New healthcare bill would require employers to offer health coverage or pay $750/year per employee

Friday 03 July 2009 at 12:23 pm Key Senate Democrats unveil plans for health care bill
By John Fritze - USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats unveiled new details of a plan to revamp the nation's health care system Thursday, including a public, government-run insurance program and a $750-per-employee annual fee on companies that do not offer health benefits.
Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., a leading architect of the legislation, said the new bill will cost $611 billion over the next decade — lower than an earlier $1 trillion estimate — and that he hoped his committee could have its version completed next week.

"This is a strong number that allows us to achieve the president's goals," Dodd said today of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate of the bill's cost. "We believe people ought to be able to keep [insurance] plans they like and that people ought to have choices." (more)

NFIB appose government-run health plan option

Thursday 02 July 2009 at 11:53 am Health care reform: What small business wants
Insurance costs are killing small firms -- but many entrepreneurs are ideologically opposed to government-backed health coverage.

By Neil deMause, CNNMoney.com contributing writer

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- As Congress prepares to do battle over health reform, a parallel dispute is shaping up among small-business groups that are staking out opposing positions on a key element of reform proposals: whether Uncle Sam will take on a bigger role in offering insurance coverage or leave the field to the private market. (more)

Obama's health czar made millions from major health care corporations under investigations

Thursday 02 July 2009 at 11:41 am Obama health czar directed firms in trouble
DeParle made millions from companies under federal investigation

By Fred Schulte - Investigative Reporting Workshop, American University

Nancy-Ann DeParle, President Barack Obama’s health policy czar, served as a director of corporations that faced scores of federal investigations, whistleblower lawsuits and other regulatory actions, according to government records reviewed by the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University.

Several of the companies were investigated for alleged kickbacks or engaging in other illegal billing schemes, while others were accused of serious violations of federal quality standards, including one company that failed to warn patients of deadly problems with an implanted heart defibrillator. Several of the cases ended with substantial fines paid to the federal government, even though the companies admitted no wrongdoing. (more)

GOP senators warn, government insurance option would be "a gateway to a single-payer system"

Wednesday 01 July 2009 at 12:11 pm GOP forum airs health care issues
By TODD ACKERMAN - Houston Chronicle

Calling the debate on health care reform a seminal moment for domestic policy, three Republican U.S. senators brought the GOP case to the Texas Medical Center Tuesday.

At a gathering of local doctors and other professionals at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Sens. John Cornyn, John McCain and Mitch McConnell warned that a government insurance option would be “a gateway to a single-payer system.” (more)

CNN survey finds that most Americans worry that their health care costs would go up with Obama’s healthcare reform

Wednesday 01 July 2009 at 11:46 am Poll: Obama health plan has slim majority support
By Paul Steinhauser - CNN Deputy Political Director

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A new national poll suggests that a bare majority of Americans support President Obama's health care plan.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday morning indicates that most people worry that their health care costs would go up if the administration's proposals passed and only one in five thinks that his or her families would be better off under the Obama plan.

Fifty-one percent of people surveyed say they favor the president's health care plan, with 45 percent opposed. (more)

Is Massachusetts' health care reform a success or failure?

Tuesday 30 June 2009 at 12:13 pm In poll, Mass. voters pan health reform
By State House News Service - Boston Herald

Only 26 percent of likely voters in Massachusetts believe health care reform has been a success and just 21 percent believe reform has made health care more affordable, according to newly released poll results.

The Rasmussen Reports poll of 500 likely Massachusetts voters, taken in April, also found only 10 percent said the quality of health care is getting better under the reform law rules here.

Most of those polled on April 16, 2009 said they weren’t sure whether reform was a success or failure (37 percent), that there’s been no change in health care affordability under reform (44 percent) and that health care quality is about the same (53 percent). (more)

Does preventive care save money?

Tuesday 30 June 2009 at 12:04 pm Is Preventive Care a Cost Saver?
Preventive care saves money, right? Uh, not exactly.

Senate Democrats drafting the big health care overhaul were hoping not only to improve Americans’ health by promoting preventive care but also to squeeze out savings for the government to help provide insurance coverage to people who lack it.

If health care providers can prevent or delay conditions like heart disease and diabetes, the logic goes, the nation won’t have to pay for so many expensive hospital procedures. (more)

Democrats are confident they have the votes to pass the health care bill

Monday 29 June 2009 at 12:15 pm Democrats increasingly confident they'll enact health-care plan
By Steven Thomma and David Lightman | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Despite the strains of sky-high costs and public skepticism, the government is moving steadily toward a vast health care overhaul that would at least partly fulfill a six-decade quest for universal coverage and could rein in soaring costs for everyone else.

The White House is ramping up its behind-the-scenes lobbying of Congress. President Barack Obama is signaling that he could drop some key principles of his campaign if necessary to jump-start negotiations, opening the door to broad tax increases and a plan that could, he now concedes, push people into a government-run insurance program against their will. Senate Democrats also said this week that they were heading toward agreement again after a momentary stall. (more)

Healthcare reform can put more hardship on small business

Monday 29 June 2009 at 12:03 pm Small businesses wary of health care legislation
By John Fritze - USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Like many small business owners, Pedro Alfonso struggles to maintain the health insurance he provides to his 85 employees — an effort he says is worth it partly because "it's the right thing to do."

But rising costs and a weak economy have left workers at Alfonso's Washington telecommunications firm, Dynamic Concepts Inc., with higher out-of-pocket health costs. The company once paid 70% of health insurance premiums but now, he said, it can afford only half. (more)

HSI released a report putting $3.5 Trillion price tag on Democrat’s healthcare bill

Friday 26 June 2009 at 12:28 pm $3.5 Trillion is Cost of House Democrats’ Health Legislation, According to Non-Partisan, Independent Analysis
64 million Americans would lose their current health care coverage

By Committee On Ways & Means Republicans Ranking Member, Dave Camp

Today, HSI Network, a non-partisan, independent health care research firm that has worked with research universities, the federal government and the private sector, released the estimated costs and impacts of the House Democrats’ tri-committee health care discussion draft. The analysis predicts the House Democrats’ bill will result in $3.5 trillion of new federal spending. (more)

"Swine" flu virus is continuing to spread

Friday 26 June 2009 at 11:55 am H1N1 'swine' flu has infected an estimated 1 million in U.S.
The virus is also spreading rapidly through the Southern Hemisphere. A French company announces large-scale production of a vaccine.
By Thomas H. Maugh II - Los Angeles Times

At least 1 million Americans have now contracted the novel H1N1 influenza, according to mathematical models prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while data from the field indicates that the virus is continuing to spread even though the normal flu season is over and that an increasing proportion of victims are being hospitalized.

Meanwhile, the virus is continuing its rapid spread through the Southern Hemisphere, infecting increasing numbers of people and at least one pig. (more)

State governors ask Obama not to insert more burdens on state budgets with healthcare reform

Thursday 25 June 2009 at 1:19 pm States Assert Place in Health-Care Debate
Governors Fear Shifting of Costs
By Michael A. Fletcher - Washington Post Staff Writer

A bipartisan group of governors told President Obama yesterday that they share his urgent desire to restructure the nation's health-care system but warned that any changes should not place more burdens on strained state budgets or eliminate innovative programs they already have in place.

With many state budgets burdened by ballooning Medicare and Medicaid costs, the five governors who met with Obama at the White House agreed that changes are needed to expand health-care coverage and contain its costs. But some of the governors voiced concern about how to achieve reform. (more)

Health insurance bill could erode employer sponsored health coverage

Thursday 25 June 2009 at 12:44 pm Senators Worry That Health Overhaul Could Erode Employer Insurance Plans
By ROBERT PEAR and JEFF ZELENY - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Senators struggled Wednesday with the possibility that in offering subsidized health insurance to millions of individuals and families, they could inadvertently speed the erosion of employer-provided coverage, which they want to preserve.

Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, who is leading efforts to write health legislation, said “much of the discussion” focused on this issue at meetings of senators on Wednesday. (more)

Americans want healthcare reform but they are very concern that it may lead to more government bureaucracy, higher costs and lower quality healthcare system

Wednesday 24 June 2009 at 11:48 am Most Want Health Reform But Fear Its Side Effects
By Ceci Connolly and Jon Cohen - Washington Post Staff Writers
A majority of Americans see government action as critical to controlling runaway health-care costs, but there is broad public anxiety about the potential impact of reform legislation and conflicting views about the types of fixes being proposed on Capitol Hill, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Most respondents are "very concerned" that health-care reform would lead to higher costs, lower quality, fewer choices, a bigger deficit, diminished insurance coverage and more government bureaucracy. About six in 10 are at least somewhat worried about all of these factors, underscoring the challenges for lawmakers as they attempt to restructure the nation's $2.3 trillion health-care system. (more)

Obama does not rule out a healthcare bill without government run health plan

Wednesday 24 June 2009 at 11:29 am Obama Says Government Health Coverage Plan Would Not Hurt Private Insurers
By JEFF ZELENY and ROBERT PEAR - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Obama made a detailed case on Tuesday for a new government-administered health insurance plan, but he did not rule out signing a bill that lacks such an option if he cannot win enough support from Democrats in Congress.

In a White House news conference, Mr. Obama dismissed as “not logical” the suggestion that a public plan, which is intended to create more competition and therefore act as a brake on the rise of health insurance costs, would undermine the private insurance market. He argued that a government-run plan competing with private insurers would be an “important tool to discipline insurance companies” and scoffed at complaints that it could drive some out of business. (more)

A Senate proposal would make middle-income taxpayers pay more for healthcare bill

Tuesday 23 June 2009 at 1:57 pm Senate Looks to Trim Tax Break for Personal Medical Costs
By MARTIN VAUGHAN - The Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON -- A proposal in the Senate to limit tax deductions for medical costs would fall hardest on middle-income taxpayers who are uninsured and who come up against expensive health problems.

Currently, a taxpayer may claim a deduction for medical or dental expenses only to the extent those costs exceed 7.5% of the person's adjusted gross income. Senate negotiators are discussing raising that threshold to 10%, in effect denying deductions for many taxpayers who could claim them today. (more)

Healthcare reform bill is attacked from several directions

Tuesday 23 June 2009 at 1:38 pm State of Play: Health Hearings Heat Up, Public Weighs In
By Ceci Connolly - The Washington Post

Brace for a blistering schedule of congressional hearings this week, as three committees in the House begin examining draft health-reform legislation unveiled last Friday and the Senate health committee continues its work.

At the White House today, President Obama and the AARP will herald a voluntary offer by drug manufacturers to discount the prices of some Medicare prescription medications. There’s been a slow publicity roll-out on the agreement, which all told will squeeze $80 billion out of the drug companies over the next 10 years. (more)

House democrats introduced a healthcare bill with no price tag

Monday 22 June 2009 at 11:55 am House Unveils Health Bill, Minus Key Details
By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — House Democrats on Friday answered President Obama’s call for a sweeping overhaul of the health care system, unveiling a bill that they said would cover 95 percent of Americans. But they said they did not know how much it would cost and had not decided how to pay for it.

The proposal would establish a new public health insurance plan to compete with private plans. Republicans and insurance companies strenuously oppose such an entity, saying it could lead to a government takeover of health care. The draft bill would require all Americans to carry health insurance. Most employers would have to provide coverage to employees or pay a fee equivalent to 8 percent of their payroll. The plan would also end many insurance company practices that deny coverage or charge higher premiums to sick people. (more)

Healthcare reform stalled for it's unknown price tag

Monday 22 June 2009 at 11:47 am Health overhaul hard enough, but then there's paying for it
By David Lightman and William Douglas - McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — No one can figure out a politically acceptable way to pay for an overhaul of America's health care system, and until someone does, the effort is stalled.

Maybe indefinitely.

"It's quite feasible that the whole thing could crash and burn because of sticker shock," said Michael Tanner, a health care analyst at the Cato Institute, a libertarian research center. (more)

Obama does not want to lose the moment on healthcare reform

Friday 19 June 2009 at 1:33 pm On Health Care, Obama Tries to Seize the Moment
By KEVIN SACK - The New York Times

In their heart of hearts, few in the Obama administration would have predicted late last year that they would be this well positioned by June to achieve a major victory on health care. As the economy faltered, and attention focused on Wall Street and Detroit, it seemed unthinkable that Congress would be ready to devote the summer of 2009 to the costly proposition of providing health coverage for all, a goal that has eluded presidents since Theodore Roosevelt.

But five months after the inauguration, health care dominates the domestic agenda on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. Any package that emerges will preserve the country’s private insurance system, at least for now. It could nonetheless bring sweeping changes, requiring that everyone be insured, creating a government health plan to compete with commercial carriers and perhaps taxing employer-provided health benefits. (more)

Private health insurers may get greater role in healthcare reform

Friday 19 June 2009 at 12:38 pm Private insurers step into spotlight on health-care reform
Health insurers use President Barack Obama's speech to AMA to highlight their role, downplay government-run proposal
By Bruce Japsen - Tribune Newspapers

Don't expect the private insurance industry to go away under any kind of health-care reform initiative.

That's because most key health-reform measures gaining momentum in Washington not only leave private health plans intact but also may give them a greater role. (more)

Compromise plan on healthcare reform

Thursday 18 June 2009 at 12:28 pm Former Senators Unveil Bipartisan Health Proposal, Would Tax Benefits, Mandate Coverage
By Andrew Villegas - Kaiser Health News

Three former Senate majority leaders today unveiled a bipartisan health care reform package that would tax health benefits and includes individual and employer mandates.

The price tag for the plan outlined by Democrat Tom Daschle, and Republicans Bob Dole and Howard Baker is estimated at $1.2 trillion over 10 years. The overhaul -- which they say would be budget neutral in 10 years --would be paid for by reforming health delivery and payment systems, slowing the cost growth of Medicare and Medicaid, and fining large employers who don't offer insurance to their employees. Also, to raise additional revenue, their plan would cap the tax-free status of employer-provided benefits at the value of Congress' health coverage, taxing benefits worth more. (more)

Sen. Hatch, a Republican friend of Sen. Kennedy, warns democrats for grave errors on healthcare bill

Thursday 18 June 2009 at 12:12 pm Hatch, Friend of Kennedy, Warns Democrats on Health Care
By David M. Herszenhorn - The New York Times

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, may have no closer Republican friend than Senator Orrin Hatch, of Utah, who served as chairman of the committee for much of the 1980s and is a longtime partner with Mr. Kennedy on numerous bills.

So it was particularly devastating on Wednesday when Mr. Hatch warned Democrats on the panel that they have already made some grave errors in their effort to write legislation overhauling the health care system. (more)

President Obama to extend healthcare and other benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees

Wednesday 17 June 2009 at 1:51 pm Obama to offer benefits to gay partners of federal employees

The decision comes as many in the gay community have voiced disappointment with the president, especially after the administration filed a legal brief defending the Defense of Marriage Act.
By Mark Z. Barabak and Jessica Garrison - Los Angeles Times

Reporting from San Francisco and Los Angeles -- Faced with growing anger among gay and lesbian supporters, President Obama is expected tonight to extend healthcare and other benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees. (more)

Healthcare reform bill calls for billions of dollars in cuts in hospital reimbursements

Wednesday 17 June 2009 at 1:43 pm Critic Disappointed At Health Care Proposal

As part of its effort to overhaul the health care system, the Obama administration has called for billions of dollars in cuts in hospital reimbursements. Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, has expressed disappointment and concern at the call.

President Obama is pushing to overhaul the nation's health care system, but doctors, hospital officials and others are raising sharp concerns over his call for a government-run insurance plan to compete with private plans. (more)

Kathleen Sebelius says single-payer healthcare plan is not on the table

Tuesday 16 June 2009 at 11:21 am Sebelius: Single-Payer Health Care Not In Plans

Morning Edition, June 16, 2009 · As lawmakers on Capitol Hill hammer out legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says that a single-payer option is not on the table.

"This is not a trick. This is not single-payer," Sebelius told Steve Inskeep. She added: "That's not what anyone is talking about — mostly because the president feels strongly, as I do, that dismantling private health coverage for the 180 million Americans that have it, discouraging more employers from coming into the marketplace, is really the bad, you know, is a bad direction to go." (more)

GOP went on the offensive against any Government-run healthcare plan

Tuesday 16 June 2009 at 11:10 am GOP lash out at Obama's health bill, unveil own
By J. Taylor Rushing - The HIll

Congressional Republicans pushed back immediately against the Obama administration’s healthcare promotion on Monday, warning of solid opposition to any plan that includes a government role.

GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), GOP Senate Whip Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) went on the offensive following Obama’s speech in Chicago to the American Medical Association. Kyl and McConnell unveiled a bill to rival the Democratic bill, while Alexander and Pence spoke to reporters. (more)

Republicans are very concern on Obama's healthcare reform proposals

Monday 15 June 2009 at 12:13 pm G.O.P. Senators Question Obama’s Health Reforms
By M. AMEDEO TUMOLILLO - The New York Times

Republicans on Sunday continued to express strong concerns over the Obama administration’s plan to reform health care and its call for a public insurance option.

“I think that, for virtually every Republican, a government plan is a non-starter,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “We know that, if the government gets in this business, pretty soon nobody else will be in the business.” (more)

Obama will ask doctors to support the creation of government-run health plan

Monday 15 June 2009 at 12:02 pm Barack Obama takes his case to the American Medical Association
By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN - Politico

President Barack Obama will attempt to convince a skeptical American Medical Association Monday to drop its resistance to the most controversial element of his health reform effort, a government insurance plan.

In an address to the group's annual meeting in Chicago, Obama will pitch the public insurance plan as a necessary competitor to private insurers, and as a tool to ensure choice and lower costs for consumers. (more)

Public health plan will eliminate competition and lead to rationing of health care - Republicans warn

Friday 12 June 2009 at 12:12 pm Public Plan for Health Care Bill Is Choice of House Democrats, Pelosi Says
By Edward Epstein, CQ Staff
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that House Democrats strongly want a government-run insurance plan to be part of any health care overhaul, while top House Republicans said they are unalterably opposed to such a public component.

“In our caucus, members have been very clear about what their concerns are about a public option, and I agree,” Pelosi told reporters. “It should be actuarially sound. It should be administratively self-sufficient. It should be a competitor with the private sector and not have an unfair advantage.”

The California Democrat called for a “level playing field” for public and private health care insurers. (more)

Healthcare co-op plans instead of government run plan - possible compromise

Friday 12 June 2009 at 11:57 am Possible compromise emerges in health care debate
By ERICA WERNER - The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- A potential compromise emerged Wednesday on one of the most vexing issues of the health care overhaul debate - whether to create a new government-sponsored health plan to compete with private insurers. The compromise offered by Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., would create health care cooperatives owned by groups of residents and small businesses, similar to how electric or other cooperatives operate.

They'd be nonprofit, and without the government involvement that troubles Republicans and business groups about the public plan options. (more)

Obama to use the model of Green Bay to address healthcare cost control

Thursday 11 June 2009 at 2:37 pm Obama Administration Finds Health-Care Model in Green Bay
By Ceci Connolly - Washington Post Staff Writer

When President Obama touches down today in Green Bay, Wis., he will be landing in one of the highest-value health communities in the nation, a city that by numerous measures has managed to control medical spending while steadily improving health outcomes.

"If we could make the rest of the nation practice medicine the way that Green Bay does, we would have higher quality and significantly lower costs," said Peter Orszag, the Obama administration budget chief who has emerged as a key player on health-care reform. (more)

American Medical Association apposes government run health insurance plan

Thursday 11 June 2009 at 2:20 pm Doctors’ Group Opposes Public Insurance Plan
By ROBERT PEAR - USA Today

WASHINGTON — As the health care debate heats up, the American Medical Association is letting Congress know that it will oppose creation of a government-sponsored insurance plan, which President Obama and many other Democrats see as an essential element of legislation to remake the health care system.

The opposition, which comes as Mr. Obama prepares to address the powerful doctors’ group on Monday in Chicago, could be a major hurdle for advocates of a public insurance plan. The A.M.A., with about 250,000 members, is America’s largest physician organization. (more)

Kennedy's healthcare reform bill angers GOP

Wednesday 10 June 2009 at 11:47 am Kennedy's healthcare plan meets resistance
The senator's long-awaited bill to revamp the way Americans are insured is hotly criticized by many Republicans, even most moderates.
By Noam N. Levey - Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Washington -- Congressional Democrats' bid to overhaul the nation's healthcare system got off to a rocky start Tuesday when Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) introduced his long-awaited plan -- only to face furious criticism from even moderate Republicans.

Kennedy, whose fight to reshape the healthcare system spans more than 40 years, would require all Americans to get medical insurance, establish complex new insurance exchanges to facilitate near-universal coverage, and dramatically step up government oversight of the insurance industry. (more)

Democrats released details of health care reform bill

Wednesday 10 June 2009 at 11:14 am Health-Care Bills Begin to Crystallize
By NAFTALI BENDAVID and JANET ADAMY - The Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON -- House leaders outlined a health-care overhaul plan that would create a national health-insurance "exchange" for consumers and include a government-run plan as one option, while Sen. Edward Kennedy introduced a similar bill in the Senate.

The draft House plan, presented to House Democrats at a meeting Tuesday, would require almost all Americans to have health insurance and provide subsidies to those with annual incomes as high as four times the poverty level. People without insurance could find a plan on an insurance exchange that would be set up by the government. (more)

AARP is calling for removal of "doughnut hole" from Medicare's drug benefit

Tuesday 09 June 2009 at 1:36 pm Filling in the Medicare doughnut hole is a sticky issue
By BOB MOOS / The Dallas Morning News
bmoos@dallasnews.com

AARP and other advocates for older adults are calling on Congress to get rid of the "doughnut hole" in Medicare's drug benefit as part of the lawmakers' broader efforts to reform health care.

Though most seniors say they're pleased with the drug benefit, the one aspect they love to hate is the gap in coverage that usually kicks in during summer or fall and forces millions of beneficiaries to bear the full cost of their drugs. (more)

House Health care bill will include public insurance plan

Tuesday 09 June 2009 at 1:27 pm U.S. House health bill to include government plan
By Donna Smith - The Boston Globe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are preparing to unveil a proposal for a sweeping healthcare overhaul that includes a new public insurance plan and would require individuals and businesses to obtain coverage, lawmakers said on Monday.

Similar to legislation being developed in the Senate, the House bill would establish an insurance exchange to help people without employer-sponsored insurance find medical coverage. A new government insurance program would be one of the options available, lawmakers said. (more)

Paying for health care - major concern for unemployed

Monday 08 June 2009 at 2:46 pm The price of health care
Paying for health care is a concern for many who are unemployed, and they are trying hard to find programs for which they qualify and can afford.
By Sarah Bruyn Jones - The Roanoke Times

Aid available to the newly unemployed to help lower the cost of health insurance isn't reaching everyone, leaving many without affordable access to medical care.

"I'd love to get it," Robert Blevins of Roanoke said about health insurance. "I've got three kids, they've got it. ... But I can't get it for me." (more)

"Single payer" health care activists challenge democrats

Monday 08 June 2009 at 1:36 pm 'Single-Payer' Supporters Challenge Democrats
By Dan Eggen - Washington Post Staff Writer

When President Obama convened a town-hall meeting in Rio Rancho, N.M., last month, he wanted to talk about credit card reform. But many in the crowd had a different agenda.

"So many people go bankrupt using their credit cards to pay for health care," the first questioner said to applause. "Why have they taken single-payer off the plate?" (more)

Republicans voice their opposition against government run health insurance plan

Friday 05 June 2009 at 12:03 pm A Senator Offers Two Faces in Health Care Debate
By David M. Herszenhorn - The New York Times

If the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, has his way, two faces of the debate over American health care reform will be Shona Holmes of Ontario, Canada, and Bruce Hardy, of Ruislip, England.

Both Ms. Holmes and Mr. Hardy were denied care under their government-run health insurance programs. Ms. Holmes needed surgery for a cyst in her brain that was threatening her eyesight, and Mr. Hardy wanted an expensive new cancer drug. (more)

Healthcare reform will include a public plan, Sen. Baucus says

Friday 05 June 2009 at 11:51 am Gov’t health plan will be part of package, Baucus says
By Matthew DoBias - Modern Healthcare

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Thursday said healthcare reform legislation would contain a government-backed health plan even while his Republican counterparts bashed such a provision.

“I think a bill that passes the Senate will have some version of a public option,” Baucus, flanked by key lawmakers who are crafting a bill to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, said after a late afternoon meeting. (more)

Florida expands access to children's health insurance for low income families

Thursday 04 June 2009 at 11:52 am Charlie Crist's 'fly-around' costs taxpayers
Charlie Crist -- governor and Senate candidate -- flew to two Florida cities for ceremonial bill signings at taxpayer expense.
BY STEVE BOUSQUET AND BETH REINHARD - Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau

HOLLYWOOD -- By skillfully using the trappings of power, Gov. Charlie Crist can spread a popular message at public expense while running for the U.S. Senate -- as he did Tuesday in the state's two biggest media markets.

It cost taxpayers about $4,800 for Crist to fly on a state plane to Tampa and Hollywood. In both cities, Crist held ceremonial bill signings for legislation to make it easier for low-income families to get health insurance under the Florida KidCare program, and to expand the role of advocates known as guardians ad litem to protect children's legal rights. (more)

President Obama commits to support health insurance mandate if the bill provides protections to certain small businesses and poor people

Thursday 04 June 2009 at 11:33 am A Move Toward Requiring Health Coverage
In Letter to Senate Democrats, Obama Suggests Hardship Waiver for the Poor
By Ceci Connolly - Washington Post Staff Writer

One day after signaling a fresh willingness to consider taxing employer-sponsored health insurance, President Obama indicated yesterday a new openness toward a nationwide requirement that every American have health coverage.

In his push to enact sweeping health-care reform legislation this summer, Obama previewed what could be the outlines of a compromise on two of the thorniest issues confronting Congress. He said he could support mandates on both individuals and employers to contribute to the cost of health insurance if the bill provides protections to certain small businesses and poor people. (more)

Obama is considering to tax employer-sponsored health benefits to pay for health reform

Wednesday 03 June 2009 at 1:43 pm President Pivots on Taxing Benefits
Obama Is Willing to Consider Move to Gain Health Reform
By Ceci Connolly - Washington Post Staff Writer

President Obama, in a pivot from some of his harshest campaign rhetoric, told Democratic senators yesterday that he is willing to consider taxing employer-sponsored health benefits to help pay for a broad expansion of coverage.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said Obama expressed a willingness to consider changing the existing tax exclusion. The decision would probably anger liberal supporters such as labor unions, but such a tax change would raise enormous sums of money as Congress and the White House are struggling to find the estimated $1.2 trillion needed to pay for health-care reform over the next decade. (more)

Why rush on Healthcare reform?

Wednesday 03 June 2009 at 1:31 pm Why the Health Care Rush?
Democrats don't think their bill can stand public inspection

If sharks stop swimming, they sink and drown. President Obama seems to view his health-care program the same way. "If we don't get it done this year," he said in a recent pep talk to supporters, "we're not going to get it done." Well, why? If laying "a new foundation" for 18% of the economy really is as important as the President claims it is, then surely it could withstand more than fleeting inspection. (more)

How to pay for health care that Americans want?

Tuesday 02 June 2009 at 11:52 am $2.5 trillion-plus question: How to pay for health care?

Americans want it all when it comes to health care - brilliant doctors, cutting-edge treatments, easy access to care and insurance coverage that pays all the bills.

Those in the business of health care want it all, too: big profit margins, hefty salaries paid to those at the top and happy shareholders.

The truth is Americans might not be able to have it all when it comes to health care - not without major changes. Not in the long run. Not without jeopardizing the federal budget and the health of the nation's economy. This country is on track to spend $2.5 trillion on health care this year and $5.2 trillion by 2020, which would consume 21 percent of the country's economic resources. (more)

Liberal groups promise to promote President Obama's healthcare reform

Tuesday 02 June 2009 at 11:34 am Liberal groups bolster Obama healthcare plans
By Lisa Wangsness - The Boston Globe

WASHINGTON - Leaders of the country's largest and most influential liberal groups said yesterday they are poised to spend $82 million to help push through sweeping healthcare legislation this year.

Gathering at a conference to discuss how to promote President Obama's agenda, the leaders said Americans voted for major change last November, and that liberals would fight to help the Obama administration keep its promises on providing universal access to affordable healthcare, as well as immigration reform and education. (more)

Health care reform scenarios reported by McClatchy

Monday 01 June 2009 at 2:15 pm Fate of Obama health care plan is anything but certain
By Julie Appleby and Mary Agnes Carey | Kaiser Health News

WASHINGTON — History is clear: When it comes to something as contentious as overhauling the health care system, there are no safe bets.

Presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton failed at ambitious attempts to change the health care system, and "you might argue, based on history, that that's the most likely scenario," says Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington. (more)

Can Democrats and Republicans come to agreement on healthcare reform?

Monday 01 June 2009 at 2:01 pm Barack Obama's health plan takes shape
By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN - Politico

If Congress were to take a vote on a health reform bill today, Democrats and Republicans would find a surprising level of agreement — so much so that the broad outlines of a consensus plan already are taking shape.

Sick or healthy, rich or poor, all Americans would be guaranteed access to health insurance.

In fact, they’d probably be required to purchase it — perhaps through mandates in the law that would include stiff tax penalties for anyone who tried to opt out. (more)

Sen. Kennedy's Health-Care proposal would adopt the most liberal approaches to health reform

Friday 29 May 2009 at 12:04 pm Kennedy's Health-Care Measure To Require Employers to Chip In
By Ceci Connolly - Washington Post Staff Writer

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) is circulating the outlines of sweeping health-care legislation that would require every American to have insurance and would mandate that employers contribute to workers' coverage.

The plan in the summary document, provided by two Democrats who do not work for Kennedy, closely resembles extensive changes enacted in the senator's home state three years ago. (more)