Summit Notebook
Exclusive outtakes from industry leaders
from Tales from the Trail:
This time, some Democrats are embracing “Obamacare”
Fierce opposition to President Barack Obama's healthcare bill helped propel Republicans to big victories in the 2010 mid-term elections, when they won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and cut into the Democratic majority in the Senate.
But this year, at least some Democrats are embracing the healthcare plan - touting their support for its popular provisions and attacking Republicans for opposing measures that polls show big majorities of Americans supporting.
North Dakota's former Democratic attorney general, Heidi Heitkamp, who is running for the Senate, responded to a wave of attack advertisements against her over the healthcare law by creating an emotional advertisement of her own relating her own recovery from breast cancer to her support for the law.
"Twelve years ago I beat breast cancer. When you live through that, political attack ads seem silly," she said in the advertisement, in which she speaks directly to the camera, wearing a soft blue jacket over a simple white top.
Washington divided, more trouble ahead for Obama?
Washington insiders say that not since the 1890′s have the people that represent the U.S. been so divided. From Gay rights to Afghanistan lawmakers are at polar opposites on issues that are on the Obama administration’s agenda. What’s next? And, what’s likely to get the green light or the stop sign?
What is WellPoint?
With 35 million members, WellPoint is the largest U.S. health insurer by enrollment. But the company realized it had finally arrived when it turned up in a quiz show question.
“Wellpoint was the answer to a Jeopardy question,” Chief Executive Angela Braly beamed, referring to the long-running television quiz show. “The question was, ‘what does WellPoint provide to 1 in 9 Americans?’ The answer is health insurance but the contestant said ‘life insurance’ which our life people are really excited about because we do sell life insurance but that was not the answer.”
Young minds, old bodies offer private equity opportunities
Healthcare and education offer a new frontier for Middle
East private equity firms as they take advantage of dramatic
demographic changes in the region.
At least that’s the view held by Dubai-based private equity
player Abraaj Capital.
