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Since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid nearly 45 years ago, the government has separated acute medical care from personal assistance and long-term care, placing many of the most vulnerable people in the nation at risk. An obscure provision of the Senate health bill attempts to crack that barrier.
Over the next few weeks, as the House and Senate forge a compromise between their respective health care reform bills, most of the attention will be on the high-profile issues like abortion and taxes. But there are myriad other issues that, although less visible to the public, could go a long way towards determining the success of health care reform. High on this list is the seemingly technical question of what Medicaid pays primary care physicians.
The Senate’s Christmas Eve vote makes historic legislation to transform our health care system likely. Politicians, who rightly note that this legislation would affect nearly all Americans, could also point out that the people least affected may not be Americans at all, but those in the country illegally.
The Food and Drug Administration is trying to get some unapproved drugs off the market. But sometimes the brand-name replacement is much more expensive.
The Senate health care reform bill contains none of the features needed for real reform. The principal lobbyists have all scored impressive victories.
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey calls in from Capitol Hill to discuss next steps, now that Senators have passed a health care bill.
Now that the Senate has passed a hotly debated health care bill, Congress is headed to the next step: House-Senate negotiations in January to try to hammer out a final version. Here’s where things stand and how you might be affected.
Polls show opposition and unease about the Democrats’ health overhaul bills, but these snapshots of public opinion aren’t necessarily good indicators of how voters will feel later about the legislation and the politicians who are trying to push it through Congress.
All 60 members of the Democratic caucus closed ranks behind the bill. And the man getting the credit for bringing them on board is the leader of the Democrats’ supermajority, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid.
The Senate continues to debate health care reform with passage of the Democrats’ health care bill expected by Christmas Eve.
The Senate continues to debate health care reform with passage of the Democrats’ health care bill expected by Christmas Eve. Key differences between the two bills — in the areas of abortion, financing and a government-run “public plan” health insurance option — would need to be resolved in a House-Senate conference deal, and approved by both chambers before reaching President Obama’s desk.
As the Senate lurches towards a final vote on its health overhaul bill, some people are daring to look ahead to the last step in the painstaking process: marrying the Senate and House bills.
Analysis from MIT’s Jonathan Gruber shows under the Senate health overhaul bill, some families could save as much as $18,000 a year on health care costs.
Both the House and Senate health care overhaul bills require most Americans to carry health insurance or pay a penalty. Yet government mandates don’t necessarily ensure compliance: Not all Americans buckle up, or get their children vaccinated.
Both the House and Senate health overhaul bills would force insurers to spend the vast majority of premium revenue on medical care for their customers, reducing the amount available for profits, executive salaries, sales and administration.
According to a new tracking poll, while the majority of Americans still consider health reform important they are growing dispirited with the ongoing debate.
The COBRA subsidy extension now pending in Congress could be considered in the Senate this weekend.
As part of a continuing series, “Is That So?” NPR examines a claim from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. She said that if the Democrats’ health bill passes, some taxes would increase right away, while benefits wouldn’t start until 2014.
