Today's OpEds: New Republic and National Review on health law; Conservative bloggers blast CBO numbers

Scrutinizing The CBO Kaiser Health News Blog Watch
The shouting war over health reform's effect on the budget got a little louder today when the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Peter Orszag, pushed back at conservative bloggers who are saying federal officials were disingenuous about the real costs of the law (Kate Steadman, 6/2). 

Bills Sought By Big Pharma Could Spike Health Care Costs The Sacramento Bee
Drug companies already advertise to consumers and market their products to doctors in order to sell more of their highest cost products. If there are new laws that prevent health plans from offering low-cost generics that offer the same benefits as brand-name drugs, then premiums will rise even more (Patrick Johnston, 6/3).

Taxpayers Can't Sustain Generous Benefits For Education Employees The Detroit News
Teachers perform a valuable service. Good teachers are well worth their pay. But beleaguered taxpayers simply can't afford to provide cost-free health care for educators when their pay is being cut, their benefits are being slashed and the value of their homes is declining (6/3).

The Real Face Of Obamacare National Review
The [Dr. Donald] Berwick nomination is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate to the electorate again what will happen if Obamacare is allowed to run its course. Senate Republicans should not hesitate to seize it, and to defeat this nominee (6/3).

ObamaCare's Ever-Rising Price Tag The Wall Street Journal
The health-care concerns of millions of Americans will ripple through the electorate before November. When joined with other voter concerns on jobs, spending and deficits, these ripples are likely to create what analysts call a "wave" election, which will wash away effective Democratic control of Congress (Karl Rove, 6/3). 

Should Obama Have Done Climate Instead Of Health Care? The New Republic/NPR
I certainly agree that passing energy legislation would have been preferable to passing health care reform — delaying climate legislation carries irreversible costs in a way that delaying health care reform does not. But was energy legislation ever politically feasible? (Jonathan Chait, 6/1).

A Place Vets Can Call Home The Salisbury Post 
The VA estimates that more than 100,000 veterans are homeless on any given night, accounting for 20 percent or more of the nation's homeless population. ... More than simply a roof over their heads, these troubled veterans need a stable, supportive atmosphere with professional supervision  (6/3).