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WASHINGTON, DC - The House Energy and Commerce Committee today sent a bipartisan letter to 51 medical associations requesting feedback on how to improve the Medicare physician payment system. Congress passed five temporary "fixes" to prevent a major physician payment reduction in 2010, which would limit Medicare patients' access to care. Without further action, physicians will experience a 29 percent cut in 2012. The committee requested ideas be submitted before it convenes a hearing in early May.

"For too long, Congress has failed to address the outdated physician...

Last month, Seahawk Drilling declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced the sale of its assets to shallow-water driller Hercules Offshore. This devastating decision was the culmination of a long period in which we found our customers unable to secure permits for work in the Gulf of Mexico despite the fact that both our industry and our company have excellent safety records. In the 11 months after the Deepwater Horizon accident, it became clear that Seahawk's greatest rival was no longer our industry competitors but the U.S. government.

The...

As a former staffer in Ronald Reagan's White House, I fondly remember one of the president's best-known phrases: "It's morning again in America." It was inspirational and hopeful, suggesting the dawning of new opportunities and a better future for all.

Back then, his policies of lower taxes and disciplined spending created an environment for strong business investment and economic growth. Reagan's "morning" optimism helped build confidence that the next generation would have even better chances than their parents to succeed.

Today, however, Americans face gloomier mornings, ones filled...

Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz says the health overhaul law's employer requirements will impose "too great" a pressure on small businesses.

Schultz supported the law as he watched his company's health insurance tab -- $250 million as of last year -- surmount its coffee bill. But he told The Seattle Times in an interview published Tuesday that he's now worried about what happens when it takes full effect in 2014:

We have faced double-digit increases for almost five consecutive years with no end in sight.......... So,...