Childhood Obesity Cut 40% In Decade. Accumulating Obamacare Successes

The Symbol of Success

... or all the success that could be hoped for facing the most ferocious Republican opposition in American history.

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Pax on both houses: American Conservatives And Oppositional Defiant Disorder

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U.S. childhood obesity rates fall 40 percent in a decade. "The prevalence of obesity among children ages 2 to 5 declined to 8.4% in the years 2011-2012 from 13.9% in 2003-2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate also dropped among children ages 6 to 11, though less significantly, to 17.7% from 18.8% over the same period. While the precise reasons for the decline among 2- to 5-year-olds aren't known, many child-care centers are offering more healthful food and more exercise, the CDC said in a statement. The CDC also cited a decline in the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages by young people and said an increase in breast-feeding rates also might play a role." Betsy McKay in The Wall Street Journal.

First Lady announces after-school initiative. "Michelle Obama on Tuesday introduced a broad, five-year initiative to make after-school programs a healthier, more active environment for millions of children, saying the changes would also help the children's performance during the other hours of the day. In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the first lady announced a commitment by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the National Recreation and Park Association to provide children with healthy snacks including fruits and vegetables and opportunities for at least 30 minutes of physical activity." Emmarie Huetteman in The New York Times.

New regs would outlaw junk food ads in schools. "The Obama administration proposed Tuesday to ban advertisements for unhealthy food in the country's schools, targeting a $150 million per year industry that is nonetheless backing the plan. Draft regulations unveiled Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture reflect the latest phase of first lady Michelle Obama's campaign to combat a national childhood obesity crisis. The rule proposed Tuesday would prohibit ads at schools on everything from vending machines to scoreboards for any food that can't be sold on campuses. The action follows the development of new school nutritional standards that are set to take effect in July." Ben Goad and Justin Sink in The Hill.

HHS official found White House 'disarray' months before health law rollout. "A senior Health and Human Services official was so frustrated last May over the White House's "disarray" on health care before the launch of Obamacare insurance exchanges that he warned of needing a "come to Jesus meeting" with his counterparts. The comment from Anton Gunn, then-HHS director of external affairs, came in an email exchange with Anne Filipic, the president of the outside group Enroll America, a nonprofit with close ties to the White House that was formed to promote the fall Obamacare rollout and boost enrollment -- an effort the two were working on closely." Susan Crabtree in The Washington Examiner.

4 million sign up for Obamacare. "Approximately 4 million people have purchased insurance through the ObamaCare exchanges, President Obama told volunteers at an Organizing for Action summit in Washington on Tuesday. "We now have more than 4 million Americans who have signed up for quality, affordably health insurance," Obama said. "Four million. That's on top of the 3 million young people who have been able to get covered staying on their parents plan... you've already made sure people all across America are getting better coverage." The announcement, which came with just five weeks left in the early enrollment period, means some 700,000 have enrolled in ObamaCare so far in February." Justin Sink in The Hill.

Republican Obamacare-fix bill backfires. "A Republican-led bill designed to "save American workers" would cause 1 million workers to lose their health care coverage and increase the deficit by $74 billion, according to Congress' official scorekeeper. The legislation, offered by Rep. Todd Young (R-IN) and 208 co-sponsors as a tweak to Obamacare, would change the definition of a full-time work week under the health care law from 30 hours per week to 40 hours. The aim was to mitigate the effect of the law's employer mandate, which says businesses with 50 or more workers must offer insurance to full-time employees. An analysis of the bill, released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation, found that it would cause 1 million people to lose their employer-based insurance coverage." Sahil Kapur in Talking Points Memo.