KHN’s Eric Pianin Discusses The House Health Overhaul Bill
House Democrats released their health care reform bill called “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.” Kaiser Health News Correspondent Eric Pianin discusses the bill with Jackie Judd.
All Coverage
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Abortion Issue Could Derail Health Care Overhaul
Senators working to craft an overhaul bill have turned back several abortion-related amendments.
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Federal Nursing Home Web Site Attracts Visitors — And Debate
The federal Nursing Home Compare Web site has drawn millions of visitors since it posted movie-review-style ratings of nursing homes last year. Both the industry and consumer advocates are seeking changes, including the way homes’ staffing levels are assessed.
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Checking In With SEIU’s Dennis Rivera
Dennis Rivera is spearheading the Service Employees International Union’s political campaign to influence the health care debate. He discusses what the country’s largest health care union, with 1.1 million members, is trying to accomplish.
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Health On The Hill – July 13, 2009
Opposition from a group of fiscally conservative House Democrats known as the “Blue Dogs” has slowed release of the House Democrats’ health care measure, while members of the Senate Finance Committee continue to work toward a consensus package. Opposition to taxing employer-provided health insurance benefits has caused Senate Finance negotiators to find other options to pay for the bill. Meanwhile, some lawmakers and health care analysts have urged President Obama to take a greater role to keep Capitol Hill focused on passing health care legislation.
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Transcript: Health on the Hill Reporter Roundtable
Opposition from a group of fiscally conservative House Democrats known as the “Blue Dogs” has slowed release of the House Democrats’ health care measure, while members of the Senate Finance Committee continue to work toward a consensus package. Mary Agnes Carey and Eric Pianin of Kaiser Health News and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar of the Associated Press discuss the details. Jackie Judd moderates.
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The Hunt For Affordable Health Insurance
In a follow-up to an earlier story about the difficulty of finding health insurance for a rural small businessman, an insurance broker helps Larry Harbour of Broken Bow, Neb., find affordable coverage.
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Liberals Brace For Fight Over Scope Of Health Legislation
House Democratic leaders are preparing to unveil a sweeping health overhaul plan that will set the stage for a fight over the most contentious issues. The bill embraces liberal principles even as moderates and conservatives in both parties argue for changes in areas such as taxation and the role of the government in providing insurance.
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Opinion Column
Blue Dogs Should Look Beyond Cost Containment for Progress on Health Care
Make no mistake: It’d be a huge disappointment not to make progress on cost and quality. But incremental progress is still progress.
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What’s An Exchange?
While advocates say insurance exchanges would stimulate price competition and give consumers new choices, there’s also a risk these programs could undermine the employer-based health insurance system. Here are nine questions and answers about exchanges and their role in health reform.
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Exchanges May Play Key Role In An Overhauled Health System
Insurance exchanges are a critical part of proposed health system overhaul legislation. They could transform how insurance is sold. But experts warn that without the right structure and rules, exchanges could undermine the employer-based insurance system.
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“Partnership” Policies for Long-Term Care Hold Promise–and Pitfalls
To encourage people to buy long-term care insurance, more states are starting programs that allow people to keep some assets if they exhaust insurance benefits and need to go on Medicaid. Without such an arrangement, they would have to “spend down” assets to qualify for Medicaid. But, experts warn, the policies need strong inflation protections.
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Opinion Column
Is the Price of Bipartisanship Eliminating Insurance Coverage for Abortion?
If denying important health services to women is the price of bipartisanship, then perhaps winning those one or two Republican votes in the Senate or holding on to some socially conservative Democrats isn’t worth the price of jeopardizing women’s health and well-being.
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New Face Of The Uninsured: Middle-Class Americans
The recession has left a growing number of middle-income Americans without health insurance.
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Opinion Column
Don’t Count on Congress to Control Health Costs
President Obama has outsourced the writing of health care reform to Congress. What does that mean for the legislation?
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Small Business Owners Deliver Mixed Messages To Capitol Hill
Small business organizations are encouraging members to make their views about health overhaul proposals known through emails, letters, phone calls and personal visits to Capitol Hill. But small business, a powerful constituency in every congressional district, no longer speaks with one voice on health care.
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Hospitals, After Agreeing to Cuts, Push Ahead With a Full Agenda
Hospital officials today agreed to federal-payment cuts to help pay for a health care overhaul. They hope their concessions will build good will with the Obama administration and Democratic lawmakers. They’re pressing for action on a host of other issues, including Medicaid reimbursements and funding for graduate medical education.
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Obama Backs Helping Hand For Long-Term Care
The Obama administration has endorsed a new government social insurance program that would help people put aside money to pay for the high costs of long-term care.
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Alzheimer’s Patients Struggle Without Insurance
Alzheimer’s is thought of as a disease of the elderly, but hundreds of thousands of cases are in men and women under 65. Because the disease makes it difficult to work, these people often lose their jobs – and their health insurance.
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A Passionate Voice For Single Payer
Donna Smith is a cancer survivor whose personal experience with insurance has driven her to become a full-time advocate for a single-payer health system, which would replace private insurers with a single, tax-funded government program.
