Powerful GOP lawmakers clarifying plans for cutting health costs, repealing reform law

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Dec 10 2010

The Republican lawmaker who will take the chair of the House's main investigative committee has made clear his interest in examining the overuse of expensive medical procedures while a newly tapped GOP subcommittee chief pledges to "dismantle Obamacare." Meanwhile, the food safety bill has been folded into must-pass legislation to fund the U.S. government.

The Wall Street Journal: Republican Targets Use Of Costly Medical Devices
Republicans should talk less about "death panels" and more about cutting the overuse of expensive medical procedures, said a powerful GOP lawmaker who has the health industry in his sights. Darrell Issa, who won the nod Wednesday from House Republicans to become chairman of the House's chief investigative committee, had raised alarms among Democrats by suggesting he would swamp the White House with subpoenas and hold at least one hearing a week (Mundy, 12/8).

CQ HealthBeat: Piecemeal Or Wholesale, Pitts Says His New Job Is Dismantling 'Obamacare'
Pennsylvania Republican Joe Pitts, the surprise pick to chair the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, said Wednesday that he will pursue piecemeal repeal of the health care overhaul law while also rolling out market-based alternatives that he plans to move as a comprehensive piece of legislation (Reichard, 12/8).

Reuters: Food-Safety Overhaul Rides On Funding Bill
The biggest overhaul of the U.S. food safety system in decades took a major step toward becoming law on Wednesday when House Democratic leaders folded it into a must-pass bill to fund the U.S. government. The House passed the spending bill on Wednesday and the Senate was expected to consider it over the next few days as lawmakers push to complete their legislative session by the end of next week (Abbott, 8/12).

This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.