They’re not done yet, and sometimes small bills can have a huge impact.

As the NY Times editorial points out today, there are still measures related to health reformat hat Congress is grappling with today. The House of Representatives voted last month to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board and to impose restrictions on medical malpractice awards.  Both of these are contentious issues, but at the heart of it, without introducing other policy to replace it, the House has 1) taken away Medicare’s ability to tamp down on Medicare spending (which was only to occur if the growth was above a targeted level and if Congress didn’t find alternative ways to save funds.)  The limits placed on malpractice are as too low by the author.

Whether one agrees or disagrees, it is an example of how challenging it is to come to viable solutions around tough issues in the current political environment. Read the article here and let us know what you think.