First Edition: November 24, 2009
Today's headlines track the issues and analysis that have emerged in the wake of the Senate debate.
Congress' Former Fiscal Expert Attacks Health Overhaul Effort
KHN staff writer Jordan Rau examines an ad advanced by the Employment Policies Institute. "Appearing in ads backed by a business-oriented group, June O'Neill, a former head of the Congressional Budget Office, says a health care overhaul will add to the already large national debt and hurt the elderly. Parts of her argument have merit, but the CBO doesn't share her alarmist view of the overhaul's fiscal dangers. And her own analysis suggests that some of the Medicare cuts she warns about are unlikely to occur" (Kaiser Health News).
Health On The Hill - Nov. 23, 2009
Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey talks with NPR's Julie Rovner, The Fiscal Times' Eric Pianin and KFF's Jackie Judd about the Senate's Saturday vote to begin debate on health reform legislation. They discuss what's ahead. Read the transcript, listen to the audio version or watch the video.
20 Advances To Be Thankful For
News about health often focuses on the negative: scary new flu viruses, incurable diseases, dashed hopes for miracle drugs. Maybe that's because we have such high expectations that doctors and scientists can fix anything. But amid all that bad news-not to mention the acrimony over health-care reform-it's easy to overlook how much progress has been made in recent years (The Wall Street Journal).
For Public, Affordability A Key Issue In Health Bill
Lawmakers debating health care on Capitol Hill have spent months worrying about the potential cost. But mostly it's been the total cost of the bill, not how much individual families who could soon be required to buy insurance for the first time might have to pay (NPR).
Lieberman Digs In On Public Option
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, speaking in that trademark sonorous baritone, utters a simple statement that translates into real trouble for Democratic leaders: "I'm going to be stubborn on this" (The Wall Street Journal).
Side Deals Stack Up As Health Bills Move Along
The $300 million Medicaid fix that Sen. Mary Landrieu got inserted into the Senate healthcare bill wasn't the first "Louisiana Purchase" of the healthcare debate (The Hill).
Health Bill Revives Abortion Groups
Lobbying over abortion was turning into a sleepy business. But the health care debate has brought a new boom, and both sides are exploiting it with fund-raising appeals (The New York Times).
Abortion To Be New Flashpoint In Senate Bill
Abortion-rights groups, acknowledging they were caught off guard by a last-minute amendment toughening abortion restrictions in the House health-care bill, are mobilizing to ensure that doesn't happen in the Senate (The Wall Street Journal).
Bishops Search For Senate Sponsor
Roman Catholic bishops have yet to find a senator willing to sponsor their amendment for a tougher ban on use of taxpayer money for abortion coverage in the Senate health care reform bill (Politico).
Health Reform Debate, Copenhagen Head For December Collision
Healthcare reform and climate change will conflict directly next month when lawmakers from around the world gather in Denmark for the United Nations climate change conference and the Senate debates a healthcare bill (The Hill).
Obama's Approval Rating Sinking. Can He Keep His Clout?
No matter how you slice it, President Obama has a tough month ahead.
The Senate vote on Saturday to debate healthcare reform gave Mr. Obama a momentary victory, but he's got weeks of haggling ahead and probably more than a few "perils of Pauline" moments to keep reform prospects alive. Amid all this, Obama's job approval rating is sinking now below 50 percent in the Gallup poll. It's a sign that he is losing the political capital he needs to make tough choices. Is there any relief in sight for Obama, as he closes in on his first anniversary in office? (The Christian Science Monitor).
Women Are Insistent On Mammograms, Poll Shows
A vast majority of American women plan to ignore controversial new recommendations about mammograms, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows. The poll also shows that most women sharply overestimate their risk of developing the disease (USA Today).
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