Overwhelmed by the health debate? Can't keep track of the SHOP and the MACPAC?

Take a deep breath. It really isn't all that complicated. With Senate about to pass its version of health reform, Congress is beginning its stretch run toward final approval. When a consensus bill appears in...

The Happy Act is going viral. Be very afraid. This bill, introduced last August by Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), would allow people to deduct up to $3,500 from their taxes to subsidize the cost of pet care. This is not a joke.

As irresponsible as this bill is,...

For the poor and frail elderly -- among the most vulnerable in the nation -- the headlines are terrifying: "Seniors May Lose In-Home Care Aid," "Budget Cuts Threaten Elderly," "Cuts in Budget Shut Out Seniors." From California to Massachusetts, cash-strapped states are slashing Medicaid and other assistance for seniors who...

In a remarkable document, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has declared the GOP firmly against efforts to control Medicare spending.

In a carefully parsed op-ed column in the Washington Post, Steele did acknowledge that "Medicare will go deep in the red in less than a decade" and that...

I finally understand why we are not going to get serious health reform. It will be defeated by our very love of "liberty and the pursuit of happiness" that is embodied in our founding document, the Declaration of Independence.

I finally figured it out thanks to Bill Galston, a former...

Note to critics of the public plan option for health insurance: This debate is over. You lost. In 2007, more than 45 percent of all medical costs in the U.S. were paid by government, vastly more than the one-third funded by private insurance.

The role of...

Covering the uninsured may turn out to be the easy part. Paying for it will be the real challenge.

The numbers don't lie. The health reform plan President Obama laid out on the campaign stump would cost as much as $1.6 trillion over 10 years, according to my colleagues...