A Towering Economic To-Do List for Obama

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Under the privatization approach of the Bush White House, commercial insurers now provide coverage to about a quarter of the nation's 44 million Medicare enrollees -- at a cost to the Medicare program of about 15 percent more than when the government provides the benefits directly. With the threat of a Bush veto removed, Congress will now be looking to shrink or end those industry subsidies to save Medicare money, Mr. Laszewski said.

The president-elect and the Democratic Congress also are likely to give Medicare the power to directly negotiate with pharmaceutical companies -- a change that the Bush administration has resisted -- though the impact on prices would depend on the authority Congress grants.

Analysts also expect the Democrats to seek closer scrutiny of the drug industry through the Food and Drug Administration, an agency that has been stretched thin in recent years.

And many analysts expect Congress to take some steps to address the increasing cost of medical care. High on the list might be covering more children under the federally subsidized State Children's Health Insurance Program. Congress might also try some relatively inexpensive other changes, like pushing harder for the adoption of electronic health records or requiring hospitals and doctors to report publicly both the cost and the outcomes of their care, to enable patients to comparison-shop. -- REED ABELSON

TECHNOLOGY: To Shape Policy, a Cabinet Voice

Technology companies have long argued that they need the best and brightest engineers if they are going to compete in the global economy. President-elect Obama has endorsed the industry's call for raising the number of H-1B temporary work visas, which are available now to only 65,000 skilled foreign engineers each year. (The visas are all claimed within minutes.)

But even with a sympathetic ear in the White House, getting Congress to agree to more visas could present a major challenge given the probability that, in a recession, public sentiment will be heightened that foreigners are taking Americans' jobs.

In the meantime, the tech industry -- which has grown much more politically active in recent years -- will greet the new president with a list of other wishes. One is that he push policies to spread high-speed Internet access, which provides a conduit for e-commerce, online advertising and other Web-centric business models. The industry argues that the United States has fallen to 16th in the world in terms of broadband penetration, frustrating consumers with a lack of services -- like the high-speed downloading of movies -- and the still-choppy performance of their Internet connections.

The industry also hopes Mr. Obama will stand behind his stated support of "net neutrality," which is a government requirement that telecommunications companies provide Internet content providers equal access to delivery lines.

Such tech policy could fall to a chief technology officer, a cabinet position the president-elect has pledged to create. -- MATT RICHTEL

ENERGY: An Agenda Faces Possible Delays

An Obama presidency could mean a sharp shift in the nation's energy policies, with particular emphasis on conservation and renewable power. But some of the candidate's bolder proposals, like a global warming bill, may have to wait for the economy to recover, according to analysts and energy experts.

High energy costs and concerns about global warming have heightened the sense of urgency for a broad policy that tackles both the nation's oil use and its energy-related carbon emissions. As a candidate, Mr. Obama shifted from his initial opposition to expanding offshore drilling, but his core message remained that the United States should reduce its oil consumption, encourage energy conservation and efficiency, and develop low-carbon forms of energy.

"There is an opportunity to address energy needs in a way that hasn't been possible for decades," said Daniel Yergin, the chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates. "It almost feels like we're picking up from where we were in the 1970s."

But, he added, "resources are going to be constrained, and spending on energy will have to compete for dollars with spending on the financial crisis and two wars."

The Obama energy plan called for investing $150 billion in clean energy technologies over the next 10 years, creating green jobs and ensuring that a growing share of the country's electricity came from renewable sources. He also proposed an aggressive mandate over the next four decades to cut greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global warming.

Given the size of the Democratic majority, an Obama administration is also likely to impose stricter environmental regulations and place higher taxes on oil companies than the Bush administration did. -- JAD MOUAWAD

TRADE: Cooperation Fades, Protectionism Rises

What consensus there was on international trade seemed to evaporate with the failure of world trade talks this summer. Indeed, with the world on the brink of a global recession, led by the United States and Europe, the fear of a rise in protectionism grows.

The first test of sustaining international cooperation will come on Nov. 14 and 15, long before Mr. Obama takes office. Leaders from 20 major countries will gather in Washington with President Bush to embark on an effort to rewrite international financial regulations -- an undertaking some liken to a latter-day Bretton Woods conference.

Whether or not he attends, Mr. Obama will cast a long shadow.

In short order, the recession and a likely spike in unemployment are sure to put him under pressure from union supporters, as well as Congressional Democrats, to take a tougher line on trade.

"China is the issue that should be part of Obama's trade policy right away," said Thea M. Lee, the chief economist of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. "Part of it is sending a strong message to the Chinese government that the U.S. is not willing to tolerate currency manipulation and violation of workers' rights."

But China's economy is slowing, making its leaders even less receptive to demands to allow their currency to rise. The United States will also need the Chinese to buy a good chunk of the debt being run up by the bailout of banks and housing.

It is also unclear whether Mr. Obama will pursue a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he discussed in the hard-fought primaries.

"He parsed his answers in a way that suggests he understands the importance of global trade," said Hank Cox, a spokesman for the National Association of Manufacturers. -- MARK LANDLER

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