Frontline of Health Policy and Politics

By Ron Pollack Starting in 1965, when Medicare and Medicaid were enacted into law, our nation incrementally bent the arc toward the crowning achievement in health coverage justice: universal health insurance. That progress has been substantial – with enhancements in people gaining coverage occurring throughout the years thereafter, culminating in the historic Affordable Care Act (ACA). But we still have a long way to go. The adoption of Medicare and Medicaid, passed despite ardent opposition by the American Medical Association (with its negative advertising featuring then-actor Ronald Reagan), was a milestone achievement. Medicare was a huge leap forward in coverage for America Shortly before Medicare was adopted, half of America’s seniors did not have health insurance. Today, thanks to Medicare, virtually all seniors have health coverage. Over the years since 1965, Congress has significantly improved Medicare coverage. Among the numerous coverage improvements to the program:...

By Ron Pollack The demise of the GOP’s bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act was truly an extraordinary event! For the first time in many years, Republicans controlled all the decision-making levers of the legislative process: the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. They had crusaded for seven years to repeal and replace the ACA and, for an even longer period, were chomping at the bit to reorganize (aka cut funding from) the safety-net Medicaid program. These were unmistakable top priorities for the Republican leadership. Yet they failed. So why did this pernicious political crusade fail? And, now that this legislative effort appears to be history, where do we go from here? What happened to the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act? Many commentators ascribe the bill’s demise to splits within the Republican Party. While it was obvious that the right-hand simply couldn’t coordinate with the far-right-hand, there were other very significant dy...