Viewpoints: Romney and 'Obamneycare'; 'fundamental constitutional flaws'; leading vs. following in Md.

Jun 15 2011

The Washington Post: What's A Pragmatic Front-Runner Like Mitt Romney To Do?
Hence the young campaign's most unfortunate new coinage, courtesy of Tim Pawlenty: "Obamneycare." That's the word Pawlenty used Sunday to describe President Obama's health-care law, which borrowed ideas from the reform package Romney devised and implemented when he was governor of Massachusetts. Obamacare plus Romneycare equals . . . Okay, we get it, we get it (Eugene Robinson, 6/13).

The Wall Street Journal: Why ObamaCare Is Losing In The Courts
When we first articulated ObamaCare's fundamental constitutional flaws in these pages nearly two years ago, our objections were met with derision by the law's defenders. Those who have been following the unfolding litigation are no longer laughing (David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey, 6/14). 

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Should Go Slow On Establishing A Health Insurance Exchange
Gov. Martin O'Malley has said he wants Maryland to be a "national leader" in health care reform. Sometimes it's good to be a leader, but sometimes being a leader means you are the first to make costly mistakes. Following the lead of other states in implementing the new federal health care law would be better for both taxpayers and health care consumers in Maryland. … By waiting, Maryland can learn from other states' experiences and lessons in how in how they create and operate their exchanges. If we are in the forefront, however, we will be providing the lessons in what not to do (Marc Kilmer, 6/13). 

The Washington Post: Marco Rubio Takes On 'Medi-Scare'
If entitlement reform is the third rail of American politics, then there is no place in America where the surge is more powerful than Florida. The Sunshine State has more Medicare recipients than any state in the union except California — making Florida ground zero for the Democrats' coming "Medi-scare" campaign. So it is significant that, while some Republicans have been distancing themselves from Rep. Paul Ryan's proposed Medicare overhaul, Florida's junior senator, Marco Rubio, has emerged in recent weeks as Ryan's most ardent public defender (Marc A. Thiessen, 6/13).

Los Angeles Times: Anthem Blue Cross Reconsiders Fee For Credit Card Payments
Anthem Blue Cross had planned to impose a $15 'convenience fee' for those who pay their premiums with plastic, but after customers complained and the California attorney general's office said such a fee may be illegal, the company began to back off (David Lazarus, 6/13). 

Atlanta Journal Constitution: ACOs, EHRs And Small Practices
Many health care providers are wondering about the new Medicare shared programs for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). For the patient, ACOs could promise more "Accountable" medical care that may lead to improved Health outcomes. However, it is important that ACO guidelines are comprehensive to prevent things like "cherry picking" by providers. This means a provider would choose the healthiest patients in order to obtain panels that will have better Health outcomes. This defeats the purpose of health reform which is to expand coverage to patients with chronic diseases who have traditionally had bad outcomes. But let's say that no one is able to do those kinds of things. Then this could be a win for the patients (Dominic Mack, 6/13).

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Why 'Free Market' Isn't Answer To Health-Care Costs
The debate over slashing Medicare to balance the budget and the effectiveness of ObamaCare have centered to a large degree on the alleged power of the free enterprise system to drive down health-care costs. Like most debates, it is a discussion dominated by rhetoric and anecdote. And like most debates, it could benefit enormously by looking instead to actual real-life data (Jay Bookman, 6/13).

Des Moines Register: Telemedicine Is Here To Stay In Iowa
Patients and doctors, in two different locations, have been interacting since Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Your kid has a fever. Call the doc and he or she will give advice. Or diagnose an infection based on the symptoms a patient describes and then call in a prescription. Computers have taken so-called "telemedicine" to a whole new level. … Telemedicine is growing more popular. It saves money. It allows specialists to treat more patients. It gives people in institutions, prisons and even in rural areas, access to health care they may not otherwise have. And telemedicine is being used by doctors to dispense a drug that induces an abortion, a legal medical procedure women can choose to undergo (6/14).

The (Southwest Florida) News Press: Luring New Doctors Key For Future
Florida's shortage of family physicians is already serious, and destined to get worse if steps aren't taken to recruit more. So it's good to see that Lee Memorial Health System plans to get its long-awaited Graduate Medical Education program fully launched in 2013. The program calls for hiring six freshly minted doctors to serve a three-year residency at the system's hospitals. The hope is that they will like the area and practicing here enough to stay (6/13).

Times-Picayune: Metro New Orleans Needs A Responsible, Realistic Plan For New Hospital
We strongly support building a leading academic medical center in New Orleans. ... But we are very concerned that the Charity Hospital rebuilding plan as currently proposed (424 beds, $1.2 billion) is fiscally unsustainable (Sen. David Vitter, Louisiana House Speaker Jim Tucker and Louisiana Treasurer John Kennedy, 6/13).