Health care reform news this week

Individual mandate gets axed. The 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the "individual mandate provision" of the health care law last Friday, ruling that the federal government "can't make 'em buy broccoli."  Forbes' blogger Avik Roy called the 207-page majority opinion penned by Clinton and George H.W. Bush appointees to be "the most rigorous and complete repudiation of the mandate ever written." While campaigning this week, Obama remained undeterred, expressing his confidence that the Supreme Court will uphold the law, though that didn't seem to dampen the Republicans' celebration of the appellate court's ruling. Even Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) had a good week, claiming that his "You lie!" outburst during a 2009 Obama address to a joint session of Congress was right on the money. Wilson claims that a recent grant of $28.8 million to community health care centers around the country will indeed aid illegal immigrants. Politco reporter Matt DoBias asks, "What if the mandate goes?" and outlines several scenarios for what would happen if the Supreme Court upholds the appellate court ruling.

On cereal boxes and health plan summaries. HHS proposed new rules on Wednesday that will require insurers to offer 'clear and consistent' summaries of health plan costs and benefits. Bloomberg says the new regs will make the often dizzying process of comparing health plans not unlike shopping for cereal. America's Health Insurance Plans spokeman Robert Zirkelbach complained that the requirements would be burdensome for insurers, which "could be required to create tens of thousands of different versions of this new document." The new summary reporting requirements are set to take effect on March 23, 2012.