Sen. Kirk's stroke offers him new Medicaid perspective

Sen. Mark Kirk's stroke has awakened him to what people on Medicaid experience in their rehabilitation efforts, he said.

The Hill: Sen. Kirk Says Stroke Changed Perspective On Medicaid
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said his debilitating stroke has sparked a new interest in the experience of people on Medicaid. In an interview published Wednesday, Kirk said that most Illinois residents insured through the low-income health program would be eligible for just 11 rehabilitation sessions following a stroke. "Had I been limited to that I would have had no chance to recover like I did. So unlike before suffering the stroke, I'm much more focused on Medicaid and what my fellow citizens face," Kirk told the Chicago Sun Times (Vibeck, 1/2).

And new health care leadership in Congress continues to take shape --

The Hill: Rep. Lankford To Lead New Oversight Health Panel
Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) will lead a new subpanel on health care, entitlements and energy policy in the 113th Congress, leaders announced Wednesday. The House Oversight appointment comes as leaders reduce the committee's seven subpanels to five. Health care was previously lumped in with the District of Columbia, the Census and the National Archives. The revamp gives health issues -- sure to include President Obama's health care law as implementation ramps up -- a more prominent position, related and equal to entitlement reform (Viebeck, 1/2).