Democrats

Battles continue to rage between House Republicans, Senate Democrats and the Obama Administration on a variety of financial and health care issues. As always, BenefitMall pledges to keep you up-to-date on the latest topics affecting the healthcare industry. Here are some brief snapshots of what is just around the corner.[1]

The Looming Debt Crisis

The U.S. debt reached the maximum allowed debt level on May 16, stretching to the ceiling of $14.3 trillion.[2] Both parties have been unable to reach an agreement to address the debt and federal spending problems, forcing the Department of Treasury (DOT) to take “extraordinary measures” by suspending the issuance of new debt and tapping two federal employee pension funds.[3] According to DOT, this will allow the government to continue functioning until August 2 when the tapped pension funds will be depleted.[4] Despite current grandstanding by all parties involved, a compromise must be reached by that date or the government will face another threat of shutdown.

With all the hoopla this week about the Congressional lame duck session and anticipation over the 112nd Congress that convenes in January 2011, this is an ideal time to reflect on the recent enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) and how we can ensure a stable U.S. health care system in the future.    

A key philosophical debate between Republicans, Democrats and other stakeholder groups is whether the government or the private sector is in the best position to help fix the U.S. health care system.  Of course, most agree this is not an “either/or” situation – both segments have an important role to play.  Unfortunately, the new federal healthcare reform law is dependent on building more government infrastructure than relying on private sector initiatives. 

During the last few months, the Republican Party has made opposition to President’s Obama’s health care overhaul a central theme in its push to take back the U.S. Congress. While not all of the election returns are final, based on November 2 initial results, change is definitely in the air. 

Clearly, some recent headlines are hard to ignore such as “Republicans take over the U.S. House of Representatives” or “Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) loses bid for reelection to Republican Ron Johnson.”   Several other democratic veterans also lost their jobs last night. 

State Action

Yet behind the headlines, the fate of health care reform may actually depend more on the outcome of relatively less well-known state races across the country – especially for the offices filled by state insurance commissioners and state legislators.