Medill Reports presents a story on community health centers in Chicago that try to fill access-to-care gaps for people too sick to get health care coverage or too poor to afford other care. “Community health centers … are private, non-profit operations that fill a gap between for-profit health systems and free public health clinics…
The Senate is set to vote Wednesday on a jobs bill that would extend the COBRA subsidy program and Medicaid funding for states and prevent a Medicare reimbursement cut for doctors. The Associated Press: The bill “extends health insurance subsidies for the unemployed through December. It would add $132 billion to the budget deficit over the next year and a half. …
Politico: “When Mitch McConnell speaks these days, he expects House Blue Dogs to be listening…
President Obama is delivering his “closing argument” for health care reform in St. Louis today as Democratic leaders strategize on moving the bill through the House and Senate.The Associated Press: “Obama is to speak Wednesday at St. Charles High School, his second health care address in three days…
Congressional Deals: Watching The Sausage Making Politico Legislators need pork to make things happen, especially in an age when chronic obstruction has so weakened the legislative process that policy breakthroughs are almost impossible. This does not excuse all kinds of deal making, nor should we ignore that deals sometimes go too far (Julian E. Zelizer, 3/10)…
News outlets report on new trends in health insurance for employers. The Washington Post: “Most big employers plan to shift a larger share of health-care costs to their workers next year, according to a survey to be released Thursday. …
Medill Reports: “Unless federal legislation closes the Medicare coverage gap colloquially known as the ‘doughnut hole,’ seniors may opt for online drug imports to alleviate steep prescription costs. … ‘As seniors start falling into the doughnut hole, they are going online to find deals on prescription drugs, whether they’re based in the U.S…
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spent $6.3 million lobbying Congress and other government arms on health care in the fourth quarter of 2009, The Associated Press reports. PhRMA “spent just 2 percent more than the $6.17 million it paid out for lobbying in the year-ago period. The group’s members include drug giants Pfizer Inc., Merck & Co…
Congressional Democrats, reportedly closing in on a final health reform agreement, are seeking to alleviate concerns of reluctant members. The Associated Press: “It will come down to a phenomenal effort by congressional leaders and the White House to win over skittish lawmakers after a year of incendiary debate …
On Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said lawmakers are focusing on resolving issues that fall outside the scope of the budget reconciliation bill — legislation Democrats are drafting that would include changes to the Senate health reform bill (HR 3590), CQ Today reports…
The Trouble With ‘Reconciliation’ The Wall Street Journal House Democrats would be foolish to trust a process that has deeply alienated the American public. Republicans know that and are determined to make House Democrats think hard about the price they will pay for passing this health-care monstrosity (Karl Rove, 3/11)…
The New York Times: “The General Assembly became the first state legislature to approve a measure that bucks any effort by President Obama and Congress to carry out a national health care overhaul in individual states.” Numerous Democrats joined the Republican majority to support the measure 80-17 in the House of Delegates (3/10)…
Kentucky’s Jewish Hospital and St. Mary’s HealthCare is eliminating 500 jobs this month. The layoffs represent the first large-scale cuts in a Louisville-area hospital system since the recession began. Louisville Courier-Journal: The cuts come because of “lower patient volume and a growing number of uninsured patients brought on by the lingering recession…
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius “pleaded with insurance companies on Wednesday to scrap their campaign against President Obama’s health care bill and to work with the White House to pass it,” The New York Times reports. “Speaking at the annual policy conference of America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade group, Ms…
The following summarizes selected women’s health-related videos. Uncertainty Surrounds ‘Stupak Dozen’: On Wednesday, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow challenged Rep. Bart Stupak’s (D-Mich.) claim that he has about twelve lawmakers who will vote against the Senate health reform bill if it doesn’t include more restrictions on abortion coverage…
Lawmakers weigh in on the health care overhaul debate. The Associated Press/The Washington Times: Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., “insisted Tuesday she remained opposed to pushing a health care bill through the Senate with a simple majority vote, despite saying she wanted to see what was in the legislation…
Stephan Payne protested abuses by health insurance companies and pushed for health care reform during a rally Tuesday. The rally was organized by Health Care for America Now and coincided with an annual conference for health insurance executives in D.C…
Politico: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer “said Tuesday that the abortion fight ‘has to be resolved.’ The majority leader expressed confidence that the issue would be wrapped up, but he also cautioned reporters that he had not had any formal negotiations with Rep. Bart Stupak, the Michigan Democrat who authored the House abortion restrictions. …
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday pledged to work with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) to resolve the dispute over abortion-coverage language in the Senate health reform bill (HR 3590), CQ Today reports. Hoyer said the issue “has to be resolved,” adding, “I think it will be resolved one way or the other, and the bill will be passed…
The Boston Globe: “A group of Massachusetts mayors, fed up with what they say is legislative inaction on skyrocketing municipal health care costs, has launched a ballot initiative for 2012 aimed at giving cities and towns more flexibility in reducing expensive benefits for employees, retirees, and elected officials” (Murphy, 3/10)…
In his latest Kaiser Health News column, James Capretta writes: “President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress continue to insist that the push for health care reform is far from over…
President Obama on Wednesday criticized Republican senators for using legislative tactics to delay confirmation votes on several nominees for reasons unrelated to their qualifications, the Washington Post reports…
Stalled health care reform efforts have created several unresolved issues, some of which related to Medicare and Medicaid. The Hill: “Medicare beneficiaries face a steep cliff in their coverage for physical therapy and similar treatments due to Congress’s failure to enact a healthcare reform bill. On Jan…
A new report by federal actuaries shows government programs will pay for more than half of all U.S. health care spending by 2012, and that total spending on health grew as a share of the economy by 1.1 percent last year to 17.3 percent, the largest leap ever, the Los Angeles Times reports. “The almost $2…
Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), released the following statement today in response to new health spending projections released by CMS which found that health care’s share of the economy grew 1…
