Enacting a safeguard against congressional inaction sufficiently unpalatable that it spurs compromise and bipartisan action? This rationale backing the sequestration agreement is similar to one supporting the creation of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), the 15-member panel created by the Affordable Care Act and tasked with controlling Medicare spending....

Written in partnership with Mary Grealy, President, Healthcare Leadership Council

Are employee wellness programs good investments for employers?

The intuitive answer to that program would be a strong yes. Logic would say that keeping workforces healthy accomplishes two significant goals -- strengthening productivity by reducing absenteeism and containing the rise...

Even though it is universally acknowledged that health care spending increases are unsustainable, the current slash and burn strategies when it comes to health care threaten to do a lot of harm. This approach, behind proposed health-related budget cuts that emerge in virtually every deficit reduction plan from sequestration to...

As I've closely watched the back-and-forth negotiations over how to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff, I've been struck that the discussions are missing a key element. When Democrats and Republicans debate over how best to "cut" the Medicare benefit, we're not hearing nearly enough about the impact these potential cuts...

Now that the campaign smoke has cleared, we can expect a refocusing of the nation's arguments from the question of who will get elected to what will be done about hot-button issues like health care. Expect pitched debates to begin imminently on battlegrounds including, but certainly not limited to, Medicare...

There is universal agreement that we need to find ways to restrain health care costs in order to make our system affordable for governments, consumers and employers and achieve long-term sustainability. In searching for solutions, it is critically important that we recognize the difference between genuine cost containment and what...

With many Republicans forecasting the end of Medicare for those under 55 and few members of my own Democratic Party willing to propose sweeping reforms to preserve it, several Washington insiders speculate that serious Medicare reform will remain a third rail of American politics.

Yet based on my experience, common...

While there are many opinions about our nation's health care system (particularly in Washington), there's one overwhelming area of consensus -- the United States leads the world in medical innovation.

In addition to the best and brightest practicing medicine and state-of-art medical facilities, we have benefited from having the...

As lawmakers prepare for a new congressional session, attention is once again falling on whether and how to fix the recently-passed health reform law. Beginning in January, all eyes will be on Congress to see what changes, if any, are made and what lasting impact this could have on the...

If President Obama's deficit commission wants to move America in the right budgetary direction, it needs to take a hard and careful look at the nation's ever-rising medical costs. But when it does this, what's officially called the "National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform" must also focus on how...

On November 2nd, voters will head to the polls in what has arguably been the most contentious midterm election campaign in more than a decade. Despite reluctance on the part of some Democrats to campaign on health-related issues, one area presents a fresh window of fiscal and political opportunity to...

"Always do right.
This will gratify some people, and astound the rest."
-Mark Twain

With Election Day fast approaching there is more and more noise on the campaign trail that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act should be repealed or tweaked in some way, but little...

If Congress wishes to control costs in health care, they must put the obesity epidemic at the top of the agenda.

Why? Because as much of a problem as obesity is today -- believe it or not, it is going to get worse -- and we will all be paying...

In the midst of the current Washington-centric debate on health care, the public feels its voice is not being heard - and that Congressional leaders need to be reminded about what they want from reform.

That's why Pavel Chec, a registered nurse from Minneapolis, MN, and more...

Co-written with Lydia Ogden

Two recent newspaper pieces on prevention by Carla Johnson (Associated Press) and David Harsanyi (Denver Post) repeat some long-standing misperceptions about prevention. Because prevention is central to health reform, it's time to set the record straight.

Both the articles suffer from baby-with-bathwater syndrome,...

In an editorial yesterday, the Wall Street Journal argued that if the United States can implement policies that reduce the demand for -- and consumption of -- health care, we can reduce costs.

I don't disagree that reducing the demand for care would help to control costs; however,...

As discussion continues on the President's budget and whether the nation can afford to take on health care reform, a number of experts -- and two of the nation's leading newspapers -- have suggested that we look to Massachusetts as the nation's test case. These critics point to the cost...

President Barack Obama will unveil his budget tomorrow, and many are anxiously anticipating what this will mean for health care, as all signs, including his speech to the nation last night, show he is ready to move forward with health reform.

Indeed, the budget is a critical factor because it...