Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Feature Highlights Recent Blog Entries

While mainstream news coverage is still a primary source of information for the latest in policy debates and the health care marketplace, online blogs have become a significant part of the media landscape, often presenting new perspectives on policy issues and drawing attention to under-reported topics. To provide complete coverage of health policy issues, the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report offers readers a window into the world of blogs in a roundup of health policy-related blog posts. "Blog Watch," published on Tuesdays and Fridays, tracks a wide range of blogs, providing a brief description and relevant links for highlighted posts.

The American Prospect's Ezra Klein, discussing President-elect Barack Obama's reported choice of Peter Orszag to head the Office of Management and Budget, calls the decision "second only in importance to" Obama's reported appointment of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) to HHS secretary for health reform advocates because Orszag "has clearly stated that he thinks health care reform central to our fiscal future, [and] has said that he considers delay or denial a dangerous impulse."

Igor Volsky on the Center for American Progress Action Fund's Wonk Room says while reports indicate that some in the insurance industry would support rules requiring them to offer coverage to all applicants if there were a requirement that all individuals obtain coverage, insurers have "not adopted the necessary affordability measures that progressives typically advocate for," such as community rating or a competing public plan.

Uwe Reinhardt on the New York Times' Economix blog continues his exploration of factors contributing to disparities in per capita health spending between the U.S. and other developed nations, discussing "an administrative overhead load that is huge by international standards."

John Goodman on the Health Affairs Blog writes that elements of health care proposals by former Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) "would make Obama's plan work much better" and suggests four additional adjustments: no mandated benefits package, risk-rating premiums, additional support for safety net institutions and adoption of what he calls "Roth" health savings accounts.

The Health Care Blog's Scott Shreeve rounds up recent developments surrounding electronic health records.

Catherine Hammons and Kate Bicego of Health Care for All's A Healthy Blog report on speakers' statements at a national town hall on health reform sponsored by the New England Alliance for Children's Health, the National Association of Children's Hospitals and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Bob Laszewski on Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review looks at the Healthy Americans Act proposed by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Bob Bennett (R-Utah) and says that "no other idea really starts to change, rather than build upon, a system we all agree is unacceptable. No other idea has the bipartisan support out of the box that Wyden-Bennett does."

Conn Carroll of the Heritage Foundation's The Foundry expresses opposition to Obama's health care proposal for a national health insurance exchange because it could involve more regulations than the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan.

Marilyn Werber Serafini of the National Journal's Health Care Expert Blog asks, "What do you see as the pluses and minuses of a Federal Health Board? How would it affect the private health care system? Would it mesh with leading Democratic proposals? And, instead of creating such a board, would it be better to give HHS more power over health care?" Responses follow from Stuart Butler, Karen Davis, Glenn Hackbarth and John Goodman.

Joanne Kenen of the New America Foundation's New Health Dialogue rounds up some news coverage of how problems in the larger economy could affect the health care industry, including growth in the number of uninsured, an increase in uncompensated care and possible changes to Medicare Advantage.

Daniel Callahan on the New York Times' New Old Age Blog discusses political and ethical considerations, as well as readers' responses, to his post proposing age-based rationing of expensive therapies and experimental treatments to help control costs in the Medicare program.

Andy Coates and Kip Sullivan on the Physicians for National Health Reform blog look at a brief by John Holahan and Linda Blumberg addressing the idea of a public plan competing with private insurers and conclude that a single-payer approach is preferable.