memeorandum: A Health Care Fix (New York Times)

10:00 AM ET, November 15, 2013

Top Items:

Ronald Brownstein / NationalJournal.com:

Obamacare's Problems Could Haunt Democrats for Years — The party's strategists thought the program would show white voters that government programs can help them. It's not going so well. — President Obama's health care law is now compounding a political problem it was meant to solve …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, ABC News and ABC News

New York Times:

A Health Care Fix — President Obama has come up with a modest fix for a self-inflicted political wound: his repeated — and wrong — assertions that Americans would be able to keep their health insurance plans if they wanted to under the health care reform law.

Discussion: Politico, USA Today, Daily Kos, NBCNews, Washington Post, Wonkblog, Crooks and Liars and JustOneMinute

Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:

Why liberals are panicked about Obamacare — “Even if it takes a change to the law, the president should honor the commitment the federal government made to those people and let them keep what they got.” — Bill Clinton, Nov. 12 — So the former president asserts …

Discussion: National Review, Betsy's Page, Weasel Zippers, The Fix, Politico, Ed Driscoll, Liberal Values and Towleroad News #gay

Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:

The President's ObamaCare Backpedal — His proposal to allow people to keep their health plans will not provide a political escape hatch for beleaguered congressional Democrats. — Succumbing to the growing panic over his health law, the president on Thursday moved to throw his party a political lifeline.

Discussion: Politico

Sarah Kliff / Wonkblog:

Insurers are furious about the White House's new Obamacare plan — Health insurance plans are not pulling any punches when it comes to their frustration with today's White House announcement. This is a statement that Karen Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans, just put out:

Discussion: Firedoglake, New York Times, Guardian, The Week, The Heritage Foundation, Business Insider, Connecting.the.Dots, PERRspectives, Hot Air, No More Mister Nice Blog and Wall Street Journal

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:

Health Law Rollout's Stumbles Draw Parallels to Bush's Hurricane Response — WASHINGTON — Barack Obama won the presidency by exploiting a political environment that devoured George W. Bush in a second term plagued by sinking credibility, failed legislative battles, fractured world relations and revolts inside his own party.

Discussion: NBCNews, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Mediaite, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Free Beacon, Althouse, Hot Air, CNN and Weekly Standard

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

To pass health plan, Obama and Dems kept mum about its downsides — BARACK OBAMA OBAMACARE HARRY REID NANCY PELOSI — The journalist Jonathan Cohn, an ardent supporter of Obamacare, recently wrote in The New Republic that problems with the rollout of the Affordable Care Act should be …

Discussion: National Review, Weekly Standard and Weasel Zippers

Jennifer Haberkorn / Politico:

Insurance chiefs called to White House for meeting — Several insurance company CEOs have been called to a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House Friday afternoon, POLITICO has learned. — The meeting comes one day after the White House announced a plan to allow insurers …

Discussion: Weekly Standard

Reid J. Epstein / Politico:
Liberals to President Obama: Keep it together

Discussion: The Week and Weasel Zippers

Todd S. Purdum / Politico:
The Obamacare fumble — It's the cardinal rule of marketing …

Discussion: USA Today and The Dish

Leigh Ann Caldwell / CNN:
Obama digging out of a deep hole

Discussion: NewsBusters, The Raw Story, BizPac Review and Politico

Dan Friedman / NY Daily News:
Obama admits fumbled health care rollout is ‘on me,’ says his administration will have to earn back credibility

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and NBCNews

New York Times:
Obama Moves to Avert Cancellation of Insurance

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Religion News Service, NBCNews, Close Read, Real Clear Politics, Outside the Beltway, Ed Driscoll, AEIdeas, National Review, Hit & Run, Balloon Juice and The Other McCain

Elise Viebeck / The Hill:

Regulators ‘unclear’ on O-Care fix plan — President Obama's proposed fix for ObamaCare may not work in practice, according to state insurance regulators who would help implement the policy. — The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) suggested Thursday that the plan …

Discussion: Politico

David Espo / ABC News:

House GOP Getting Its Say on Cancellations — First, President Barack Obama had his say on reversing millions of insurance cancellations issued under the health care program known by his name. Now House Republicans are taking their turn. — Neither maneuver is likely to be the last …

Discussion: Politico

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Health vote puts Dems in pickle — The House will vote Friday on a GOP bill allowing insurance companies to continue offering consumers their existing, limited plans under President Obama's healthcare law. — Republican leaders hope the bill, which is expected to pass easily on a largely partisan vote …

Discussion: Washington Post and Roll Call

Sarah Kliff / Wonkblog:
The backlash to the Obamacare fix has already started

Discussion: The Daily Beast, White House.gov Blog, Washington Post, The Incidental Economist, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Hit & Run and Washington Wire

Jon Passantino / BuzzFeed:
Obama Vows To Veto “Keep Your Health Plan” Bill

Discussion: Fox News, Red Alert Politics and National Review

Justin Sink / The Hill:
White House threatens veto of Upton bill

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, American Thinker, The Fix, CNN, Politico, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo and Little Green Footballs

Kelly Kennedy / USA Today:
Medicaid enrollment is health law's bright spot

Discussion: First Read

KOMO News:
State rebuts Obama plan to allow old health insurance policies

Discussion: The Plum Line, The Lonely Conservative, Hot Air, The Federalist, Mediaite, Conservative Intelligence …, Weasel Zippers, The PJ Tatler and National Review

Brian Beutler / Salon:
The president strikes back: Insurance companies get their justified comeuppance

Discussion: BuzzFeed, National Review, The Impolitic, The Mahablog, The Week, The New Republic, Washington Monthly and Wonkblog

Sarah Kliff / Wonkblog:
The White House's Obamacare fix is about to create a big mess

Discussion: Washington Post, Post Politics, The Volokh Conspiracy, The Plum Line, The Incidental Economist, Bloomberg, Hot Air and The Dish

Emma Dumain / Roll Call:
Pelosi Backing ‘If You Like It’ Obamacare Fix (Updated)

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and National Review

Evan Perez / CNN:

Source: CIA using Patriot Act to collect money transfer data — Washington (CNN) — The CIA is collecting bulk records on international money transfers, using the same Patriot Act legal authority that has become the center of controversy in U.S. surveillance programs, a source told CNN.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Hinterland Gazette

New York Times:
C.I.A. Collecting Data on International Money Transfers, Officials Say

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Gawker, Guardian, TechCrunch and Prairie Weather

Richard Spencer / Telegraph:

Al-Qaeda-linked rebels apologise after cutting off head of wrong person — Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham militants say sorry for decapitating a fellow extremist rather than enemy — Militant Islamist rebels in Syria linked to al-Qaeda have asked for “understanding and forgiveness” …

Discussion: “The Lid”, BBC, The Lonely Conservative, Liberaland, Right Wing News, Weasel Zippers, Jihad Watch and Gawker

David / Crooks and Liars:

Watch: Forum Audience Laughs at Ted Cruz for Claiming He 'Didn't Want a Shutdown' — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) faced howls of laughter from an audience in Washington, D.C. on Thursday when he claimed that he “didn't want a shutdown” over President Barack Obama's health care reform law.

Discussion: Mediaite

Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:

Obama on the Ropes — When in trouble, presidents have ways to escape the hubbub, deflect attention from what's causing the problem, and wait for the whole thing to pass. In 1974, as Watergate was engulfing his presidency, President Nixon traveled to Egypt. A million people lined the roads to see him.