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Democrats smarting from this year’s midterm losses need to embrace their pro-government roots and refocus on coherent policies to help the middle class, Sen. Charles Schumer of New York said Tuesday, citing the 2010 federal health-care law as a political miscalculation. Mr. Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, suggested his party has veered from this focus to its detriment in recent years. (Crittenden, 11/25)

Democrats’ top message man Chuck Schumer criticized how his own party handled Obamacare’s political strategy on Tuesday, joining a list of prominent Democrats who’ve chastised their own party in recent days as they struggle to come to terms with a crushing defeat earlier this month. Schumer commented at an event in Washington that Democrats “blew the opportunity the American people gave them” by concentrating on health care during the teeth of the recession in 2009 and 2010, calling it a focus on “the wrong problem.” (Everett, 11/25)

Schumer, who voted for the health-care law and has championed it, suggested that he voiced similar concerns to colleagues back when the law was being crafted but was overruled by others who saw the moment as the best possible chance to reshape the nation's health-care system. "We should have done it. We just shouldn't have done it first," he said of what is considered by many Democrats to be President Obama's signature accomplishment. (Sullivan, 11/25)

Democrats addressed the “wrong problem” when they pushed health care instead of programs that would directly benefit the middle class, the Senate’s third-ranking Democrat said Tuesday. (Lightman, 11/25)

“Democrats must embrace government. It’s what we believe in, it’s what unites our party and, most importantly, it’s the only thing that’s going to get the middle class going again,” Schumer said Tuesday. “If we run away from government, downplay it, or act as if we are embarrassed by its role, people won’t vote for our pale version of the Republican view — they’ll vote for the real McCoy.” (Camia, 11/25)

Schumer said Democrats should have addressed issues aiding the middle class to build confidence among voters before turning to revamping the health-care system. He said he opposed the timing of the health-care vote and was overruled by other party members. (Hunter, 11/25)

In 2009, Americans were still reeling from the effects of the financial crisis, but, said Schumer, "about 85 percent of Americans were fine with their healthcare in 2009." ... He lamented that the tea party was able to use the President's focus on health care to make the argument that "this government is aimed at someone else and not you." (Cronkite, 11/25)

[L]oyal Obama aides and former staffers pushed back hard against Mr. Schumer on Tuesday — taking to Twitter to upbraid the veteran New York lawmaker for his comments. Former speechwriters Jon Lovett and Jon Favreau, along with former White House spokesman Tommy Vietor and current White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer all weighed in on the controversy via social media. Mr. Lovett devoted several tweets to defending the president, mincing no words and saying “a pretty good test for Democratic candidates is whether they view Schumer as someone to listen to or someone to tolerate.” (Tau and Andrews, 11/25)

HHS is hitting the malls this weekend to make sure that Obamacare is on the minds of consumers during the busiest shopping weekend of the year. ... On three key days after Thanksgiving — Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday — as well as dates beyond, Westfield Shopping Centers, the National Community Pharmacists Association and the XO Group will provide consumers with information about how they can sign up for coverage through the exchanges. (Pradhan, 11/26)

Consumers across most of America will see their health insurance premiums go up next year for popular plans under President Barack Obama's health care law. But it will take time for families to figure out the best bang for their budgets — even as a bigger political battle brews over the program's future. For many people, government subsidies will cushion the hit. And there's a new factor: Returning customers who are savvy about health insurance and prepared to shop for a better deal. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/25)

Many insurers are offering smaller networks of doctors in their Medicare Advantage and commercial health plans this year. But those networks may be even narrower than they seem, physicians and regulators say, because the lists often include names and addresses that are erroneous or out-of-date. In some cases, the doctors shown as participating in plans have moved, retired or died, surveys show. Others are listed under the wrong specialty, work in hospitals full-time and don’t see outpatients, or don’t accept the plan being offered. (Beck, 11/25)

It took 70 community groups working across 22 states in 41 languages to help 600,00 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) navigate the first open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act in 2014. This year, experts say many of the same issues persist, and language remains their biggest obstacle. (Kai-Hwa Wang, 11/25)

The Maryland Health Exchange has enrolled almost 26,000 people in public and private health insurance, officials said Tuesday, a little over a week since the site opened to consumers. More than 14,700 bought private plans and more than 11,000 were enrolled in Medicaid the federal-state health plan for the poor. (Cohn, 11/25)

The holiday season also means Open Season for federal workers, retirees and their families. ... They have until Dec. 8 to change their health, dental and vision insurance companies and flexible spending accounts. Next year, average premium rates for the 8.2 million people covered by the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program will increase about 3.8 percent. Dental coverage premium rates will go up an average of 1.7 percent and vision benefits an average of 1.5 percent. FEHB is the nation’s largest employer-sponsored health benefits program, according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). (Davidson, 11/25)

Big chain restaurants are on board: They pushed for a national standard to override a patchwork of state and local menu labeling rules. McDonald’s adopted its own nationwide labeling in 2012. But grocery store and convenience store chains, the likes of Whole Foods, Sheetz and 7-Eleven, are expected to put up a fight about slapping calories next to their kale salad, nachos and Big Gulps. Movie theaters and the alcohol industry are also expected to fiercely protest being included in the mandate. A year from now, the calorie counts will have to be posted on menus right next to food items ... The rules apply to chains if they have more than 20 locations. (Bottemiller Evich, 11/25)

America is about to find out how many calories are in their favorite dishes and snacks — and it could be a pretty big wake-up call. After years of delay, the FDA on Tuesday approved sweeping new rules that will mandate calorie counts at many places where Americans eat out — chain restaurants, movie theaters, pizza joints, vending machines and more. ... The big news is that the FDA rules are more comprehensive than expected, given the strong industry pushback since the menu labeling provision was included in the 2010 health-care law. (Millman, 11/25)

In a proposed rule issued late Friday, CMS wrote that if an insurer places “most or all” drugs for a specific condition on tiers with the greatest out-of-pocket spending requirements, “we believe that such plan designs effectively discriminate against, or discourage enrollment by, individuals who have those chronic conditions.” ... Carl Schmid, deputy executive director of the AIDS Institute, was pleased to see such language but said it will mean little if not enforced. (Pradhan, 11/25)

Many states are struggling to re-enroll adults and children in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, with hundreds of thousands of current beneficiaries at risk of losing coverage, advocates say. The enrollees who are at greatest risk are pregnant women, children and blind and disabled individuals who were enrolled in Medicaid prior to the effective date of two Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provisions—the 2014 expansion of coverage to all adults with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level, and the establishment of a new formula to define household income under the Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) standard. (Dickson, 11/25)

As employers try to minimize expenses under the health law, the Obama administration has warned them against paying high-cost workers to leave the company medical plan and buy coverage elsewhere. Such a move would unlawfully discriminate against employees based on their health status, three federal agencies said in a bulletin issued this month. (Hancock, 11/25)

For young people, turning 21 is generally a reason to celebrate reaching adulthood. If they’re insured through the federal health insurance marketplace that operates in about three dozen states, however, their birthday could mean a whopping 58 percent jump in their health insurance premium in 2015, according to an analysis by researchers at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The reason: They’re no longer considered children under the age-rating rules insurers use to set premiums. (Andrews, 11/25)

MIT professor Jonathan Gruber has agreed to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform after sparking outrage with his comments questioning the administration’s transparency and voters’ intelligence on the passage of Obamacare. (McCalmont, 11/25)

MIT economist and Obamacare consultant Jonathan Gruber -- most commonly now known for his comments regarding the "stupidity of the American voter" in helping to pass the President's signature health care law -- is coming to Congress. Gruber agreed Monday to testify before the House Government and Oversight Committee, the committee's spokeswoman Caitlin Carroll confirmed. (Diamond, 11/25)

Jonathan Gruber, the controversial MIT professor and ObamaCare architect caught on video calling the American people stupid multiple times, has agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee next month on the lack of transparency surrounding the Affordable Care Act. (11/25)

A panel of medical experts advising the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday decided not to recommend slapping the sternest federal warning on steroid injections for neck and back pain, allowing their use to continue relatively unchanged. Millions of Americans get such treatments annually. (Tavernise, 11/25)

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has rejected a request to delay the looming execution of a schizophrenic death row inmate. In a 5-4 decision handed down Tuesday, the court cited jurisdictional grounds in declining to stay Scott Louis Panetti’s execution, scheduled for December 3. Panetti’s attorneys argue he is too incompetent to be legally put to death. ... The 56-year-old’s mental health is deteriorating, his attorneys say. ... “Texas continues to pursue the execution of a man with an incurable, devastating mental illness that profoundly affected the crime, his trial and his death sentence,” [Kathryn Kase, Panetti’s attorney and executive director of Texas Defender Service] said in a statement. (Malewitz, 11/25)

Investigators with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are examining the death of a veteran in the emergency room of the Baltimore VA Medical Center early Saturday morning, officials said. The veteran was not identified. A spokeswoman for the Maryland VA Healthcare System said the man was acting suspiciously at the medical center and became agitated when questioned. The veteran's "physical state changed," spokeswoman Rosalia Scalia said in a statement. VA security officers took him to the emergency room, where he died. (Duncan, 11/25)

Federal regulators have cited a [Washington] state-run home for people with disabilities for a long list of violations, including strapping residents to chairs in front of TVs and forcing them to face a wall for hours at a time. It was the second time in less than a year that a surprise inspection led to citations at Lakeland Village Nursing Facility in Spokane County. (Mellisle, 11/25)

Joe Thompson, who has served as Arkansas' most high-profile health official for nearly a decade and was a key advocate for the state's compromise Medicaid expansion, won't be reappointed to the post next year, Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday. Hutchinson confirmed the decision shortly after Thompson said the incoming Republican governor had told him he wouldn't stay on in the job next year. Thompson had been appointed the state's chief health officer in 2005 by Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee. Two years later, he was named the state's first surgeon general by Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe. (DeMillo, 11/25)

Hospitals on Hawaii's Big Island face the need to make massive cuts to services if lawmakers don't approve more funding, an official with the public health care system said. The East Hawaii operations of Hawaii Health Systems Corp. are expecting a $29 million revenue shortfall next year out of an annual budget of $160 million, said Dan Brinkman, East Hawaii interim CEO. (11/25)

A prominent Oregon economist says one of the counties hardest hit by the decline of the state’s forest industries should expect a “silver tsunami” of retirees as aging baby boomers flee California and, if predictions pan out, the Pacific Northwest becomes a refuge from potential impacts elsewhere of climate change. His advice to Douglas County leaders is to make it a priority to make sure those retirees get their health care locally rather than in Eugene or Portland, the Roseburg News-Review reported. (11/25)

Santiago B. Montoya, a 72-year-old Miami doctor, was the medical front man for a one-of-a-kind scam that raked in $25 million from Medicare for services provided to retired U.S. citizens living in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, authorities say. In total, a federal prosecutor said Tuesday, about 1,200 expatriates established fake Florida addresses to make the illegal claims from the taxpayer-funded program. The defendants are also accused of defrauding the parallel state Medicaid program for low-income people. Florida Healthcare Plus and its contractors deliberately misled the expatriates to exploit them in order to swindle Medicare, the indictment said. (Weaver, 11/25)

The settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the state means hundreds of Maine adults with autism and intellectual disabilities will receive housing and other support services through MaineCare. The settlement, completed Monday in Kennebec County Superior Court, was welcomed by Gerald Petruccelli, the Portland attorney for the plaintiffs. (Russell, 11/25)

Now that 28—soon probably 29—of the 60 Senate Democrats who voted for ObamaCare are out of office, one of the surviving believers is confessing a crisis of faith. New York Senator Chuck Schumer’s striking remarks on Tuesday suggest that the church of ObamaCare is losing congregants even in the front pews. Speaking at the National Press Club, the influential Senate leader identified the decline of middle-class incomes as the defining challenge of the age. Democrats can only win elections, Mr. Schumer said, as “the pro-government party”—and ObamaCare is undermining that larger political project. (11/25)

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) — a group of wealthy nations — has recently published new figures on government social spending. ... Direct government spending isn’t the only way that societies provide social services. They also channel payments through private companies, encouraged, regulated and subsidized by government. This is what the United States does, notably with employer-provided health insurance (which is subsidized by government by not counting employer contributions as taxable income) and tax-favored retirement savings accounts. ... The main message that Americans can take from this report is that we need a higher level of candor. (Robert Samuelson, 11/25)

Every November, I return to my annual task of making a decision about health insurance. I’ve been offering this benefit to my employees for more than 20 years, and some aspects are predictable (cost increases) while others are different every year (my choice of plans, the consequences of dropping coverage.) Last year, obviously, was my first look at the world of Affordable Care Act plans, and I ended up spending way too much time trying to figure out what to do. (Paul Downs, 11/25)

Scientific data from clinical trials provides the foundation of medical decision making, from a doctor’s prescription pad to sweeping public health policies. Public trust that the data is accurate and unbiased is the glue that binds our $3 trillion health care system. I worry that this trust, particularly when it comes to American men and their physicians and screening programs for prostate cancer, is now at risk. In 1970 I discovered the prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, which is now the most widely used tool in prostate screenings. But there has been a growing concern about whether the use of the PSA test has led to overdiagnosis and overtreatment, with millions of unnecessary surgeries, complications and deaths. (Richard J. Ablin, 11/25)

Republicans who want a new director have disparaged some of the reports the agency issued during Elmendorf's term -- particularly its positive findings about President Barack Obama's stimulus spending and his health-care law -- and criticized the organization for not embracing "dynamic scoring." They think that when estimating how tax cuts or tax reform would affect federal revenue, for example, the CBO should take into account the possibility that the policy change would cause the economy to grow faster. (Ramesh Ponnuru, 11/25).