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The Anatomy of Obamacare (What’s Not to Like?) The Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare” or ACA) has been widely discussed and debated, but remains widely misunderstood. Many core provisions of the law are viewed favorably by the public, except the individual mandate — the most critical piece, without which the plan cannot survive. This recent infographic examines the anatomy of this phenomena and asks why 66% of the public views the individual mandate unfavorably when it will affect less than 6%.

The Anatomy of Obamacare (What’s Not to Like?)

The Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare” or ACA) has been widely discussed and debated, but remains widely misunderstood. Many core provisions of the law are viewed favorably by the public, except the individual mandate — the most critical piece, without which the plan cannot survive.

This recent infographic examines the anatomy of this phenomena and asks why 66% of the public views the individual mandate unfavorably when it will affect less than 6%.

What Now? How to Respond to the SCOTUS Decision on Health Care Reform

When the gavel bangs down this month and the Supreme Court issues their decision on health care reform, there will be a split second before the tsunami of reaction. Everyone will collectively be thinking… what now?

In this memo, Third Way’s Senior Fellow for Health and Fiscal Policy, David Kendall, offers advice to supporters of the landmark Affordable Care Act about reacting to the decision under three scenarios: a favorable ruling upholding the law, an unfavorable ruling striking down much of it, and a ruling striking down the individual mandate only.

No matter how the court rules, we argue that supporters of the Affordable Care Act must use this moment to go to back to basics and explain to people what they are getting in this bill—or what they are losing.

Cut Medical Mistakes in Half by 2017 to Save Lives and Money

By David B. Kendall

Malpractice liability plays only a limited and inconsistent role in doing what it should: giving doctors an incentive to practice safely.

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Medical mistakes are dangerous, costly, and often hidden until it’s too late. Patients do their best not to think about them, because of their need to trust in their doctors. Who wants to study a surgeon’s error rates right before going under the knife? For their part, doctors don’t like to admit they erred, especially when they might get sued. But a culture that avoids confronting mistakes will only perpetuate them.

Medical leaders and patient groups have made some progress reducing one type of error: infections contracted in hospitals. Organizations like the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and medical schools like Johns Hopkins University have engaged and educated doctors and nurses about preventing these infections. Consumers Union and other patient groups have won enactment of legislation in 30 states to require hospitals to report how often their patients contract a preventable infection. Congress has provided funds for additional infection reporting in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As a result of all of this effort, infection rates are declining. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found declines of as much as 58 percent for various hospital infections over the last several years.

However, there remain a  vast number of safety problems in desperate need of improvement.

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