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This week, progress was made in developing the framework for the $33 billion health information technology initiative created by the stimulus bill. Dr. David Blumenthal, who heads the Office of the National Coordinator, is a key figure in the process. But he still faces one of the most difficult challenges — convincing doctors that it is in their interest to participate.
A leader of the Blue Dog Coalition of conservative House Democrats said today that he and six others in the group will vote together to block health care legislation in committee unless changes are made to slow the rate of growth of federal health care spending and to ensure that rural hospitals are adequately reimbursed for treating new patients under the legislation.
A health overhaul bill cleared the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee yesterday, which it passed 13-10 on a party-line vote. Meanwhile, Democrats in the House of pushed held the first hearing on their version of health reform.
Far from being “game-changers,” the agreements are the same old Washington game of bribes, backroom deals, profiteering and protectionism.
President Barack Obama spoke today in the Rose Garden on health care reform. The White House released his remarks. He spoke about the importance of nurses in the health care system.
President Obama and leading Democrats have stressed that people who like their employer-sponsored insurance would be able to keep it, under a health care overhaul. But they haven’t emphasized the flip side: That people who don’t like their coverage might have to keep it.
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.
Senators working to craft an overhaul bill have turned back several abortion-related amendments.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Make no mistake: It’d be a huge disappointment not to make progress on cost and quality. But incremental progress is still progress.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The recession has left a growing number of middle-income Americans without health insurance.
