on biologics, medical device reimbursements, and SCHIP reauthorization and expansion. Lobbyists' efforts will also be affected by which party occupies the White House (Palmer, Roll Call, 5/22).
  
  
• "Wyden Takes Middle Course on Coverage": Roll Call examined efforts by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Bob Bennett (R-Utah) to pass legislation (S 334) that focuses "on ensuring universal coverage while preserving a role for the private sector." The bill would allow U.S. residents to either enroll in employer-sponsored health coverage or purchase private insurance plans approved by states. According to Roll Call, "The bill's prospects are looking up, at least in the next Congress, driven in part" by a report by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation that found the bill would be budget neutral by 2014 and would create surpluses after that (Langel [3], Roll Call, 5/22).
  
  
• "Presidential Candidates Eager for Health Debate: Clinton and Obama Different Paths to Universal Coverage": Roll Call profiles the health care proposals of Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.). According to Roll Call, health care is one issue where Clinton and Obama "are offering two distinct visions of the policy course they would follow." Both candidates want to create a government-sponsored health plan that would be available to all residents and ban insurers from denying coverage to people. However, Clinton's health plan includes a mandate that all U.S. residents obtain health coverage, while Obama would mandate coverage only for children (Heim, Roll Call, 5/22).
  
  
• "McCain's Plan: Tax Breaks and Enhanced Portability": Roll Call also profiled presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain's (Ariz.) health care plan. McCain's "speeches and campaign Web site show that the crux of [his] health care plan centers on helping consumers afford insurance, rather than having the government provide it," Roll Call reports. McCain's plan would eliminate the current employer-sponsored health care system and provide a refundable tax credit of up to $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to purchase private health insurance (McSherry, Roll Call, 5/22).