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The Senate and House health care overhaul bills are each about 2,000 pages long. While the bills are mostly aimed at revamping the health insurance system, tucked in the pages are provisions that would spell big changes for the food, drug and medical device industries, too.
Comparing plans can save hundreds of dollars for some consumers but many people are overwhelmed at the prospect of making such a change. Seniors have until the end of the year to revise their coverage.
In the health reform debate, there is widespread confusion over the definition of cost--a confusion that has been hanging over this debate for the last few months and is continuing to distort it.
Panelists discuss the array of amendments Democrats and Republicans are expected to offer as the Senate begins debate on health overhaul legislation.
The debate in Washington over how much the health care overhaul bills will cost has largely centered on the bottom line for the federal government. But polls repeatedly show Americans are much more concerned about how a reshaped health care system will affect their own family's financial situation.
Some say moving kids from the Children's Health Insurance Program to health exchanges would add stability, but others fear they could lose benefits and their families could face higher co-payments for coverage.
About 11 percent of people ages 60 and older suffer from some kind of abuse every year. But as a part of health care overhaul legislation, lawmakers are taking steps that would for the first time establish a federal beachhead in fighting such abuse.
A key question about the CLASS Act remains: How many will buy the coverage even if it is broadly available?
When it comes to making medical care not only cheaper but also better, reducing hospital infections is among the easiest changes to make--something reform really should be able to do, even in this political universe of such limited possibility.
A poll "shows little movement in measures of public opinion" on health reform. About one-third like the current Democratic bills, another third want reform, but not what Democratic lawmakers have in mind and one-quarter think Congress should not spend time on the issue now.
Panelists discuss the array of amendments Democrats and Republicans are expected to offer as the Senate begins debate on health overhaul legislation.
Despite the economic downturn that's busting budgets, 26 states this year made it easier for low-income children, parents or pregnant women to get health coverage.
If a Democratic health bill passes,certain individuals and small businesses initially would pay more for insurance, while others would pay less, experts predict. But the long-term outlook is less clear.
The Senate and House health bills differ in important ways. We ask and answer questions consumers might have about the bills.
Democrats get new momentum from House passage of a health care bill, but face new tests in bridging differences within the party -- and between the chambers -- on cost, financing and coverage.
Pay attention to the CLASS Act. It can not only provide better long-term care for those who so desperately need this assistance, it can also become a new way to help those in need in an era of $1 trillion-plus budget deficits. But only if it is done right.
Facilities, which generally provide social and medical services, rely heavily on funding from state governments and charities, which have been hit hard by the recession. Advocates say the 4,000 state-licensed centers around the country provide a cost-effective alternative to nursing homes and allow caregivers to remain in the workforce.
Those who want a health reform bill passed by Christmas fear that if that doesn't happen, there could be a repeat of the brutal August town hall meetings. Others don't think the situation is so dire and say that Democrats could deliver the bill to Obama by the spring.
At the moment, Americans are not convinced that health reform will improve their current health care situation.
Ten years ago this month, IOM's 'To Err Is Human' cast a spotlight on the role of the nurse in keeping patients safe, a role that will become even more important under the ongoing effort to reform the health care system.
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