Latest KFF Health News Stories
Text: House Democrats Call for Justice Thomas’s Recusal on Health Law Constitutionality
In a letter to Justice Thomas, 74 House Democratic members write that “the only correct path” is for the judge to recuse himself from deliberations on cases involving the new health care law.
Senate Debate On Health Care Law Repeal Falls Along Party Lines
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., introduced an amendment to an unrelated bill today that would repeal the health law. Senators from both sides took to the floor, with Republicans arguing that the country wants repeal and Democrats maintaining that the benefits of the law are popular and outweigh any flaws in the legislation. Watch excerpts from the debate.
Scholars, Politicians Debating Implications Of Health Lawsuit Decision
After a federal court declared the new health law unconstitutional, it’s still unclear how far the ruling reaches. The Obama administration says that it will continue to implement the law.
Analysis: What Does Judge Vinson’s Health Law Decision Mean?
Jackie Judd talks with legal analyst Stuart Taylor about the legal blow today to the new health care reform law. Federal Judge Roger Vinson, in Florida, declared the entire law void.
Who Is A President To Turn To? HHS Or The Business Roundtable?
In health care speech, Obama ignores new HHS study on insurance costs and cites 2009 industry report instead.
Doctors Continued To Spend Big On Lobbying in 2010
The AMA was the biggest spender for lobbying operations among health care groups last year as it faced a backlash from members angry that the new health law didn’t reverse planned cuts in Medicare reimbursements.
Chart: Lobbying On Health Care Issues Falls In 2010
The passage of the federal health law last March brought an overall decrease in lobbying on health care from the massive effort during the heated congressional debate in 2009. Overall, 10 key health care players spent about $127 million on lobbying last year, down nearly 9 percent from 2009.
Analyzing Obama’s State Of The Union Speech: Health On The Hill
During his State of the Union Address, President Obama pledged to work with Republicans to change some elements of the health care law, such repealing a provision that the president said placed “an unnecessary bookkeeping burden” on small businesses. But the president made it clear he would not accept any major changes to the law. In the GOP response, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., said his party would work to repeal the law and replace it with more “fiscally responsible, patient-centered reforms.”
Republican And Tea Party SOTU Response: ‘We Will Work To Replace’ Health Law
Rep. Paul Ryan delivered the official GOP response to the president’s State of the Union address and Rep. Michele Bachmann separately added remarks geared to tea party concerns. Both called for repeal of the health law.
Psst, Mr. President, A Little Advice On Your SOTU Remarks
Nine health policy experts explain what they would like to hear from the president Tuesday.
GOP Vows To Attack Health Law Tree, Branch By Branch
A look at six provisions that House committees could try to ax as they begin working to revise the health overhaul.
Democrats And Republicans Angle For Public Support In Health Law Debate
The House vote to repeal the health law marks the beginning of a new phase of the debate over an issue that both parties hope to turn to their advantage in elections next year.
Video: Partisan Arguments Resonate In Health Law Repeal Debate
As the House of Representatives got closer to voting on the health law repeal, members took to the floor to denounce the arguments from the other side. We have excerpts from Reps. Mike Pence, R-Ind., George Miller, D-Calif., Steve Scalise, R-La., Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Health On The Hill: House Passes Health Law Repeal
Republicans in the House delivered on their election-year promise to pass a bill to repeal the health care overhaul law signed by President Obama less than a year ago. Now GOP House leaders are trying to apply political pressure on the Senate to bring the bill up for a vote. Marilyn Werber Serafini covered the House debate and spoke with Jackie Judd.
‘Multiple Fictions’ Drive Opposition To Health Law
The health reform debate is not about a fictional war between market-based health insurance and government regulation. It is about whether to provide adequate subsidies to cover the uninsured and whether to begin a process of leveraging change in the delivery and payment systems through which one-sixth of the U.S. economy is devoted to health care.
Health Law Repeal Debate: 22 Freshmen Republicans In Under 4 Minutes
Freshmen Voices: The large class of Republican freshmen swept into office in the November elections had their voices heard in the repeal debate. Republican leadership put a special emphasis on these new members of Congress. Here are excerpts of what some of the freshmen had to say about the law that so many passionately campaigned against.
Health Care Repeal Fades as Centrists Take Stage
As House Republicans hold a largely symbolic vote to repeal President Obama’s health care law, the administration won a powerful set of centrist allies seeking additional reforms that would be popular with many Americans.
Congress’ New GOP Doctors Say Health Law Is Wrong Prescription
Elected last fall, new members of the white-coat caucus are ready and willing to cast their votes for repeal.
Video: Contentious Health Law Repeal Debate Begins
The House of Representatives began 7 hours of debate in advance of tomorrow’s vote on the Republican bill. Here are video excerpts from the debate.
Health On The Hill Transcript: House Prepares Wednesday Vote On Health Law Repeal
The House is expected to vote tomorrow on legislation that would repeal the health care law. While the measure is likely to pass the House, Senate Democrats are expected to block the legislation.
