By Jocelyn Guyer
When my third child was born just 20 months after our twins, I was briefly the mom of three kids under the age of two. Not as tough as the challenge facing Jon and Kate plus Eight or the octuplet mom, but enough to make me think that my life would never be quite as chaotic again. And, so far, it hasn’t been, but the recent flurry of activity on health reform has created a similar feeling of not quite knowing which set of priorities is most important to turn to first. So, to try to sort it out, we thought it would be worth reviewing some of the more important developments we’ve heard, seen or read about in recent weeks and to do a look ahead.
- Senate Finance Committee documents. The Senate Finance Committee is releasing documents as rapidly as a serial blogger. For a good, detailed sense of where the committee is heading on health reform, check out their policy options on delivery system reform, coverage options, and financing.
- House Energy and Commerce Committee’s outline for health reform. Now about as private as President Obama’s burger joint lunches, this leaked document outlines how the committee envisions health reform taking shape.
- Republican letter to President Obama on health reform. For a sense of where some Republicans are heading, check out this letter from Republican Representatives to President Obama on health reform.
- Messaging advice for Republicans on health reform. And, for a fascinating look at the advice Republicans are getting about how to talk about health reform, see the much-discussed Frank Luntz memo. Even though it also apparently was supposed to be kept confidential, it now has been thoroughly vetted by everyone from Politico to Robert Pear of the NYT to Ezra Klein.
- HHS’s new staff for its health reform team. As dedicated readers of our now 4-week old blog may know, we find it really interesting to track the changes in who is staffing health reform. And, HHS has obliged, recently announcing several new appointments to its Office of Health Reform.
- The health care industry’s commitment to reducing health care cost growth. Last week, this would have appeared higher on the list, but its star is falling fast as more and more questions arise as to the importance and depth of the pledge by several major industry groups to reduce cost growth by 1.5 percent.
If anything, these resources not only show the importance of health care reform on the national stage, but just how serious the effort is that is taking place in Washington right now. So stay tuned, because from what has been seen so far on the health reform landscape, the whirlwind of activity is likely to grow into a category 4 hurricane before the legislative session is over. And, I may soon find that it actually was easier to handle three little ones than to navigate all that is going on with health reform.
