title: Implications of the new political realities on healthcare reform.
abstract: With the recent change in power in the US House of Representatives that will take effect in January, questions arise regarding potential modifications to some features in the healthcare reform bill and its implementation. With many provisions scheduled to take effect between 2011 and 2014, the political implications of the elections have an immediate practical relevance to health plans, employers, and other healthcare stakeholders. American Health & Drug Benefits discussed some of these issues with Dan Mendelson, who served in the Clinton administration between 1997 and 2000, when there was a similar division of party power between Congress and the administration.