Mark Lutes, a Member of the Firm in the Health Care and Life Sciences practice, in the Washington, DC, office, was quoted in an article titled "PPACA Not Out of Danger in Upcoming Negotiations."
Following is an excerpt:
While the PPACA cleared two significant hurdles this year—the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the law and the Presidential election—Lutes said there are more bumps in the road ahead.
"After those [hurdles], many thought it would be smooth sailing—the land of milk and honey for healthcare reform," said Lutes. "It will probably come as a rude shock to health reform supporters that portions of the ACA may not be out of the woods yet. There may not be a legislative majority for appeal, but issues could still arise because key elements of the ACA's axis could be a tempting target during deficit reduction discussions." ?...
"The day after the election, [House] Speaker [John] Boehner [R-OH] fired the starting gun on this race ... saying he was ready to work with the President to resolve the fiscal cliff but that 'real change to the structure of entitlement programs' needs to be a part of the solution, along with spending cuts and revenue increases from tax reform," said Lutes. ?...
Lutes noted, however, that the President seems to be sending signals to Republicans that he's "open to compromise and open to new ideas," as long as the approach is balanced.
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