From Politico Pulse:

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The administration is moving quickly to spread the word on these benefits and is even accelerating implementation of some as POLITICO's Jennifer Haberkorn reports Tuesday: 'The White House is expected to announce Tuesday a program to help employers provide insurance to early retirees, one of the first pieces of President Obama's health care overhaul plan to be implemented. The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program would grant funding to employers if they insure recently retired people who do not yet qualify for Medicare. The Department of Health and Human Services has $5 billion to distribute to employers who apply. The federal health care overhaul plan requires that the program be implemented by June 21, but HHS plans to have it up and running by June 1, according to a White House official. 

... The program is designed to help stem a common gap in coverage for people who retire young. They leave work and then have trouble finding low-priced coverage in the individual market until they quality for Medicare at 65.'

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This is good news, hopefully on both policy and politics fronts. After the insanely divisive and ignorant tactics used by Republican/Tea Party opponents to paint healthcare reform as some Nazi death camp takeover of the innocent and just private insurance business, having a provision that's actually in the bill kick in before the november elections should be a good thing

In related news, Americans have an improving view of the economy which may be through the worst of the horror:  http://j.mp/aSVFk6

That's not to say it's all good -- it isn't -- but both of these trends could ease the actual pain faced by the country and the electoral pain sure to face the Democrats this fall. 

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