Following the Republican victory in a key Senate by-election last month, Democrats face an emboldened Republican opposition to their health reform ideas. The key question is whether this new phase in the reform debate will produce significant insurance and provider reform legislation this year, or whether the stalled process will be largely abandoned.

 

BANKING ROUNDTABLE: ECONOMIC AND REGULATORY DEVELOPMENTS ADD TO AN ATMOSPHERE OF UNCERTAINTY, by Jayan U. Dhru The collapse of the global banking system seems to have been averted thanks largely to the many billions of dollars governments have spent to stabilize banks with capital, liquidity support, loan guarantees, and asset purchase programs. But the damage has been serious, the system remains fragile, and the global recession continues. How the issues facing the banking industry will play out in 2010 is far from clear. U.S. BANKS ARE BACK FROM THE BRINK, BUT PROFITS REMAIN ELUSIVE After nearly two years of high drama, the U.S. banking system appears in 2010 to be regaining its equilibrium. The worst may have passed--although impending regulatory

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