Healthcare Digest 5/1: President's Healthcare Reform is Great, Says President

Having received some drubbing in the press and from the guy who helped him write the Affordable Care Act (p.s.: that would be Montana Senator Max Baucus, who, you may remembered, decided not to vote the way his constituents wanted him to regarding background checks for firearms. That’s also known as: not good at doing his job), President Obama is now making the rounds explaining that no, you guys, everything’s great with the ACA!

Here he is in the Los Angeles Times: “Any time you’re implementing something big, there’s going to be people who are nervous. For the average American out there, for the 85 and 90% of Americans who already have health insurance, this thing’s already happened.”

And The New York Times: “What we’re doing is we’re setting up a pool so that they can all pool together and get a better deal from insurance companies. And those who can’t afford it, we’re going to provide them with some subsidies. That’s it. I mean, that’s what’s left to implement, because the other stuff’s been implemented, and it’s working fine.”

Is Obama the best harbinger of the success of his program? I voted for the guy. I like him. But it’s not like he’s going to come out and say, “Funny story. That thing I’ve been working on turns out to be a bust.” Nor do I think that thing he’s been working on has turned out to be a bust. It is intersting, however, to read the rhetoric the president is using to assuage any concerns.

Wednesday’s Headlines:

Do Fewer Pages Mean Fewer Steps?: “There are a few small changes in the way the questions are asked, but the bulk of the paper reduction comes from the decision to have three different forms: one for single adults who aren’t offered any other coverage (that’s the 3-pager), one for families, and a third for people who don’t want financial assistance. The old version had room to explain the details of six separate family members, while the new version has room for only two. That means any family with more than two people has to make photocopies of the application to include everyone else.” [Kaiser Health News]

Not Your Finest Moment, Florida House Democrats: “Florida’s smooth-running legislative session hit a rough patch Tuesday as House Democrats demanded that every bill be read in full to protest the stalemate on healthcare reform.” [Miami Herald]

Better Get the Spare Room Ready: “Some of the nation’s largest health-care landlords are pulling back from nursing homes on concerns they will be less profitable in an era of steep Medicare and Medicaid cuts.” [Wall Street Journal]

What Good Reform if All the Healthcare Workers Quit?: “Heavy patient loads, smaller staffs and higher stress levels may be causing burnout among healthcare workers, according to a new survey by recruiting firm CareerBuilder.” [The Financial]