Latest KFF Health News Stories
Transcript: White House Health Summit, Afternoon Session
The White House transcript of yesterday’s remarks from the health care summit convened by President Barack Obama.
Transcript: Health On The Hill: After The Summit
A health care summit between President Obama, Republicans and Democrats ended with the president laying out some areas of consensus between the two parties but many disagreements remain.
Health On The Hill: After The Summit
A health care summit between President Obama, Republicans and Democrats ended with the president laying out some areas of consensus between the two parties but many disagreements remain.
Health Care Summit – Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill. and Closing Remarks
Towards the end of the health summit, Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., urged the Democrats to start over on health reform. In wrapping up, President Barack Obama rejected that notion, saying “we cannot have another year-long debate about this.”
Transcript: White House Health Summit, Morning Session
The White House released the first set of this morning’s remarks from the health care summit convened by President Barack Obama.
Health Care Summit – Exchange Between Rep. Eric Cantor and President Obama
In this video, Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., and President Obama discuss elements of health care reform during the White House health care summit.
Health Care Summit – Excerpts of Opening Remarks
This video highlights President Obama’s opening remarks at the White House health care summit.
Democrats Face Internal Battles Over Health Care
Democrats can’t use reconciliation to pass a bill until they end disputes within their own ranks.
Health Care No Stranger To Congressional Budget Reconciliation Process
To get health reform passed, Democrats could use a process called budget reconciliation, which allows them to advance the bill with a simple majority. Republicans say the process was not designed for such a large bill, but reconciliation has often been used to move major health policy.
The Antitrust Exemption For Health Insurers: Meaningful Or Not?
With comprehensive health care legislation foundering, House Democrats are turning to a narrower piece of legislation they hope has populist appeal: repealing the antitrust exemption for health and medical liability insurers. Policy makers disagree on the effect the repeal would have.
Analysis: Health Lobbyists’ Powerful Impact On Reform Bills
A Center for Public Integrity analysis shows that more than 1,750 a diverse list of companies and organizations hired about 4,525 lobbyists to influence health reform bills in 2009.
State Regulators Criticize Obama Plan To Create Federal Authority Over Health Insurance Rates
Three veteran state insurance commissioners said they’d welcome federal advisory help, but draw the line at giving the government authority over rates, a power they say states should retain exclusively.
Just days before a bipartisan White House summit on health care, President Obama unveiled a proposal that closely tracks the Senate-passed health legislation with some modifications.
Health On The Hill – February 22, 2010
Just days before a bipartisan White House summit on health care, President Obama unveiled a proposal that closely tracks the Senate-passed health legislation with some modifications.
Full Text: Obama’s Health Care Proposal
Read the full text of President Obama’s health care proposal, which he will bring to his Thursday health ‘summit’ with Congressional leaders.
Health On The Hill – February 16, 2010
President Obama has scheduled a bipartisan summit for Feb. 25 to discuss ways to pass health care overhaul legislation this year. On Capitol Hill, Democratic leaders in both chambers are trying to resolve differences between House and Senate-passed health care bills and make progress on the issue once lawmakers return from the President’s Day recess.
The Health Reform That Scares Both Parties
Twenty-seven years ago, President Ronald Reagan and a Congress split between Republican and Democratic control agreed to a radical new payment scheme for Medicare. The resulting legislation trimmed billions of dollars from the federal budget and caused medical inflation to plummet, yet still maintained quality of care.
Will Health Care Savings Be Used To Reduce The Deficit?
As health care legislation falters, health groups worry that proposed spending cutbacks might be used to narrow the budget gap, not expand coverage.
Republicans Spurn Once-Favored Health Mandate
The last time Congress debated a health overhaul, when Bill Clinton was president, several senators who now oppose an individual mandate actually supported a bill that would have required it. In fact, says Len Nichols of the New America Foundation, the individual mandate was originally a Republican idea.
Too many Democrats seem not to grasp the choice before them – the legislation simply has too much to offer to believe for a minute that doing nothing is the better choice.
