Week ahead: Republicans poke holes in healthcare law as Dems celebrate two-year anniversary

by Julian Pecquet - 03/19/12 10:50 AM ET

Republicans hope to use the two-year anniversary ― and the Supreme Court arguments the following week ― to keep blasting away at a law they hope will be a major liability for President Obama and congressional Democrats in November. To that end, the Republican National Committee and its allies in key battleground states are launching a nationwide advertising campaign over the next two weeks to highlight increased premiums, dropped coverage and new taxes since the law was passed.

The White House for its part is coordinating with healthcare reform advocates who will host hundreds of events this week in 32 states. Each day of the week will focus on different groups of people ― and potential voters ― who stand to benefit from the law: seniors on Monday, women on Tuesday, young adults and children on Wednesday, small businesses on Thursday and people with preexisting conditions on Friday.

{mosads}Republicans will also keep up the pressure on Capitol Hill.

On Tuesday, the House Education and the Workforce subcommittee on Workforce Protections will hold a hearing on regulations extending minimum wage and overtime rights to home healthcare workers.

Also Tuesday, the House Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies will grill National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins on Obama’s 2013 budget proposal, which flat-funds the NIH at $31.7 billion.

On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on the healthcare law’s second anniversary. Steve Larsen, the director of the Health and Human Services office tasked with putting in place the law’s insurance reforms, will testify.

The same day, the House Judiciary subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law will hold a hearing on Obama regulations.

And the Senate Finance subcommittee on Health Care will hold a hearing on how Medicare and Medicaid are coping with the challenge of prescription drug abuse.