Monday, May 17, 2010

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Murkowski Blocks Increase in Oil Liability Caps Reid Seeks Cloture, GOP Not Finished Administration Defends Constitutionality of Health Care Reform Senate Advances Afghan War and Disaster Funding Measure
Murkowski Blocks Increase in Oil Liability Caps

Thursday, Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, objected to a bill on the Senate floor which would have increased liability caps on oil companies from $75 million to $10 billion. Murkowski argued that the measure would unfairly advantage big oil companies by forcing smaller companies out of the competitive market. Politico (5/13)

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Reid Seeks Cloture, GOP Not Finished

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has indicated that he may file for cloture on the financial regulatory reform bill as early as Monday. Many Senate Republicans feel that this would rush the otherwise open process that the bill has seen in recent days. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Conn., has expressed concern that continuing with an open-amendment process could put the bill at risk of failure.

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Administration Defends Constitutionality of Health Care Reform

In response to the threat of legal battles from multiple states, the Obama administration is standing by its claim that the recently-passed health care reform laws are constitutional. Some states are attempting to bypass the legislation by creating state constitutional amendments that would prohibit the federal mandate from being observed in the state.

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Senate Advances Afghan War and Disaster Funding Measure

Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee moved a $59 billion spending bill forward. The legislation contains $33.5 billion for the troop increase in Afghanistan and for military operations in Iraq, while the rest of the funding would go toward foreign aid, assistance to Haiti, and to U.S. states hit by natural disasters. The Hill (5/13)

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Newsflash

Latest News

Four More Amendments to S. 3217 (The ‘Dodd Bill’)

Four more amendments to Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd’s, D-Conn., financial regulatory reform bill, S. 3217, The Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010 are now available, as printed by the GPO in the Congressional Record (PDF).

COLLINS AMENDMENT SA 4042
STABENOW AMENDMENT SA 4045
LEAHY AMENDMENT SA 4046

LEAHY AMENDMENT SA 4047

Sebelius Writes Letter to Congressional Leadership Reporting on Health Care Overhaul Implementation

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has sent a letter to House and Senate leadership reporting on implementation of the recently passed health care reform bill. In her letter, Sebelius details adult child coverage, pre-existing conditions, the early retiree reinsurance program, the prohibition of insurance rescission, tax credits for small business, lower premiums, and closure of the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole.”

Letter (PDF)

Kagen Calls for Transparency from Health Care Industry

Congressman Steve Kagen, D-Wis., believes that the disclosure of health care costs from health care providers at all levels would help reduce consumer prices, and has introduced a bill to call for such transparency. Similar pieces of legislation have been brought forward by Congressmen Michael Burgess, R-Texas, and Joe Barton, R-Texas. The proposals are receiving mixed reactions from the health care industry.

Politico (5/11)

Feinstein, Schakowsky Still Want Board to Oversee Premium Increases

A provision that was intended to be in the recently-passed health care reform bill but  was removed for procedural reasons during the reconciliation process has come into the spotlight again, as Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., hope to bring it up for consideration as a separate bill. The bill would create a body within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to evaluate attempted increases in health insurance premiums and deny those considered to be “unreasonable.” The issue’s resurgence comes in part after a report from Health Care for America Now (HCAN) showed that the four largest insurance companies’ profits jumped 31 percent in the last year. However, some members of Congress are starting to feel “health care reform fatigue,” potentially decreasing the likelihood that lawmakers will take up any more health-related legislation this session.

CongressDaily (Subscription Required 5/14)
The Hill (5/14)

Advocacy Groups Make Funding Requests for FY2011

Wednesday, the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee heard from multiple health advocacy organizations looking for increased funding for FY2011. Many organizations sought more money for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa indicated that this was unlikely. Other requests included more funding for the National Diabetes Prevention Program, the National Health Service Corps, and a host of new programs enacted under recently-passed health care reform legislation.

CongressDaily (Subscription Required 5/13)

Medicare ‘Doc Fix’ Trips Up Extenders Bill

Next week, a package of tax break extensions and aid is slated to hit the Senate floor, but negotiations between the House and Senate are being stalemated by the contentious Medicare “doc fix,” which reimburses physicians for the cuts in Medicare funding. Up to $88.5 billion can be designated for the fix without being countered by spending cuts elsewhere, as per an exemption in the “pay-go” legislation passed in February. The $88.5 billion allowance will address the issue for approximately five years, but many lawmakers are looking for a permanent solution. The current extension expires June 1.

CongressDaily (Subscription Required 5/13)
The Hill (5/13)

Medical Loss Ratio: Some Insurers Drop Health Coverage, Others Game the System

Some smaller insurance providers are dropping their health care coverage in response to new rules that require 80 percent of premium revenue to be used toward “medical services.” Providers of large group health insurance plans are not likely to face the same issues in meeting their standard, but some have been accused of trying to work around the requirements, changing the definition of “medical services” without modifying their business practices. Smaller health insurance providers typically have higher overheard costs and use brokers, making it more difficult to meet the 80 percent target.

National Journal (Subscription Required 5/14)

Orszag Clarifies Increased CBO Numbers

A report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) indicating that newly-enacted health care reform laws would cost $115 billion more than planned drew heavy criticism from many opponents of the new laws. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Peter Orszag has addressed the criticism in his blog, explaining that the authorizations that made up the increased “costs” do not actually guarantee any new spending. According to Orszag, they represent only “expressions of what Congress would like to spend money on, not what it will spend money on,” and any authorizations would have to be complemented by Congressional appropriations.

The Hill (5/12)

Karzai Praises White House Visit

Thursday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed satisfaction with the outcome of his visit with President Obama at the White House, and with his four-day trip in Washington as a whole. Karzai stated that the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan will extend “beyond the military activity right now … into the future, long after we have retired, and perhaps into our grandsons’ and great-grandsons’ … generations.”

News Release

Military On Pace for Summer Drawdown from Iraq

Despite concerns about the possibility of creating a power vacuum, the U.S. military is still on track to reduce its troop numbers in Iraq to 50,000 by the end of summer. American commanders are paying close attention to the Iraqi government formation process, as the military is wary of a Shiite militia resurgence.

Washington Post (5/14)

 

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