Word from the White House: Controlling Costs for Families, Small Businesses, and the Government

It's no secret that institutions of all stripes focus their communications on certain messages day to day. We thought it would all be a little more open and transparent if we went ahead and published what our focus will be for the day, along with any related articles, documents, or reports. 

Supporting blog post: "Bending the Curve in More Ways Than One," OMB Blog, OMB Director Peter Orszag, 10/13/09

Talking Points: Controlling Costs for Families, Small Businesses, and the Government

• From the beginning of this process, President Obama has been clear that health insurance reform must not only provide security and stability for Americans with insurance and affordable options for uninsured Americans, but also slow the unsustainable cost growth that is burdening families, threatening businesses' viability, and exploding our national deficit.
• Fortunately, the House and Senate versions of reform share a variety of measures that will reduce the rapid growth in health care costs while also providing Americans with higher quality care including:
  • Changing the way we handle hospitalizations, to prevent mistakes and to prevent unnecessary readmissions.
  • Creating incentives in the payment system to reward quality of care rather than just the quantity of procedures.
  • Giving physicians incentives to collaborate in the coordination of patient care.
  • Investing in research into what works and what doesn't in health care.
  • Reducing hospital-acquired infections and other avoidable health-center acquired conditions through rigorous reporting and transparency.
  • Putting prevention first, rewarding care that focuses on wellness and treating the whole patient in an integrated and coordinated delivery system.
  • Tackling the insurance bureaucracy, streamlining the payment system to save time and money that is now spent processing claims and navigating through the byzantine insurance system.
  • Establishing a health insurance exchange with a public insurance option, where individuals and small businesses can buy lower-cost insurance that will spur competition and put downward pressure on costs.
     
• These measures build upon the significant down payment we already made in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to begin switching from paper records to computerized records; to strengthen preventive care; to invest in patient-centered health research; and to build up the workforce of primary care providers.
• And there are also ideas that will further control cost growth that have been proposed and are being looked at as the legislative process continues, such as:
  • A fee on insurance companies offering high-premium plans — which would create a strong incentive for more efficient plans that would help reduce the growth of premiums.
  • Establishing a Medicare commission — which would develop and submit proposals to Congress aimed at extending the solvency of Medicare, slowing Medicare cost growth, and improving the quality of care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries.

Welcome to the White House Partnerships Blog

Friends,

It’s my pleasure to welcome you to the Partnerships blog, the blog of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships!

President Obama established the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships to connect the Federal government to local nonprofit organizations and community leaders – both faith-based and secular – that are serving individuals, families and communities in need.  We form partnerships between government and nonprofits on a range of issues, from public health to disaster response and everything in between, in order to better serve all Americans.

This blog will highlight the work of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, along with the activity at Centers for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships that we coordinate at several Federal agencies. 

But we don't just want to focus on what government is doing.  We also want to highlight the efforts of local nonprofits in communities across the country.  So we’ll be spotlighting local organizations and leaders that are meeting community needs, in order to learn from their great work.

In the coming days, you can expect this blog to:

• Provide more information about the day-to-day work of the White House Office and Centers at Federal agencies;
• Highlight the latest work of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships;
• Point nonprofits to federal resources that can help them implement effective programs; and
• Spotlight innovative local organizations that are strengthening our communities

I’m looking forward to using this blog to communicate important information to local organizations and community leaders.

And I’m even more excited about working with you to make an impact on our communities together, as the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships implements this important element of President Obama’s vision for our country.

Warmly,
Joshua DuBois

Joshua DuBois is the Director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships

A Washington that is More Reflective of All of America

Just a quick post to report on a meeting today with a group of lobbyists and others who currently chair Industry Trade Advisory Committees (ITACs). The group had objected to the Administration's new policies barring the appointment (and reappointment) of federally registered lobbyists to agency boards and commissions. Although we have previously addressed their views here and here, we feel it important to meet with those with whom we disagree to discuss their concerns face to face. Much of the discussion focused on the arguments offered in the letter the group sent us (pdf) and our response letter (pdf). Click here (pdf) for the list of attendees.

We explained to the ITAC chairs that this issue is not about the few corrupt lobbyists or specific abuses by the profession, but rather concerns the system as a whole. For too long, lobbyists and those who can afford their services have held disproportionate influence over national policy making. The purpose of the President’s agenda to change the way business is done in Washington is to level the playing field to make sure that all Americans and not just those with access to money or power are able to have their voices heard and their concerns addressed by Washington.

We explained that in deciding to limit the ability of lobbyists to serve in government positions, including as members of agency advisory boards and commissions, we considered various arguments and counterarguments. We weighed the options, and considered the alternatives. In the end, we decided that while lobbyists have a right to petition the government, it would best serve the interests of a fairer and more representative democracy if we limited their ability to do so from special positions of privileged access within the government.

The result will be a Washington that is more reflective of all of America. We have already begun the process of recruiting new voices to advise the government through these agency boards. We believe small- and medium-sized business owners will be excited by the opportunity to help serve their country and advocate for their interests.

To make it even easier for those with valuable insight and expertise to offer to join this process from outside the Beltway, the Administration is working to develop tools to utilize internet technologies to make federal advisory committee proceedings accessible online. For example, the most recent meeting of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) was watched online by 5000 people. This Administration is committed to seeking out those voices and bringing the change they represent into the decision making process in Washington.

We explained this to the ITAC chairs and asked for their help in reaching out to broaden and diversify these boards and commissions. We informed them that while we will always seek ways to improve good policies, we do not intend to rescind this decision. The ITAC chairs, although expressing their disagreement, are willing to assist in finding qualified replacements and we thank them for their commitment to working together to make the system work better for everyone.

Finally, we also replied to a letter from the American League of Lobbyists on this subject today-ALL's letter is here (pdf) and our reply is here (pdf).

Norm Eisen is special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform

Wounded Warriors at the White House

The President hosted a remarkable group of wounded veterans a few weeks ago on the White House basketbal court. These "Wounded Warriors" from Walter Reed Army Medical Center showed President Obama a thing or two about wheelchair basketball. Check out the impressive moves that can be performed on four wheels: