The Letter From Ted Kennedy
Text of the letter from Senator Edward M. Kennedy referenced by the President in his address to a Joint Session of Congress.
All Coverage
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Obama’s Speech Leaves Room For Snowe’s Compromise To Put Off Public Option
President Obama signaled in his nationally televised speech last night that there is some flexibility in his commitment to a government-run insurance plan, providing an opening for Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe’s idea for holding the public option in reserve.
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Transcript Of President Obama’s Address: ‘I Still Believe We Can Act’
A transcript of President Barack Obama’s address to Congress on his health care reform proposals.
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New Poll By Health Advocacy Groups Highlights Concerns About Current Insurance System
More than three quarters of Americans older than age 50 have concerns that the insurance system as it stands now will not be able to continue to pay for medical treatment for them or that of someone they know, according to a poll released Wednesday by the AARP, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association.
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Health On The Hill – September 9, 2009
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Eric Pianin discuss health care reform legislation prior to President Obama’s speech before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday evening.
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Gingrich’s Advice To Obama: Split Health Bill
When President Obama goes before Congress on Wednesday, he hopes to regain control over the health debate. When President Clinton tried to overhaul the system, he had to deal with Republican Newt Gingrich. In an interview, Gingrich discusses what advice he would give to Obama.
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The Evolution Of Medicare Advantage Plans
The roots of Medicare Advantage plans go back to the late 1970s, when health planners believed they could improve care while saving money. Now, health care reformers say the plans are too costly.
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Democrats Target Federal Subsidies for Medicare’s Private Plans
Part of the effort to cut health spending aims at Medicare Advantage programs, which often offer benefits that go beyond traditional Medicare. But Obama says they are unfair and inefficient.
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Baucus Framework For Senate Finance Health Care Deal
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has circulated this document to five other key Democratic and Republican negotiators in a bid to reach bipartisan agreement over a $900 billion health care overhaul bill. Instead of a government-run insurance option favored by House Democrats, this version would create a network of nonprofit cooperatives.
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Opinion Column
Democrats Are Not The Real Threat To Medicare
A look at Republican efforts to drastically change Medicare in the 1990’s shows that the Democratic health reforms plans aren’t the real threat to the program.
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A Medical Mystery: Why Health Care Is So Expensive
Policymakers are looking for ways to trim medical spending. In a single procedure, a cardiologist might throw away two heart stents that cost $2,000 apiece. That’s just part of providing proper care, the doctor says – it’s the economics of precision and technological advance. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
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A Market ‘Fundamentally Changed’: How Health Proposals Could Affect Americans Who Buy Their Own Insurance
New rules being debated by Congress could mean consumers couldn’t be rejected because they have health problems and would include subsidies for lower-income people to buy insurance. But the rules won’t solve all the problems faced by those who don’t get insurance through their jobs.
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Democrats Are Tightening The Belt For Health Reform
Democrats are considering their options for a less ambitious overhaul plan, including a new proposal from Sen. Max Baucus. Meanwhile, President Obama is planning his address to Congress, in which he is expected to propose specific refinements to the current bills.
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Premium And Out-Of-Pocket Maximums For Individuals Under The House Bill
These documents, prepared by the House Committee on Ways and Means and obtained by KHN, show the maximum premiums and out-of-pocket costs low- and moderate-income people might face under the House health overhaul plan, called America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.
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Health Bills Might Not Protect Some Needy Americans, Experts Say
As lawmakers weigh trimming legislation, some consumers might end up burdened by medical and insurance costs.
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Premium And Out-Of-Pocket Maximums For Families of Four Under The House Bill
These documents, prepared by the House Committee on Ways and Means and obtained by KHN, show the maximum premiums and out-of-pocket costs low- and moderate-income people might face under the House health overhaul plan, called America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.
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KHN Exclusive: Congressional Documents Show Health Costs
These documents, prepared by the House Committee on Ways and Means and obtained by KHN, show the maximum premiums and out-of-pocket costs low- and moderate-income people might face under the House health overhaul plan, called America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.
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Opinion Column
Reform Won’t Work Without Strengthening Nursing
Health care reform is the serious-minded media event of the summer, but one element of the story has inspired relatively little serious discussion: the role of nursing.
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Minnesota Experiment Puts Patient Health First
Doctors paid a salary, rather than per procedure ordered, shift their emphasis to prevention. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
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Opinion Column
Whatever Happened To the Uninsured?
What the uninsured are missing, plain and simple, is a group of individuals with the passion to organize them around the issue.
