The Medicare question

Even though the House is out next week, the diligent chairman of the Education and Workforce Health subcommittee is holding a field hearing Tuesday in Evansville, Ind., on the healthcare reform law’s “consequences for Indiana Families and Workers.” Committee member Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) is scheduled to attend.

On Wednesday, the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee holds an executive session to consider an array of bills and nominations. On the table is the Commercial Seafood Consumer Act, which would require the secretary of Commerce to beef up oversight of seafood safety and quality standards.

And on Thursday, the Senate HELP Committee’s Children and Families panel holds a hearing titled: “Getting the Most Bang for the Buck: Quality Early Education and Care.”

On the healthcare reform challenge front, Atlanta’s 11th Circuit Court of Appeals takes what’s arguably the most significant step so far when it hears arguments Wednesday in the 26-state challenge to the law. The three-judge panel is split ideologically, and includes one judge appointed by George H.W. Bush and two Bill Clinton appointees, one of whom is a Republican.

Off Capitol Hill, the Urban Institute on Tuesday hosts a “checkup” on “kids, coverage challenges and quality care.” Topics include the effects of the healthcare reform law and the GOP’s proposal to block-grant Medicaid.

And on Friday, the Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation co-moderate a discussion on “Preventing Chronic Disease.”