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Obamacare News of the Day

Washington Post: The White House's Obamacare victory lap looking more like a false start

  • Democrats have been claiming a turning point in the battle over Obamacare for the better part of the last month. First came the news that 8 million people had signed up [yet again we do not have reliable data as to how many of these people are enrolled and paying premiums or how many of these sign-ups were previously uninsured] -- exceeding the law's goals -- and then came the Congressional Budget Office report that its cost estimates are decreasing.President Obama even took something of a victory lap, declaring the debate over his signature health-care law over.
  • When it comes to the American people, though, there has been basically zero rallying effect. And in fact, they still expect Obamacare to do significantly more harm than good -- in about the same proportions as before…The totality of the polling shows that the law is viewed in pretty much the same light as it was when it was plagued by Web site problems and cancellation notices. The sign-ups and the CBO report haven't fundamentally changed much of anything.
  • [RELATED] Weekly Standard: Obamacare the #1 Thing Americans Would Undo
    • If you could undo one thing that President Obama has done as president, what would it be?” The choices that the poll provided were “overregulation of the economy,” “high deficit spending,” “tax increases,” “the economic stimulus package,” and “Obamacare.” And the winner, by a wide margin, was Obamacare.
    • 7 percent of respondents listed the “economic stimulus” as the thing they’d most like to undo, 7 percent listed overregulation of the economy, 10 percent listed tax increases, 18 percent listed high deficit spending, and 32 percent listed Obamacare. In other words, more people listed Obamacare than any two other answers combined.
    • The poll’s respondents also said they thought Obamacare “should be repealed and replaced with a conservative alternative that aims to lower health costs and help people get insurance” (44 percent), rather than having Obamacare “remain the law of land, either in its current form or in amended form” (32 percent), or “repeal[ing it] but not replac[ing it] with an alternative” (16 percent).
  • [RELATED] National Journal: The Obamacare Debate Is Not Over, Mr. President On Obamacare, millions of Americans are signed up but not sold
    • Now the White House has to show that a massive new marketplace, overseen by a distrusted federal government, can shrink the pool of uninsured without enraging the majority of people who are relatively happy with their status quo. This is the hard part that Obama glossed over when he disingenuously promised voters that they could keep their doctor and insurance plans if they liked them. Rather than honestly explain the complicated law and ask for patience and shared sacrifice, the president dissembled. And now he pays.
    • The president risks insulting a vast majority of Americans by dismissing their concerns with a consultant's talking point. The debate is not over. It has just begun, and Obama can't afford any more blows to his credibility.

Politico: Sylvia Mathews Burwell: The Obamacare war that wasn't

  • The chamber will begin consideration next week of Sylvia Mathews Burwell’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency tasked with implementing the health care law. Initially, Republicans seemed poised to use the confirmation process to spur further attacks on Obamacare. But instead, more than a half-dozen GOP senators said in interviews that they are impressed with Burwell’s credentials. In the end, the only thing standing between Burwell and a new seat in President Barack Obama’s Cabinet might be two tough grillings in front of the cameras.
  • “She’s not the one to go after [over] the policy or ideological differences,” said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), another Finance Committee member. “She’s got to go in and try to run the place. I’m much more concerned that she’s up to snuff on [public health preparedness and the National Institutes of Health] — things where the secretary can have a real impact.”
  • Some Republicans will still oppose her nomination on Obamacare grounds or because of concerns that she doesn’t have enough of a health care background. Rep. Steve Scalise and four other Louisiana Republican House members are already calling on their state’s senators to put a “hold” on Burwell’s nomination over Obamacare that could delay the vote for a day or two.
  • “It’s going to be impossible for Republicans to misremember their votes on her OMB confirmation just a handful of months ago,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). “I don’t expect that this is going to be as big a fight as people originally predicted.” Still, Burwell’s GOP grilling is unlikely to be pleasant, even if her confirmation vote is not in doubt. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 4 in GOP leadership, said that Burwell will be “held accountable” for the health care regulations she’s developed at OMB.

Wall Street Journal: A Biotech Lesson for Big Pharma Mergers Never break up research teams that may be on the brink of a pioneering drug.

  • …At the same time, ObamaCare is creating uncertainty about how much programs like Medicare and Medicaid will pay for new medicines. For investors in biotech IPOs, this means that the "value creation stage"—when they put big valuations on new drug programs—is being pushed further out, often not until drugs reach the final stages of development.
  • The net effect? FDA requirements front-load the cost of developing drugs, making it more expensive to get under way, while uncertainty created by government payers makes it harder for companies to raise capital during the crucial early stages. This is a recipe for destroying the capital-markets model that created America's unrivaled biotech sector.
  • These trends couldn't come at a worse time, with big companies like Pfizer increasingly relying on biotechs to develop new drugs that they will eventually market. This allows them to focus on global distribution and regulatory filings, along with running the late stage clinical trials that require huge resources.
  • What should Big Pharma learn from all this? First, that the most successful mergers are those where companies buy thriving biotechs and let their research teams continue as independent, competitive units. When Roche bought Genentech, it kept the company's research and early development teams separate from the Roche organization allowing Genentech to maintain its unique and productive culture.

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