Health law supporters press Obama administration

Advocates of the law seek a change to the subsidy provision and some fear that the administration is too eager to compromise with business.

The Hill: Advocates Press Administration To Fix Insurance Subsidy Regulations
The Obama administration is under increasing pressure from its healthcare reform allies to fix a glitch in the law that could leave millions of families without access to affordable coverage. The law, as The Hill first reported in July, would preclude some workers' families from getting subsidies in new state health insurance exchanges if they turned down employer-sponsored family coverage that might be unaffordable (Pecquet, 9/6).

Kaiser Health News: Sweating The Details: Health Reform Supporters Fret Over HHS Rules
[Consumer and patient advocates]  point to a long-sought provision in the law that entitles patients to an external review if an insurer won't pay for a medical service, but charge that recent regulations limit its effectiveness. One of their biggest gripes? It allows insurers to choose their own 'external' reviewers. ... Erin Shields, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the administration is balancing multiple interests as it implements the law (Carey and Serafini, 9/7).

Also, the individual mandate is getting some attention as both backers and opponents wait for likely Supreme Court review of the law.

Kaiser Health News: Back-Up Plans For The Individual Mandate?
What happens if the health law's individual mandate -- the provision that requires almost all Americans to obtain health insurance or face a penalty -- is overturned by the Supreme Court? ... Kaiser Health News asked a group of experts what they view as the most workable or effective ideas in the mix (Stapleton, 9/6).

Politico Pro: Becerra: Health Reform Has Created Jobs
One of the Democratic members of the deficit supercommittee chided Republican critics of the health care law Tuesday, saying the hard-fought reform package has helped buoy employment across the nation, not hinder it. "The facts are, health care today is creating jobs," said Rep. Xavier Becerra, vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus. ... In August, the health care sector added 30,000 jobs at a time when most other industries shed positions (Dobias, 9/6).