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HEALTH REFORM PASSED – Politico Pulse
After more than a year of debate, the House sent sweeping health care reform legislation to President Obama’s desk last night. The president will likely sign the legislation Tuesday – it takes a day to make its way up Pennsylvania Avenue – so that the Senate can begin debate on the reconciliation bill. Senate Democrats and Republicans are scheduled to sit down together with the parliamentarian today to review a list of potential items that could be subject to the Byrd Rule – a step that precedes the consideration of a reconciliation bill. If that goes smoothly, insiders expect two days of debate and two days of votes on amendments, which would bring Senate action to an end by Friday or Saturday. But next to last night’s dramatic House vote, whatever comes next will surely feel anti-climactic. With Carrie Budoff Brown
ROLL CALL ON THE SENATE BILL, 219-212: http://bit.ly/9AMIm4
ROLL CALL ON RECONCILIATION, 220-211: http://bit.ly/bTAQb6
"House Approves Health Overhaul, Sending Landmark Bill to Obama" – NYT’s Robert Pear and David Herszenhorn report: “House Democrats approved a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s health system on Sunday, voting over unanimous Republican opposition to provide medical coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans after an epic political battle that could define the differences between the parties for years.” http://nyti.ms/cByaWh
"House passes landmark health bill" – POLITICO’s Patrick O’Connor reports: “Democrats in the House of Representatives achieved a legislative landmark Sunday night that has eluded generations of lawmakers before them – reshaping the American health care system to extend insurance coverage to nearly 32 million people and halt industry practices that discriminate against the sick.” http://bit.ly/aOX0pq
"House passes health-care reform bill without Republican votes" – WaPo’s Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery report: “House Democrats scored a historic victory in the century-long battle to reform the nation's health-care system late Sunday night, winning final approval of legislation that expands coverage to 32 million people and attempts to contain spiraling costs.” http://bit.ly/bzmFFM
"House Passes Historic Health Bill" – WSJ’s Greg Hitt and Janet Adamy report: “The biggest transformation of the U.S. health system in decades won approval on Capitol Hill late Sunday, the culmination of efforts by generations of Democrats to achieve near-universal health coverage.” http://bit.ly/b4RX8o
"House delivers health care victory for President Obama" – USA Today’s Richard Wolf and John Fritze report: “Congress completed action Sunday night on the major portion of President Obama's top priority, a historic restructuring of the nation's health care system that has eluded his predecessors for more than a century.” http://bit.ly/a2VOyZ
HOW THE POLITICS ARE PLAYING:
"Huge win for Barack Obama, but split decision for House Democrats" – POLITICO’s Glenn Thrush and Carol Lee report: “It’s hard to overestimate the magnitude of President Barack Obama’s historic victory on health care reform Sunday night – but the win was a split decision for Democrats, not a knockout. The victory, almost inconceivable a month ago, provides an immense and immediate boost for Obama, who had staked his presidency on an all-out push for reform, and who needs the momentum from the win to have any hope of pushing through two other legislative goals this year, financial regulatory reform and new jobs legislation. But House Democrats, who have endured months of draining debate and attacks from tea party activists, including a derisive serenade from a group of protestors on patch of grass outside the chamber Sunday, were more relieved than overjoyed –and many may have been casting votes, on a warm spring night, for their own political extinction.” http://bit.ly/crHNJt
"Big Win for Obama, but at What Cost?" – NYT’s David Sanger reports: “The House’s passage of health care legislation late Sunday night assures that whatever the ultimate cost, President Obama will go down in history as one of the handful of presidents who found a way to reshape the nation’s social welfare system. … Whether it was a historic achievement or political suicide for his party — perhaps both — he succeeded where President Bill Clinton failed in trying to remake American health care. President George W. Bush also failed to enact a landmark change in a domestic program, his second-term effort to create private accounts in the Social Security system.” http://nyti.ms/9CwTb9
"Now, the Campaigning Begins" – WSJ’s Jonathan Weisman and Laura Meckler report: “Sunday's House vote on health care may well have saved Barack Obama's presidency, but a year of caustic debate has revived a fundamental argument over the reach of government, and possibly turned the sweeping legislation into a new dividing line in U.S. politics. Democrats, including the president, acknowledge they pushed many of the party's most vulnerable House members into a tough vote. But they believe the yearlong fight, which has already taken a political toll, will yield a substantial legislative achievement to take to voters this fall—and one, they say, that will bring immediate benefits to many Americans.” Subscription: http://bit.ly/bcQi7H
CLEAN-UP IN THE SENATE – WaPo’s Paul Kane reports: “20 hours of debate will begin Tuesday, according to senior Democratic and Republican aides, concluding Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Republicans expect to object to provisions that they think violate rules that require all reconciliation legislation to deal with federal revenue. Using the parliamentarian, Alan Frumin, as his guide, Vice President Biden, in his capacity as Senate president, will issue rulings on these points of order. If Republicans do not approve of Frumin's advice, they can try to override the ruling but that requires 60 votes, making it almost impossible for them to succeed, because they have 41 members in their caucus. If Frumin sides with Republicans on a particular provision, it would be dropped from the amendments bill -- unless Democrats can find 60 votes to override the ruling. That would be unlikely, given the unified opposition of Republicans to the Democratic bill. Such a ruling would not doom the legislation, but it would force the Senate to return the measure to the House for another vote. During debate, Republicans are allowed to offer an unlimited number of amendments, but those are set aside for a voting marathon after the debate. Senior aides expect the ‘Vote-a-Rama’ to begin Thursday, and Republicans expect to force only enough votes to last through Saturday at the latest.” Click for Kane’s fantastic anecdotal lede. http://bit.ly/ayvJak
GOP'S BEST SHOT – Roll Call’s David Drucker and Emily Pierce report: “The Republicans’ best shot at gumming up the works is to find a budget point of order against the bill. And despite Senate Democrats’ public assurances to House Democrats to the contrary, they privately are conceding that the GOP has a decent shot of finding something that will have to be axed from the bill. If any provision violates the strict reconciliation rules that — among other things — require every provision to have a budgetary impact, it will be automatically stricken from the bill, unless there are 60 votes to retain it. There are only 59 Members of the Senate Democratic Conference. … Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has said that Democrats would be asked to defeat any and all amendments, even ones they might support, in an effort to pass the bill, unchanged, and get it to the president’s desk.” http://bit.ly/bW9eh4
OBAMA'S DEFT TOUCH – Roll Call’s Jennifer Bendery reports: “He may not always get his way, but more often than not, President Barack Obama seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to persuading Members of Congress to get on board with his agenda. According to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), proof of the effectiveness of Obama’s face-to-face lobbying can be summed up in two words: Dennis Kucinich.” http://bit.ly/bSeunx
Federal Health Care Reform News - March 18, 2010
Democrats Hunt Votes for Deal on Health - The Wall Street Journal
Democrats inched closer to building a majority that could pass a monumental restructuring of the health-care system, with two key House members announcing plans to...READ MORE
Democrats yet to decide on health-care bill bear the weight of Washington - The Washington Post
Rep. Jason Altmire has met with President Obama twice this month and received a phone call from Air Force One. Two planes circled his western Pennsylvania district, trailing banners urging him to vote...READ MORE
Kucinich's health-care vote could be Obama's lucky charm - The Washington Post
According to legend, if you catch a leprechaun in the forest, the little creature must grant you three wishes. Our Kenyan Hawaiian commander in chief evidently has the luck of the Irish, because, just in time for St. Patrick's Day, President Obama bagged himself a leprechaun...READ MORE
Pelosi's biggest test - Politico
As President Barack Obama left a St. Patrick’s Day luncheon at the Capitol on Wednesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi walked beside him, speaking softly.
When the two came upon a Democrat who hasn’t committed to voting yes...READ MORE
GOP plots Senate health roadblock - Politico
Democrats might like to think that health care reform is all but a done deal if it clears the House, but the Senate is where...READ MORE
Obama dismisses procedural tactics - The Washington Times
President Obama on Wednesday said he's confident Congress will approve his health-care overhaul but sidestepped questions in an interview with Fox News about the...READ MORE
Democrats: Vote your conscience on health care - The Washington Post
Dear wavering House Democrats,
I feel your pain. Eighteen years ago, I was elected on the coattails of a popular young Democratic president who promised a post-partisan Washington. A year later, with partisan gridlock capturing...READ MORE
On health care, listen to the nuns - The Washington Post
One of the tragedies of the viciously politicized battle over health-care reform is the defection of the nation's Roman Catholic bishops from a cause they have championed for decades.
Indifferent to political fashions, the bishops were...READ MORE
Rep. Kucinich to vote yes on healthcare bill, giving needed boost to Democrats - The Hill
Maverick liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich announced Wednesday he will vote in favor of healthcare reform, handing Democrats a crucial vote.
The Ohio lawmaker and perennial left-wing presidential candidate made the announcement...READ MORE
Feinstein Insurance Reform Kicked Out Of Health Care Bill - The Huffington Post
The Senate parliamentarian told Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Wednesday afternoon that her proposal to create a National Insurance Rate Authority runs afoul of...READ MORE
Health Bill Will Reduce Deficit, Democrat Says, Citing Report - The New York Times
House Democrats, gearing up for a possible vote on Sunday to pass health care legislation, pledged that the details they were about to publish would...READ MORE
House Dems on track for vote on $940B health bill - Associated Press
House Democrats are pushing to the brink of passage a landmark, $940 billion health care overhaul bill that would deliver on President Barack Obama's promise to expand coverage while also...READ MORE
Leading a revolt against President Barack Obama’s healthcare legislation over abortion has been a “living hell” for Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.).
The telephone lines in his Washington and district offices have been “jammed” and he’s gotten more than...READ MORE
House Democrats who oppose Senate health bill - CNN
Democrats need yes votes from 216 of their 253 members in the House of Representatives to pass the Senate's health care bill, which contains provisions that weren't in the House bill. Here is a look at House Democrats who say they'll vote against the Senate bill and those who say they'll oppose it without significant changes and how they voted on the House's version of the bill. The remaining members who voted against the House bill are either uncommitted on the Senate bill or have declined to respond to repeated inquiries.
Total Democratic "no" votes needed to kill the bill: 38
Total Democratic "no" votes as of March 16, 2010: 27
To see a detailed list of Legislators and how they will vote, click here.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Report: Myth and Fact: White House Misinformation on Health Care Bill
The White House has posted a document on their web site about the "President's Proposal" for health reform - which is, in actuality, a proposal for the House to pass the same bill that the Senate passed on Christmas Eve, and then for the Senate to pass a "fixer" bill using the nuclear option, budget reconcilliation, with 51 votes. The White House document, entitled "The Truth About Health Reform," made a number of claims abou this proposal, many of which are questionable at best. Below is an analysis by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce of the veracity of this document. READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - March 15, 2010
Obama seeks to reassure seniors on health care - Associated Press
With a fresh sense of urgency, President Barack Obama sought to reassure seniors Monday about health care legislation approaching a final vote in Congress, pledging it would make preventive care...READ MORE
White House Seems to Have New Policy On “Special Deals” in Health Care Reform Bill - ABC News
President Obama has decried deals such as the so-called “Cornhusker Kickback,” wherein the federal government would foot the bill for Nebraska’s Medicaid expansion, inserted to secure...READ MORE
The Anti-Jobs Bill; Obamacare would badly undermine America’s economic prospects - WeeklyStandard.com
After a year of debate and legislative scheming, President Obama and congressional Democrats are making one last push for their ill-conceived health care plan. Fittingly, the endgame is as unseemly as the...READ MORE
Obama's health care legacy hangs on 216 House votes - McClatchy
The looming vote for final passage of the historic health-care bill is the stiffest challenge House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn has faced in his three-plus years as the lawmaker responsible for...READ MORE
New Health Care Whip Count – 191 Yes, 202 No - FDL
Just a brief word on the church of the savvy smugly saying that whip counts efforts like this are misguided because of all the “wiggle room.”...READ MORE
Oberstar says he'll vote for health care bill - Post-Bulletin
Congress will pass a health-care bill in the next two weeks, U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar's predicted Saturday.
And that Senate health-care bill headed for a...READ MORE
Editorial: On health-care vote, lawmakers should pay heed to the people - The Columbus Dispatch
The Obama administration and Democratic leaders in Congress are pushing Democratic members of the House to pass the Senate health-care overhaul in the next week or two and to trust the Senate to...READ MORE
New MoveOn Ad Asks Dems: “Which Side Of History Will YOU Be On?” - The Plum Line
The air cover from the left is now gearing up in earnest, and MoveOn is set to unleash a national ad pressing House Dems to support health reform by suggesting that...READ MORE
WHIP COUNT: House Democrats' positions on the healthcare reform bill - The Hill
The Hill's survey/tracking of House Democrats' positions on healthcare reform legislation.
UPDATED: 3/15/10 at 2:16 p.m...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - March 13, 2010
To Control Health Care Costs, Trace the Spending - The New York TimesIn last week’s post on fraud in our health system, I did not assert that there is little fraud that system. Rather, I stated that, based on my tenure on the boards of both...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - Afternoon of March 10, 2010
Bruce Josten speaking on Fox News
Bruce explains why the US Chamber is now launching a campaign on federal health care reform. View Video
New Health Care Whip Count: 191 Yes, 195 No And a Major Update - FDL
My last whip count can be found here. Since then, in the absence of language, we’ve had few changes:
Charlie Melancon, a Blue Dog who is leaving the House for an...READ MORE
New Health Care Whip Count: 192 Yes, 194 No - FDL
Some changes from our last whip count Tuesday morning:
I hadn’t noticed Health Shuler’s strong lean against reconciliation back in February. I’d like to see something updated, but...READ MORE
Another House Dem Confirms He’ll Vote No On Senate Bill - The Plum Line (Greg Sargent's blog)
Okay, I’ve got some more news on the whip count front this morning, some of it good for Dems, some of it bad.
First up: Dem Rep Jim Marshall, a prominent Blue Dog who voted No last time but was believed to be open to...READ MORE
Hatch defends Obama's judge pick - Politico Live Pulse
Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch defended President Obama's nomination of Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson's brother to the federal bunch -- shooting down Republican suggestions that the president was...READ MORE
Some Republicans criticize judge pick - Politico
With Democrats scrambling to find enough votes to pass health care reform, Republicans are looking for the next legislative deal to...READ MORE
Jim Matheson says Obama not trying to buy his health care reform vote - Deseret News
Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, is furious that some Republicans and bloggers suggest that President Barack Obama is trying to buy his vote on health care reform by...READ MORE
Lefty Groups Planning Massive TV Ad Push In Health Reform’s Final Stretch - The Plum Line (Greg Sargent's blog)
Lefty groups to vulnerable House Dems: Hang tight, the air cover is coming!
Major liberal groups and labor unions allied with the White House are planning a massive TV ad push in coming days to get health reform across...READ MORE
Today, on the floor of the United States Senate, the second highest ranking Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois said: “Anyone who would stand before you...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - March 8, 2010
Pollster.com: Polls and Charts
Compiliation of many polls regarding Health Care Plan. READ MORE
Massa Hints He Could Rescind Resignation - Roll Call
Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) suggested on a New York radio station Sunday that he could rescind his resignation — scheduled to take effect at 5 p.m. Monday — after asserting that an ethics investigation into allegations that he...READ MORE
In final push, Obama stresses reforms will rein in healthcare costs - The Hill
President Barack Obama said his healthcare plan takes into account "every single serious idea" on cost containment from...READ MORE
Vulnerable Dems Absent From Obama Speech - NationalJournal.com
As Pres. Obama makes his latest health care pitch, several Dems who will have to answer for the legislation didn't...READ MORE
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) is holding health care reform hostage over the issue of abortion. He says he can flip about a dozen...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - March 5, 2010
The President's Health Plan Won’t Cut the Budget Deficit - Kaiser Health News
One of the central arguments President Barack Obama has made on behalf of the health care plan he wants Congress to approve in...READ MORE
Rep. Gordon May Switch Health Care Vote To Yes - TPMDC
Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), who voted against the House health care bill last year, released a statement saying he is pleased with...READ MORE
How Pelosi will game the Stupak 12 - The Washington Post, Post Partisan
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) has warned that he and other pro-life Democrats are ready to kill health-care legislation unless the pro-abortion provisions enacted by the Senate are removed. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi must win their...READ MORE
Can The President's Health Care Proposal Survive Reconciliation? - TPMDC
Assuming abortion doesn't kill health care reform, the other sine qua non of the process is the sidecar bill. House Democrats won't pass Senate health care legislation unless...READ MORE
McCain calls for new ‘Gang of 14’ to stop Obama push on healthcare - The Hill
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is seeking bipartisan support to block Senate Democrats from using...READ MORE
Dems have trouble with health care rifts - USA Today
Some oppose abortion, some are worried about premiums, and some have zeroed in on taxes. But House Democrats do have this in common: They're all being...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - Afternoon of March 4, 2010
Obama's division: Health care reform his way - UnionLeader.com
So it has come to this. Ignoring the will of the American people as expressed through dozens of polls, public demonstrations and the voices of...READ MORE
Some Small Businesses See Burden In "Cadillac" Tax - Kaiser Health News
Ellen Warner and her husband Mark run a small online store out of the basement of their home in Cumming, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta. The Alzheimer's Store, which sells products for people with dementia and their caregivers, is a mom-and-pop operation that at...READ MORE
White House: March 18 goal for House vote on Senate healthcare bill - The Hill
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday the White House hopes to see the House approve the healthcare bill by March 18, the first day of the NCAA college basketball tournament and just before President Barack Obama leaves...READ MORE
Gregg suggests Obama may renege on fixing Senate health bill - The Hill
The White House may renege on passing fixes to the Senate's healthcare bill once the House has passed it, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) claimed Thursday.
Gregg, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, suggested that President Barack Obama may back off...READ MORE
Another House Dem A “No” On Senate Bill; A Previous “Yes” Now Undecided - The Plum Line
Okay, a bit more bad news for the prospects of passing the Senate bill out of the House.
Rep Frank Kratovil of Maryland, a previous No vote who was now said to be undecided, will vote No on the...READ MORE
What Exactly Is Holding Up Health-Care Reform? MIT's Gruber's Answer: Actuarial Value - Sarah Kliff Blog
I have been following the health-care debate for much longer than I thought it would be possible, watching more C-Span than I had ever desired or thought possible. And, sometimes, I cannot help but wonder (cue Carrie Bradshaw voice-over here): What exactly are the House and the Senate fighting over? Why won’t the House just pass the...READ MORE
On Wednesday President Barack Obama laid out in stark terms his belief that the time for talking about health care was over and the time for voting...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - March 4, 2010
President Obama's Final Push For Health Care Reform - PBS Nightly Business Report (transcript)
SUSIE GHARIB: President Obama said today it's time to act on healthcare. Tom, he wants Congress to put aside politics and just vote for reform.
TOM HUDSON: The president making this latest big push in a big speech from the White House today Susie and to show that his trillion dollar bill...READ MORE
President Launches Last Push on Health-Care Overhaul - The Wall Street Journal
President Barack Obama opened the final act of a year-long drama over health-care legislation Wednesday, calling on Democrats in Congress to approve...READ MORE
Obama tries to remain calm during political storm - The Washington Post
The president who so famously rejects drama and derides political theater walked into the East Room at 1:45 p.m. during one of the wildest...READ MORE
Obama Calls for ‘Up or Down Vote’ on Health Care Bill - The New York Times
President Obama, beginning his final push for a health care overhaul, called Wednesday for Congress to allow an “up or down vote” on the measure, and sketched out an...READ MORE
Exclusive: GOP To Unleash Huge Wave Of Robocalls Warning Of Dem Plot To “Ram” Health Reform Through - The Plum Line
National Repubicans are planning to unleash a huge wave of robocalls tomorrow targeting dozens of House Dems and warning their constituents that Obama and Nancy Pelosi are plotting...READ MORE
Dem Only Health Bill Push Would Be Reckless - Real Clear Politics
You there! Congressman! Come out from behind that tree! The speaker of the House has wonderful plans for you, involving the very sharp sword she says you're going to...READ MORE
Paul Ryan v. the President - The Wall Street Journal
'Every argument has been made. Everything that there is to say about health care has been said, and just about everybody has said it," President Obama declared yesterday as he urged Democrats to steamroll...READ MORE
The Democrats’ Choice - The New York Times Editorial
Republicans’ lock-step opposition to comprehensive health care reform seems to be as much a matter of politics as principle. But either way, they have made clear that there is no...READ MORE
Health care bill rekindles abortion battle - The Washington Times
The abortion battle that riddled the health care overhaul debate is finding new life amid a once-overlooked provision to...READ MORE
Obama throws down gauntlet on health care - The Washington Times
President Obama declared the health care debate over on Wednesday and urged congressional Democrats to take the politically risky step...READ MORE
Obama’s Path on Health-Care Bill May Face ‘War’ in Congress - Bloomberg.com
When Republicans used a legislative maneuver called budget reconciliation in 1995 in a bid to wipe out the U.S. deficit and transfer some...READ MORE
DESPITE President Obama’s letter on Tuesday offering to consider several Republican health-care provisions, hope for bipartisan progress on the issue has quickly faded. Republicans have already dismissed...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - March 3, 2010
Leading Democrats confident they have the votes on healthcare - The Hill
Top Democrats expressed confidence on Wednesday that they have the votes to move forward with healthcare legislation.
Three members of the House Democratic leadership sent...READ MORE
Top Dems looking to Obama for health care momentum - Associated Press
President Barack Obama is urging Congress to finally push through his massive health care overhaul, freshening it with a handful of Republican ideas in a...READ MORE
Health care industry sick with medical waste - CNN Health
In a home office, slipped inside file cabinets and stacked on top of workspaces, Cindy Holtzman has amassed a collection of "medical waste." She's not hoarding used syringes or...READ MORE
Health care, jobs are linked - The Philadelphia Inquirer
The health-care debate in Washington is now in its 11th month, and yet it has rarely focused on the huge economic burden the...READ MORE
Could price tags save American health care? - TIME
A big part of the reason consumer goods are so cheap in the U.S. is because people always know what they're paying. As a consequence,...READ MORE
Coverage switch urged for localities - boston.com
Cities and towns would save tens of millions of dollars in health care costs for employees, retirees, and elected officials by joining the state’s much larger, more flexible...READ MORE
Democrats Chase Health Votes - The Wall Street Journal
At least a half-dozen House Democrats who voted against the health-care bill say they are now undecided, and President Barack Obama says he is...READ MORE
Who blinks first? Dems can’t agree - The Hill
Lawmakers are at an impasse over who should go first, and a lack of trust between Democrats in both chambers threatens to derail the effort in the final stretch. This is complicating an...READ MORE
'Blue Dog' Democrats need to act now on health care - The Washington Post Editorials
HOUSE SPEAKER Nancy Pelosi, seeking to rally her caucus to approve health-care reform, reminded wavering members in an interview on ABC Sunday, "We're not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress. We're here to do the job for the American people." A noble sentiment, and one we wish...READ MORE
President Obama to Say Democrats Will Use Reconciliation to Pass Senate Health Care Reform Fix, If Not Given Up or Down Vote - ABC News
White House officials tell ABC News that in his remarks tomorrow President Obama will indicate a willingness to work with Republicans on some issue to get a health care...READ MORE
Obama Offers to Use Some G.O.P. Health Proposals - The New York Times
President Obama offered Tuesday to address some of the concerns expressed by Republicans in the health care debate as the two parties...READ MORE
As Democrats seek to push through health bill, Obama reaches out to Republicans - The Washington Post
As Democrats on Capitol Hill prepared a risky effort to muscle sweeping health-care legislation to final passage, President Obama on Tuesday made a last gambit...READ MORE
Democrats Eye Health Care Finish - Roll Call
With President Barack Obama poised today to roll out his final strategy for passing health care reform, House and Senate Democrats are scrambling to put the finishing touches on their endgame, trying to make sure...READ MORE
Travis Ulerick could see it coming a year ago.
After introducing President Obama at a White House summit on health care last March 5, the young firefighter from Dublin, Ind., sat behind Obama in...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - March 2, 2010
Lieberman: Health care reform will pass - NorwichBulletin.com
U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, I-Conn., believes a version of health care reform will get through Congress this year, and that states should not count on a...READ MORE
Obama open to adding GOP ideas to health plan - Associated Press
President Barack Obama said Tuesday he was open to four new Republican proposals on health care legislation, in a gesture of...READ MORE
Hoyer: There is no scaled-back health bill - The Hill
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) says there is no truth to reports that President Barack Obama will press Congress...READ MORE
Nelson defends Senate health bill, signals strong backing for reform - The Hill
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), who withheld his support for the Senate-passed healthcare reform bill until practically the last minute, strongly hinted that...READ MORE
Bayh: Dems counting on health bill's popularity rebounding by elections - The Hill
Democrats are betting on a rebound in popularity for their healthcare bill going into this...READ MORE
Weiner: Obama's health bill won't be as good as House bill - The Hill
President Barack Obama's healthcare bill may disappoint ardent supporters of the House bill, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) predicted Tuesday.
Weiner, who had been an ardent supporter of the public option, said the bill...READ MORE
President Obama Tells Congressional Leaders of GOP Ideas He's Willing to Add to Health Care Reform Legislation - ABC News
In a letter to the Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress delivered to Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon, President Obama signaled that his mind is open to...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - Evening of March 1, 2010
Warren Buffet says, Start Over: ("Congress should first and foremost focus on reducing health care costs")
Click here to view the video. (1:47)
Unions safeguard health benefits - boston.com
It was the spring of 2009, and Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, staring at a $1 million shortfall for her city, had an idea: What if she could get...READ MORE
Dems' Health Strategy Doesn't Add Up to a Win - Rasmussen Reports
"More talk, no deal" was The Wall Street Journal's headline on Thursday's Blair House health care summit. "After summit flop, Democrats prepare to go it...READ MORE
A lot of attention has been devoted to the Senate in recent months, but as we approach make-or-break time in the health-care debate it has...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - March 1, 2010
One Health Care Issue Both Parties Agree On - npr
If you listened carefully to the White House summit on health care last week, you could hear, among all the disagreements, a few points of agreement. One of those agreements is on something called...READ MORE
Obama Faces Friction Among House Democrats Over Health Plan - Bloomberg
President Barack Obama, taking charge of health-care legislation, is facing resistance from lawmakers in his...READ MORE
Democrats weeks away from last chance to pass healthcare reform - The Hill
With President Barack Obama’s bipartisan healthcare reform summit out of the way, Democrats now face the...READ MORE
White House OK on health care with or without GOP - Associated Press
The White House's top health care official is optimistic that Democrats will have the votes to pass a major health care overhaul.
Presidential adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle says it makes sense to have a...READ MORE
Top Pelosi aide: House Dems "reasonably confident" they can pass a reconciliation package - Politico Live Pulse
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today that Democrats would pursue a "simple majority" strategy and her chief of staff reinforced...READ MORE
Pelosi Says She’ll Get Votes Needed for Health Bill - The New York Times
Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she is confident she will be able to get the votes needed to pass sweeping health care legislation in the House, even if it...READ MORE
Democrats will have votes for health bill, Obama aide says - The Washington Post
Raising the prospect of a "simple up-or-down vote" on health-care reform, White House adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle said on Sunday she thinks Democrats will secure enough...READ MORE
Democrats Ready to Flex Majority Muscle - Roll Call
The games are over.
With President Barack Obama’s bipartisan health care summit now a thing of the past, House Democratic leaders are ready to play hardball and charge...READ MORE
Conrad: Reconciliation can't be used for comprehensive reform - Politico
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) threw cold water on the idea of using the reconciliation process Sunday during...READ MORE
Hoyer: House will go first on health bill - The Hill
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Sunday that the House must pass the Senate bill before fixes to...READ MORE
Pelosi Confident on Health Vote - The Wall Street Journal
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday expressed confidence she will have enough votes to pass a health overhaul, but acknowledged it could come at a...READ MORE
Pelosi: Bill will be bipartisan even without GOP votes - Politico
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she doesn't need Republican votes to claim a bipartisan win on health care.
"The bill can be bipartisan, even though the votes might not be bipartisan," Pelosi said in a taped interview airing...READ MORE
Lamar Alexander: Health Care Bill A 'Political Kamikaze Mission' - The Huffington Post
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said on Sunday that if Democrats push health care through under the majority only process known as reconciliation, it will be...READ MORE
“Hands off my health care,” goes one strain of populist sentiment. But what if? Suppose Congress and President Obama fail to overhaul the system now, or just tinker...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - February 20, 2010
Obama Summit Raises Stakes in Health-Care Roulette - The Wall Street Journal
Next week's health summit offers perhaps the last chance for President Barack Obama to kick-start his languishing legislation. It will also put Republicans...READ MORE
Obama Invites G.O.P. Lawmakers’ Health Care Ideas - The New York Times
Days before a high-profile summit meeting that could determine the future of his health care overhaul, President Obama made an impassioned appeal for the...READ MORE
Residents of this struggling tourist mecca vented their frustrations about health care at a town hall meeting Friday with President Obama, giving the president a fresh opportunity to make an impassioned plea for the...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - February 19, 2010
Fight Over Health-Care Premiums Heats Up - The Wall Street Journal
A firestorm between the Obama administration and health insurers escalated Thursday, as the Department of Health and Human Services pointed...READ MORE
Obama to Offer Health Bill to Ease Impasse as Bipartisan Meeting Approaches - The New York Times
President Obama will put forward comprehensive health care legislation intended to bridge differences between Senate and House Democrats ahead of a...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - Evening of February 18, 2010
Insurers push back on HHS premiums report - The Hill
The health insurance industry isn't taking attacks from the Obama administration lying down.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a report Thursday slamming...READ MORE
Dem says public option is 'within grasp' - The Hill
A liberal Democratic lawmaker on Thursday said that the public health insurance option could still be...READ MORE
HHS Warns of Double-Digit Spike in Health Premiums - The Associated Press
Consumers are facing budget-busting increases in medical insurance premiums, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday, releasing a report the Obama administration hopes...READ MORE
ICYMI: AHIP Statement on New Health Spending Projections - Campaign For An American Solution Health Care Reform Blog
Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), released the following statement today in response to new health spending projections...READ MORE
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AHIP recently sent a letter to Capitol Hill to highlight the key factors contributing to increases in health insurance premiums. These factors include:
- sharp increases in provider rates;
- increased cost-shifting as providers seek to offset the costs of treating more Medicaid patients;
- an increase in uncompensated care costs;
- consolidation among hospitals and other health care providers;
- a wide range of new state laws, including benefit mandates, regulations, and premium taxes; and
- economic factors that have caused some people to drop coverage resulting in a risk pool that is more heavily wieghted with older, less healthy persons.
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Federal Health Care Reform News - Evening of February 17, 2010
Medicare agency adds ex-Va. official, plans reorganization - The Hill
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has tapped a former top health official from Virginia for a senior leadership position and plans...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - Morning of February 18, 2010
Democrats May Not Have Health Plan Before Obama Summit Meeting - Bloomberg.com
President Barack Obama is preparing to release his own proposal to restart the health-care debate as Democratic lawmakers say they may be unable to...READ MORE
Technology, medical tests 'changing the face of health care' - USA Today
A boom in medical technology over the past decade or two has led to a surge in certain medical tests and increased...READ MORE
Public Option Support Surging in Senate - The Huffington Post
For leading the public option effort, Sen. Michael Bennett (D-Colo.) is under attack from conservative editorial boards and Republicans in Colorado.
In response, the groups helping organize...READ MORE
State by State: Counties rated highest and lowest in health - USA Today
Health Industry's Political Giving Rose 14% in '09 - USA Today
Pharmacists, optometrists and groups representing an array of medical specialists boosted their political giving in 2009, as Congress worked on...READ MORE
Lincoln faces rough road - The Wall Street Journal
Radio ads slamming Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln began airing in her state this week. But the ads weren't sponsored by...READ MORE
Report citied by Obama on hospitals is criticized - The New York Times
For much of the past year, President Obama lavished praise on a few select hospitals like the Mayo Clinic for delivering high-quality care at low costs, but a pointed analysis...READ MOREFederal Healthcare Reform News - February 17, 2010
Sebelius: Current bills will be starting point for health summit - CNN.com
President Obama plans to use the already-passed House and Senate bills as a starting point for next week's health care summit with...READ MORE
Mike Johanns: Start over with health care - JournalStar.com
President Barack Obama may be able to achieve meaningful health care reform this year if...READ MORE
GOP sees possible upside in health care summit - Associated Press
Congressional Republicans see a chance for political gain in President Barack Obama's televised health care summit next week, even though the president...READ MORE
Gibbs ducks questions on merged bill - Politico Live Pulse
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs ducked questions during the press briefing Tuesday on whether the president would post his own merged bill on...READ MORE
Poll: Most Americans think Congress should start over on healthcare - The Hill
In a brutal assessment of the Democratically authored healthcare reform bills pending in Congress and the party's approach to healthcare, more than half of the respondents to a new...READ MORE
Poll: Opinion Research - CNN
Interviews with 1,023 adult Americans, including 954 registered voters, conducted by telephone by Opinion Research Corporation on February 12 - 15, 2010. Questions are regarding the President and his handling of his job as well as questions regarding Congress. READ MORE
Senators urge Reid to revisit public option - Politico Live Pulse
Four Democratic senators — including two in tough reelection battles — sent a letter Tuesday to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) urging him...READ MORE
In their effort to overhaul the health system, President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats pressed hospitals, drug makers and other providers to accept billions of dollars in government...READ MORE
Federal Healthcare Reform News - February 13, 2010
White House sends out invites for health summit - Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- In a make or break move, President Barack Obama on Friday challenged three dozen Republicans and Democrats to participate in a one-of-a-kind televised summit this...READ MORE
White House to post health bill before Feb 25 meeting - Reuters
The Obama administration on Friday invited 12 Democratic members of Congress and nine Republicans to a February 25 conference on healthcare and said it would post its proposal for a legislative overhaul online before...READ MORE
61% Say Congress Should Start All Over Again on Health Care - Rasmussen Reports
President Obama this week called for a televised bipartisan summit to get his health care reform plan back on track, but 61% of U.S. voters say Congress should scrap that plan and start all over again.A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds just 28% who think it...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - February 5, 2010
The Dems Need a Shove. Will Obama Give It? - The New Republic
In the last week and a half, Obama has rediscovered his voice on health care--telling audiences he is determined to achieve comprehensive reform, not some piecemeal version, and that he is...READ MORE
Obama's Engagement On Health Care Has 'Dried Up': Dem Senator - The Huffington Post
Despite urging Democratic senators on Wednesday to forge ahead on health care reform, President Obama and his aides have been largely...READ MORE
Landrieu Defends 'Louisiana Purchase' in Health Reform - Roll Call
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) on Thursday took to the Senate floor to rebut critics of the “Louisiana Purchase,” a provision she lobbied to...READ MORE
Franken goes after Axelrod -- Obama lays out next step -- Antitrust bill to drop today -- Landrieu defends deal -- Glaxo chief says reform unlikely - Politico Live Pulse
IT'S FROZEN – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer returned from their White House meeting with President Obama Thursday without reporting any discernible progress on health reform. Perhaps the biggest clue to how things are going, or aren't going...READ MOREFederal Health Care Reform News - February 2, 2010
If health care dies, Obama's modest budget Plan B - Associated Press
President Barack Obama's modest health care budget may be a harbinger of what's ahead if his overhaul plan dies in Congress.
The budget released Monday contains lots of respectable ideas to squeeze savings, expand coverage and improve quality, but no ambitious change that launches the nation on...READ MORE
Obama's struggle with health-care reform echoes Clintons' failure in 1994 - The Washington Post
Obamacare in trouble? I've seen this story before. It may not end in the way the Clinton effort imploded in 1994. But a look back helps answer this question: How does health-care reform go from...READ MORE
States Restart Health-Care Push - The Wall Street Journal
With the fate of a national health care overhaul unclear, state legislators are pushing their own bills aimed at expanding coverage, though tight budgets...READ MORE
Medicare 'doc fix' may cost $200B - Politico
Doctors and seniors lobbying to stave off looming annual Medicare cuts have won a reprieve of sorts but are...READ MORE
O'Donnell: Reform is dead - Politico Live Pulse
Carrie and I have a story out today that looks at the parallels between the health care reform effort in 1994 and now. For the piece, I talked to Lawrence O'Donnell, who argued that reform is dead even...READ MORE
Big bang gives way to busted budget - Politico
President Barack Obama’s new $3.83 trillion budget is a chickens-come-home-to-roost moment for Democrats who skipped past...READ MORE
Obama 2011 budget request: Department of Health and Human Services - The Washington Post
Last year President Obama used his budget to lay the groundwork for comprehensive health-care reform, proposing a 10-year, $634 billion reserve fund as a "down payment" on universal coverage.
This year's blueprint does not include that money, though administration sources said...READ MORE
Health-Care Overhaul Still on Table - The Wall Street Journal
The Obama administration still foresees a major health-care overhaul in its 2011 budget, estimating that the cost of the legislation will...READ MORE
From Bruce Josten, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
EXCLUSIVE – OUT TODAY: a report entitled, “The Failure to Address the Costs of Defensive Medicine in Health Care Legislation,” by Rep. Darrell Issa, the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Its findings include: “Defensive medicine wastes as much as $210 billion annually. … In 2003, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that the federal government spends between $33.7 billion and $56.2 billion per year for malpractice coverage and the costs of defensive medicine. Committee staff inquired of HHS whether they had an updated figure, but staff was told by personnel in the Office of the Assistant Secretary Planning and Evaluation that the report in question involved medical malpractice litigation which ‘is not a priority with this Administration [the Obama Administration]’ so there is no further information on the topic. If Congress would take steps to place ‘reasonable limits on non-economic damages [it] would reduce the amount of taxpayers’ money the federal government spends by $28.1-$50.6 billion per year.’”Federal Health Care Reform News - January 27, 2010
Americans Want Obama to Spend More time on the Economy, Poll Finds - Wall Street Journal
On the eve of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, voters think the president should be spending more time on the economy.
According to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, 51% of Americans believe...READ MORE
Democrats Slam Brakes on Health Care Overhaul - New York Times
With no clear path forward on major health care legislation, Democratic leaders in Congress effectively slammed the brakes on President Obama’s top domestic priority on Tuesday, saying that they no longer felt pressure to move quickly on a...READ MORE
Democrat Reid says "no rush" on health bill - Reuters
Two Senate Democrats voiced opposition to the most likely strategy to move ahead on healthcare reform on Tuesday and the top Senate Democrat said there was no rush to find a way to pass the bill this year.
Democrats held a series of closed-door meetings to discuss a...READ MORE
Dems lack workable plan and retreat on health care - Associated Press
Democrats retreated Tuesday from a quick push to pass President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, lacking a workable strategy to salvage the sweeping legislation that has consumed Congress for more than a year."There is no rush," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said after a meeting of Senate Democrats. His comments came as two...READ MORE
Decision time looming for new Democratic healthcare strategy
01/23/10 - The Hill
As prospects for sweeping healthcare reform dim, Democrats say they expect to have a clearer view of what their options are in the coming days.
For now, the general consensus is for the party to calm down and think the matter through.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats should “let the dust settle” before making any decisions. Senior Senate Democrats such as Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.) urged lawmakers to take “a couple days to cool off.” And House Democrats such as Robert Andrews (N.J.), who chairs a healthcare subcommittee, predicted his leaders would decide on a strategy by the end of next week even as he said any new movement on legislation would “take awhile.”
“We have to know what our possibilities are and that means in both houses and with the White House,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a member of the leadership team, said deciding on the process should not take long. “That doesn't mean we're going to sit here and twiddle our thumbs for weeks and weeks and weeks, but it'll take a few days to figure out what the best solution is,” he said.
Democrats could be stalling as they confront the possibility of failure, but Pelosi and others refused to declare the effort finished.
“One way or another, those areas of agreement that we have will have to be advanced,” Pelosi said, “whether it’s by passing the Senate bill with any changes that can be made or just taking pieces of it. “
The victory of Republican Scott Brown over Democrat Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts Senate race has made it all but impossible for Senate Democrats to move another healthcare bill through their chamber. Pelosi said Thursday her members will not support the Senate-passed bill.
And despite talk of passing a scaled-down bill or breaking healthcare reform into small pieces, even those alternatives, favored by some House Democrats, would face the same 41-vote Republican filibuster in the Senate.
Obama has yet to make a strong public case for what he thinks the Congress should do next, beyond signaling a day after the special election that a smaller measure might be doable. But the message from the White House has been mixed as the president’s senior aides maintain he still wants to sign major healthcare reform legislation.
Obama could seize the moment during his State of the Union address Wednesday night and make a declaration that he will rededicate himself to getting his signature domestic policy initiative accomplished, a proclamation Democrats in Congress may find difficult — though not impossible — to completely ignore. Democratic lawmakers, however, said this week that Obama should make the economy his primary focus.
“Obviously, there’s not full coordination on all of this and I think we need to get that and have our thoughts together,” Rockefeller said.
A stronger guiding hand from Obama hardly guarantees rank-and-file Democrats will fall into line, said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif).
Obama’s “view is very important to everyone, but we have our view in the House and the Senate doesn’t necessarily go along with us,” Waxman said. “The Senate has its view and we don’t necessarily go along with them.”
There is an overarching sense among Democrats that they need to demonstrate to the public they are doing more to address the sagging economy and dismal unemployment situation. Adding to that pressure are polls showing only a minority of the public supports healthcare reform.
But labor unions and liberal interest groups such as MoveOn.org are pressuring Democrats not to retreat.
Even healthcare industry groups would not be unanimously pleased to see the bill go down after expending immense resources to shape it. Not only would they lose out on the chance to serve tens of millions of new paying customers and the possibility of a more stable and predictable healthcare system, they would have to worry the Medicare spending cuts in the bill will remain on the table even if plans to expand insurance coverage are taken off.
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Obama concedes health overhaul hit 'buzz saw' - Associated Press 1/23/10
President Barack Obama, two days after signaling retreat on a massive health care overhaul, discounted the small-bore approach Friday and pledged to...READ MORENational Association of Manufacturers update January 22, 2010
Massachusetts Election Creates Uncertainty for Future of Health Reform
Health reform took a significant turn this week as Senator-elect Scott Brown (R-MA) prevailed in Tuesday’s Massachusetts election for former Senator Kennedy’s seat – giving Republicans the 41 Senate seats needed to halt the Democrat majority’s agenda. Clearly the next step is an important one that could hold significant political consequences in the upcoming mid-term elections, and there is no clear direction. Most Americans want health care reform that is bipartisan and want legislators to start over with a new approach – a view shared by Senator-elect Brown.
NAM Action
Thanks to all NAM members who signed onto the broad employer letter outlining key concerns with the current health reform proposals (click here). With your help over 730 signatures were on the final letter.
Senate
While Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) confirmed that further action on health reform would not occur before Scott Brown is officially certified, moderate Democrats have not abandoned the idea that some form of health reform should still occur this year. Conventional wisdom is that the Republican victory in Massachusetts is a public outcry for bipartisan reform. Senate Republicans couldn’t agree more -- and they requested the majority to engage their caucus as “full partners” in the effort to implement the message of the voters to “develop policies that rely less on government spending and regulation.” Leader Reid is under additional pressure from the American Medical Association to deal with a permanent “Doc-Fix”. As a result, the Senate added the House-passed Doc Fix to its calendar, an expensive proposition that is not offset by cuts in spending.
House
House leadership acknowledged the setback of Tuesday’s election results and the concerns of Massachusetts citizens but made it clear that health reform will move forward. A couple of options were kicked around this week – including passing the Senate bill with the intention of amending certain provisions through budget reconciliation – which allows only a simple majority to pass but also requires that bill provisions be directly related to the budget. There is also waning political support for a reconciliation maneuver. Speaker Pelosi announced that she does not have the votes to simply pass the Senate bill, which would have negated the need for another Senate vote. At press time, the option of moving a less robust bill that includes insurance reform, small business support and delivery reforms was under serious consideration.
Administration
The Obama Administration has asked for a slimmed down version of the bill. This request is a direct indication of the Administration’s efforts to show the American public they are listening. The White House is also feeling pressure to back off its aggressive agenda on a number of fronts to reserve the Democratic majorities.
Federal Healthcare Reform News - morning of January 21, 2010
Dems split over liberal agenda - Politico
Fractured and frazzled Senate Democrats agreed on one thing in the wake of Tuesday’s bruising defeat in Massachusetts: People are angry.
But Democrats are divided over how to...READ MORE
Democrats look to navigate tougher path to health reform - The Washington Times
Stung by the loss of a Senate supermajority, President Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress searched for a way to salvage the health care overhaul, looking toward scaling down the bill or passing part of it...READ MORE
Both Parties Seek Ways to Channel Populist Ire - The New York Times
The remarkable Republican victory in Massachusetts demonstrated convincingly that the deep populist anger fueling the Tea Party movement has migrated from the political fringe to the mainstream, forcing both parties to...READ MORE
Democrats on the precipice of failure - The Washington Post
"We are on the precipice of an achievement that's eluded Congresses and presidents for generations."
-- President Barack Obama, Dec. 15, on health-care legislation
Precipice, 1. a headlong fall or descent, esp. to a great depth.
-- Oxford English Dictionary
Trying to guarantee Americans the thrill of the precipice, the president dashed to Massachusetts on Sunday, thereby conceding...READ MORE
Dems weigh scaled-down reform - Politico
Still reeling from Tuesday’s Bay State shocker, White House aides began floating a scaled-down approach to salvage health reform Wednesday, with President Barack Obama calling for...READ MORE
Federal Healthcare Reform News - late afternoon of January 20, 2010
How Brown's Win Affects Democrats' Agenda - The Wall Street Journal
The Republican victory in Massachusetts imperils, but may not derail, the Democratic agenda in 2010, analysts and congressional aides said Tuesday.
Scott Brown's election to the Senate gives...READ MORE
Obama: Seat Scott Brown and Health Care Next Steps - ABC News
Here is a section from my exclusive interview today with President Obama:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: So how do you do it now? This strategy that a lot of people have talked about getting the House to pass the Senate bill. Speaker Pelosi yesterday seemed to say that this was kind of a non-starter.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, here's...READ MORE
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Obama urges Dems not to 'jam' health care past GOP - Associated Press
President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies are conceding for the first time that they may have to accept a less ambitious health overhaul bill than the...READ MORE
Conrad opens door to reconciliation for healthcare - The Hill
The Senate Budget Committee Chairman said Wednesday he’s willing to use special rules to force changes to the healthcare legislation through the Senate with...READ MORE
Economy, Health Debate Turned Tables in Massachusetts - The Wall Street Journal
The Democrats' stunning loss of Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat raises a host of intriguing questions, but they can be boiled down to one: How did it come to this—in Massachusetts of all places?
There's no simple answer, of course, because the Massachusetts saga, like so much of what...READ MORE
Dems brace for more 2010 fallout - Politico
House Democrats watched the election results come in from Massachusetts with a sense of impending doom for their agenda — and panic for their vulnerable freshmen.
“I feel sorry for them,” Rep. Allen Boyd (D-Fla.) said of his most junior colleagues. “It’s like they...READ MORE
Poll: Schumer taking a hit at home - The New York Post
A little-noticed number in last week's Marist College poll on the Gillibrand-Ford situation suggests that Sen. Charles Schumer's national profile could be affecting his approval rating at home.
The poll had Schumer's negative rating at 42 percent, where it...READ MORE
Dazed Democrats Rethink Entire Strategy - Politico
Usually, the tendency among political reporters and operatives alike is to overreact and overinterpret elections.And there are caveats to the stunner in Massachusetts. Yes, this was a special election, which often produces...READ MORE
Federal Healthcare Reform News - late afternoon of January 19, 2010
Hoyer keeps options open for passing reform - Politico
With all the contingency plans floating around for how Democrats pass health reform should Republican Scott Brown win the Massachusetts Senate seat today, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer today...READ MORE
Hoyer predicts health care passage in next 15 days - Policito
Asked if the House can pass a final health reform bill in the next 15 days, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said "yes."
UPDATE: Hoyer's office quickly sent out a note clarifying...READ MORE
WSJ/NBC News Poll: 46% Say Health Overhaul Is a Bad Idea
More Americans think the Democrats’ health care overhaul is a bad idea than a good one, but the divide is holding steady, according to...READ MORE
Poll: Opinion Shift On Health Care Was Entirely In Negative Direction - The Plum Line
Mark Murray previews some startling numbers from the forthcoming NBC/WSJ poll:In the survey, only 33 percent say President Obama’s health-reform effort is...READ MORE
Federal Healthcare Reform News - January 19, 2010
Why ObamaCare Will Raise Your Bill - Forbes.com
"When it becomes law, families will save on their premiums," President Obama declared in his weekly radio address before Christmas, pitching his health care reform.
If only that were so. Nobody who tracks health insurance sees any...READ MORE
The Message of Massachusetts (a crisis is a terrible thing to exploit) - The Wall Street Journal
Whether or not Republican Scott Brown wins today in Massachusetts, the special Senate election has already shaken up American politics. The close race to replace Ted Kennedy, liberalism's patron saint, shows that voters are rebelling ...READ MORE
No Easy Rescue Plan For Health Care - Politico
Ever since health care reform flamed out in the 1990s, Democrats thought lots of things might derail their longtime dream...READ MORE
Massachusetts Race Now Key To Health Bill - The Wall Street Journal
White House and Senate Democratic officials said Monday that they believed asking the House to pass the Senate health bill unchanged was likely to be their best hope if their party loses a Senate seat in Massachusetts. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office...READ MORE
House Democrats Don't Like Plan B - Politico Live Pulse
House Democrats privately worry that the rank-and-file would reject a doomsday strategy that requires them to approve the Senate health care bill if...READ MORE
Senate election in Massachusetts could be harbinger for health-care reform - The Washington Post
Democrat Martha Coakley's struggle to stave off a potentially devastating defeat in Tuesday's special Senate election in Massachusetts marks a critical turning point in the year-long debate about...READ MORE
Moderate Democrats Staying In Line - Roll Call
Moderate Democratic Senators who may have the most to lose from the rancorous health care reform debate are...READ MORE
Democratic candidates closely watch Mass. special election - The Hill
Regardless of what happens in Tuesday’s special election in Massachusetts, several Democrats in big races will have...READ MOREFederal Health Care Reform News - January 14, 2010
Democrats Make "Significant Progress" in Health Talks - The Wall Street Journal
President Barack Obama and top congressional Democrats reported "significant progress" toward an agreement on a final health bill Wednesday after negotiations at the White House that stretched for more than eight hours.
The intense day of talks signaled the White House's drive to quickly pass a bill so it...READ MORE
Biz groups say don't merge the bills - Politico
Probably not much chance of this happening, but it never hurts to ask. Nine business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce and National Retail Federation, sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi today asking them not to merge the two bills.
The groups write:...READ MORE
Obama seizes reins in daylong House-Senate healthcare talks - The Hill
President Barack Obama sought to muscle House and Senate Democrats to reach an accord on healthcare reform during a daylong White House meeting Wednesday.
With an eye toward sealing a deal on his signature domestic policy initiative before he delivers his first State of the Union address in a few short weeks, Obama sat down with the top...READ MORE
Proposed taxes for health plans rankles many - Philadelphia Inquirer
City playground supervisor Dennis Gibson drives to work in a 2001 Saturn with 89,000 miles on it.
His car is nowhere near a Cadillac, but under a version of the health-care bill passed by the U.S. Senate...READ MORE
Proposals Clash on States' Role in Health Plans - The New York Times
Should someone in Idaho or Nevada have significantly different health care coverage from someone in Massachusetts?That, essentially, is one of the biggest questions Congress will be...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - January 13, 2010
Beware Of The ObamaCare Revolution - Forbes
"I am not the first president to take up this cause [of health care reform], but I am determined to be the last one," President Barack Obama declared in September. But history will force the president to eat his smooth bravado if he signs anything resembling what's on the table right now.
Far from settling the issue once and for all, the bill will usher even fiercer confrontations--not only on health care but on constitutional matters of governance as well--that will make the current battle look like the political equivalent of a spit-ball fight.
The Senate and the House begin...READ MORE
Obama Supports National Health Insurance Exchange - The Huffington Post
House and Senate negotiators working on President Barack Obama's health overhaul bill appear likely to drop a proposed income tax increase on high-wage earners and possibly jettison a requirement for large businesses to...READ MORE
Support Grows for U.S. Health Exchange - The Wall Street Journal
The White House wants to include a national health-insurance exchange in the health bill, which would give House Democrats one of...READ MORE
Pfeiffer: Don't believe what you read - Politico Live Pulse
Trying to tamp down stories suggesting the health care negotiations are headed in one direction or the other, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer released a catch-all statement Tuesday night denying, well, everything.
“The reports you’re reading from anonymous sources are at best educated guesses, and at worst...READ MORE
House Dems mount health assault - Politico
Furious with the Senate and desperate to regain a foothold in the health care debate, a wave of rank-and-file House Democrats assailed the Senate's tax on high-end health care plans Tuesday night, on the eve of a...READ MORE
Labor Campaigns Against Tax on Health Plans - The New York Times
Having failed to persuade President Obama to scrap a proposed tax on high-cost health insurance policies, labor leaders took their case Tuesday to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and they said they received...READ MORE
Nelson says health reform crucial - The Chadron Record
In the fallout after his yes vote on the Senate healthcare reform bill in December, Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson remains adamant about several things.Doing nothing isn’t an option, he didn’t sell his vote and two key items, no public option and...READ MORE
Federal Health Care Reform News - January 11, 2010
In Colorado, Craving Reform of Health Care and Congress - The New York Times
Donny Seyfer, the manager of an auto repair shop here, had high hopes when President Obama and Congress tackled health care as their top priority early last year.
“This is good,” Mr. Seyfer remembers thinking. He expected...READ MORE
Insurance Mandate Feeds GOP's Attack on Legal Front - The Wall Street Journal
As congressional Democrats try to iron out differences in the House and Senate health-care bills, Republicans are attacking the legal premise of the legislation, saying Congress has no power to make people...READ MORE
Stupak Abortion Curbs Fit District - The Wall Street Journal
Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak's push for restrictions on abortion funding in the health-care overhaul is anathema to many liberal supporters of the bill. But Mr. Stupak sees them as a natural mix of the economic liberalism and social conservatism that...READ MORE
The Health Choices Czar - The Wall Street Journal
The House version of ObamaCare is more destructive than the Senate version, though that's like comparing Krakatoa and Mount Vesuvius. At any rate, one of the main Democrat-on-Democrat bouts in...READ MORE
Democrats are ready to compromise to get health reform done - The Washington Post
Reaching agreement on a health-care bill is harder in theory than it will be in practice.
Before the measure lands on President Obama's desk, there will be many crisis points, much posturing and dire warnings of impending failure. There are real differences between...READ MORE
Nancy Pelosi's uphill health bill battle - Politico
Speaker Nancy Pelosi is telling her caucus not to believe stories that the House will simply roll over and accept the Senate’s hard-fought health care bill.“That’s not true for one second,” Pelosi told her agitated rank-and-file in a call this week.
But she may not...READ MORE
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From Bruce Josten, Executive Vice President, Government Affairs - U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Supporters of the Reid health spending bill often cite CBO’s projected deficit reduction from the bill of about $130 billion (over 10 years, or an average of $13 billion annually).
But here’s another cold dose of perspective: CBO’s Monthly Budget Review just came out and the federal budget deficit in just the first three months of the current fiscal year (October through December) was a $390 billion.
“The federal budget deficit was about $390 billion in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010, CBO estimates—$56 billion more than the shortfall in the same period in fiscal year 2009.”
In other words, in just the last three months, the deficit has already grown by more than THREE TIMES as much as the bill’s supporters claim it will save in the next 10 years.
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House Democrats Confer on Healthcare reform - The Washington Post
Worried House Democrats held a caucus-wide conference call Thursday to strategize about health-care reform before lawmakers return to Washington next week.
More than 100 members participated, Democratic aides said, to discuss the differences...READ MORE
Admin enlists Dem govs on health - Politico
One day after California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, delivered a stinging attack on federal health care reform, Obama administration officials huddled with his Democratic counterparts to address their complaints about the legislation — and enlist them...READ MORE
Healthcare overhaul could save money and boost jobs, researchers say - latimes.com
National healthcare legislation in Congress could slow the growth of medical costs, allowing employers to create 250,000 to 400,000 new jobs a year over the next decade, economists from Harvard University and USC are predicting.
Wading into the hotly debated issue of whether the legislation is a job creator or a...READ MORE
Health-Care Views Hurt Dorgan's Bid - The Wall Street Journal
Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan, long a popular figure in this state, faced political peril in his re-election bid because he was closely associated with Washington and policies being crafted there, in particular the health-care overhaul, according to polls and interviews with his constituents.
Mr. Dorgan announced his retirement this week to the shock of many of his colleagues, who assumed he would...READ MORE
Where U.S. Health Care Ranks Number One - The Wall Street Journal
Last August the cover of Time pictured President Obama in white coat and stethoscope. The story opened: "The U.S. spends more to get less [health care] than just about every other industrialized country." This trope has dominated media coverage of health-care reform. Yet a majority of Americans...READ MORE
Medicare and the Mayo Clinic - The Wall Street Journal
President Obama last year praised the Mayo Clinic as a "classic example" of how a health-care provider can offer "better outcomes" at lower cost. Then what should Americans think about the famous Minnesota medical center's decision to take fewer Medicare patients?
Specifically, Mayo said last week it will no longer accept Medicare patients...READ MORE
Health bill may combine millionare and 'Cadillac' taxes - The Hill
Congressional Democrats may opt to use a combination of taxes proposed in the House and Senate's health bills, a top Democrat said Thursday.Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Health, said leaders may...READ MORE
Oklahoma AG opposes health care bill - The Oklahoman
Oklahoma’s Drew Edmondson on Wednesday became the first Democratic state attorney general to come out against a proposed national health care reform bill that includes a political deal for Nebraska.
Edmondson and South Carolina’s top state prosecutor are asking their colleagues across the country...READ MORE
Obama OKs taxing high-end health plans - Associated Press
President Barack Obama signaled to House Democratic leaders Wednesday that they'll have to drop their opposition to taxing high-end health insurance plans to pay for health coverage for...READ MORE
Pelosi sees Democrats 'close' on health care - Washington Times
With the backroom dealing under way to finish the health care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday said Democrats are "very close" to merging the House and Senate versions by overcoming key differences on issues such as abortion and the creation of a...READ MORE
Pelosi: Healthcare vote 'possible' in January - The Hill
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) set no deadline for a House healthcare vote following a White House meeting Wednesday with President Barack Obama.
The Speaker deflected questions about the timing of a vote, only saying it was “possible” the vote could take place by the...READ MORE
What Health Care Reform Means for the States - Time Magazine
As the battle enters its final stage in Washington, a rebellion is taking shape in the states, which are alarmed about the new financial burdens they will...READ MOREPelosi to bear heavy lifting in selling centrist-influenced health plan to left - The Hill 1/6/2010
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has begun the difficult task of selling a healthcare bill heavily influenced by Senate centrists to her liberal members. Success could be the difference between President Barack Obama signing his signature domestic policy initiative into law, thereby...READ MORE
Health bills would shift Medicare money to Mayo and other 'high-value' hospitals - The Washington Post 1/6/2010
As House and Senate lawmakers start to reconcile their health-care bills with an eye to final passage, a little-noticed provision is already prompting celebration from a small group of influential hospitals that stand to gain...READ MORE
House Democrats to Pursue Health Bill Changes - The New York Times 1/6/2010
House Democratic leaders said Tuesday that they would insist on changes to the Senate health care legislation to make coverage more affordable for middle-class Americans and to tighten control...READ MORE
Democrats Open to Raising Medicare Tax to Fund Health Overhaul - Bloomberg 1/6/2010
The U.S. House may accept a plan to increase Medicare payroll taxes on high-salary earners as a compromise to help get a health-care overhaul through Congress, top Democratic lawmakers said. A Senate bill would impose an additional 0.9 percent Medicare tax on...READ MORE
Arnold: 'Bribes' infect health reform - Politico 1/6/2010
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger savaged congressional plans for health-reform in his 2010 State of the State address on Wednesday, calling the legislation "health care to nowhere" that's infected with "bribes, deals and loopholes." READ MORE
Obama promised 8 times during campaign to televise health care debate - NY Post 1/6/2010
The health care revolution will not be televised despite what President Obama promised you two years ago. Obama has broken his campaign promises to make the health care debate a transparent process after saying he would do so on at least eight ocassions during...READ MORE
Schwarzenegger Withdraws Support for Democrats' Health Care Reform - Political Punch Blog on ABC News.com 1/6/2010
In his annual “State of the State” message today, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger withdrew his support for the health care reform measures Democrats are attempting to finish up in Washington, DC. READ MORE
Our view on medical legislation: Don't trust states to create health care exchanges - USA Today 1/4/10
Gov. Phil Bredesen blasts health reform's unbalanced treatment of states - Nashville Business Journal 1/4/10
Immigration reform for health care trade-off - Politico 1/4/10
House and Senate Likely to Bypass Formal Conference on Health Care Overhaul - CQ Politics 1/4/10
Pending reconcilliation, Senate bill finds favor with more employers - Business Insurance 1/3/10
News Stories from 2009
A Democrat's View From The House: Senate Bill Isn't Health Reform - CNN 12/23/09
Senate Healthcare Bill Now Relies On Regulation - Los Angeles Times 12/18/09
Liberal Revolt On Health Care Stings White House - The New York Times 12/18/09
Angry Liberals Edge Toward A Mutiny - The Wall Street Journal 12/18/09
Senator Nelson Holds Up Health Bill - The Wall Street Journal 12/18/09
GOP Senators To Block Defense Bill In Bid To Delay Health-Care Vote - The Washington Post 12/18/09
Health Deadline Obstacles Pile Up - Politico 12/18/09
CBO Score Today Is Unlikely, Dem Aide Says, As Christmas Eve Vote Looms - The Plum Line 12/17/09
Obama faces healthcare insurrection from left flank - Reuters 12/17/09
AFL demands 'substantial changes' - Politico 12/17/09
Outlook: Reid Eyes Key Monday Vote On Health Bill - National Journal's Congress Daily 12/17/09
The political dangers of passing a health care bill - The Washington Post 12/17/09
New Poll - 53% Opposed to Current Reform Proposal - Economist/YouGov 12/17/09
Victory by Democrats on health care could tourn sour - CNN: Gloria Borger 12/17/09
DeMint promises to delay health bill, force Christmas Eve vote - The Hill 12/17/09
VIDEOS:
Click here to watch a health care video (YouTube) about the Reid health care 'deal' that no one knows about.
Click here to watch an interview with the owner of Ben's Chili Bowl who says the Democrats' health care bill would force him to cut employees and/or reduce employees' work hours.
FLOOR:
Floor colloquies today (December 16) - Hutchison/Thune Amdt at 10:30 a.m. Another colloquy on premiums is also likely today with time TBD.
PUBLIC OPINION:
CNN Polling released last Thursday found a sky-high 61% of the public opposed to the Democrats' health care bill. Only 36% support the plan according to the poll. Today, The Washington Post/ABC News poll with a 6% Democratic sampling advantage found 51% opposed to the Democratic bill and 44% in support of the plan. More troubling for Democrats -- 40% are strongly opposed compared to 25% strongly in favor. More than half of those polled, 53%, see higher costs for themselves if the proposed changes go into effect than if the current system remains intact. About as many (55%) say the overall cost of the national health-care system would go up more sharply. 53% now disapprove of the president's performance on health care, which is a new high.
Union pulls back on supporting bill - The Hill 12/16/09
Labor Holds Emergency Meetings To Discuss Senate Bill, May Formally Oppose - huffingtonpost.com 12/16/09
Dems ready to push health bill despite setbacks - Associated Press 12/16/09
Rasmussen: "Highest Level of Opposition Found in Six Months of Polling"
- Among all voters: 40% support, 56% oppose. 19% strongly support, 46% strongly oppose
- Among Independents, opposition rises to 69%
- 17% says costs will go down if the plan passes, 57% say costs will go up
- 21% say the plan will improve quality, 54% say quality will get worse
- The most significant detail in the data is that 63% of senior citizens oppose the plan, including 52% who strongly oppose it
Senate health plan could swamp OPM, experts say - Federal Times 12/14/09
Lieberman Rules Out Voting for Health Bill - The New York Times 12/14/09
Small business wished for reform, but not this - Star Tribune 12/14/09
'Disaster' Health Plan Breaks Obama Cost-Cut Vow in CEOs' View - Bloomberg 12/14/09
Oops! Turns out Obama's cost-cutting health plan won't save a dime; cheaper to do nothing - LATimes.com 12/14/09
Lieberman Reverses Position on Medicare Expansions - Roll Call 12/13/09
Expanded Medicare won't provide seamless coverage - Associated Press 12/13/09
Democrats Question Health Plan to Expand Medicare - Bloomberg 12/12/09
Business Roundtable edges away from health reform plan - Politico 12/11/09
Senate Health Care Reform Unfair, Says Bloomberg, Paterson - The Epoch Times 12/10/09
Bloomberg/Paterson: Reform bill will cost NY billions - Politico 12/10/09
Teamsters Oppose Senate Plan to Tax Health Insurance Plans - Release 12/10/09
AFL-CIO aims at centrist Demos over 'Cadillac tax' - The Hill 12/10/09
Unions say Senate health bill tax provisions would 'devastate' FEHBP - Government Executive 12/10/09
Labor Steps Up Pressure on Health Care Taxes - Talking Points Memo 12/10/09
Labor unions lobby against 'Cadillac' tax - The Hill 12/10/09
Unions Slam Proposed 'Cadillac' Health Care Tax - CBS News 12/10/09
Union leadres step up fight against excise tax - Washington Post 12/10/09
Medicare expansion proposed in Senate draws opposition from Louisiana doctors - NOLA.com 12/10/09
Medical groups balk at Medicare 'buy-in' - USA Today 12/10/09
Hospitals, Insurers Oppose Health Bill Compromise On Medicare Buy-In - KHN 12/10/09
Mayo Clinic offical doesn't like Medicare buy in - Politico 12/10/09
Senate bill "fails small business" - NFIB 12/10/09
US employers shun health reform despite deal - Reuters 12/10/09
Is the Public Option Dead? Plus, Amendments That Might Actually Matter - TIME 12/9/09
Senate Democrats reach dal on 'public option' health plan - USA Today 12/9/09
Senate Democrats Reach 'Broad Agreement,' Reid Says - Roll Call 12/9/09
Senators Defeat Stiffer Abortion Language for Health Care Bill - Roll Call 12/9/09
Senate rejects abortion amendment to healthcare bill - LA Times 12/9/09
FDA opposes Senate drug importation amendment offered to healthcare bill - The Hill 12/9/09
Schumer 'moved' by public option negotiations - The Hill 12/9/09
Senate Democrats claim 'broad agreement' on public option - The Hill 12/9/09
Democrats make health deal on 'public option' - The Washington Times 12/9/09
House Democrats Blast Rise in Brand-Name Drug Prices - The Wall Street Journal 12/9/09
Union leaders step up fight against excise tax - The Washington Post 12/9/09
Health reform's heavy lifting - The Washington Post 12/9/09
Senate may drop public option - The Washington Post 12/9/09
Checkmate: How Joe Lieberman Turned The Public Option Fight On Its Head - Talking Points Memo 12/7/09
Health-Care Bill Breakthrough Eludes Senate After Week of Work - Bloomberg 12/7/09
Poll: Nevadans sour on healthcare reform - The Hill 12/7/09
AFL-CIO aims at centrist Dems over 'Cadillac tax' - The Hill 12/7/09
McCaskill: Nelson's abortion amendment 'goes too far' - The Hill 12/7/09
Reid Tells Senators To Cancel Weekend Plans, Again - Roll Call 12/7/09
Another weekend shift - Politico 12/7/09
ASQC defends Lincoln: 'No government takeover' - Politico 12/7/09
PCCC mocks Lieberman - Politico 12/7/09
Ad Targets Lieberman on public option - Politico 12/7/09
Federal Workers Gripe About Senate Health Bill - Wall Street Journal 12/7/09
Will Senate Bill Be Public Option's 'Waterloo'? - Plum Line 12/7/09
A bipartisan moment - sort of - NBC News 12/7/09
Nelson files anti-abortion amendment - NBC News 12/7/09
Why Does the Public Oppose ObamaCare? - Real Clear Politics 12/7/09
Key Senators Confirm Medicare Buy-In As Part Of A Public Option Compromise - Talking Points Memo 12/7/09
Biden Calls For Ent To 'Malarkey' In Health Care Debate - Talking Points Memo 12/7/09
Stabenow Says Nelson Abortion Amendment Unlikely To Pass - Talking Points Memo 12/7/09
Reid tasks 10 senators to find public option fix - NBC News 12/7/09
Senate health care debate to focus on abortion - CNN News 12/7/09
GOP senators warn of more abortion fights in spending bills - The Hill 12/7/09
Stopping Stupak in the Senate (Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand) - The Hill 12/7/09
Bishops 'urgently' push senators to back abortion amendment - The Hill 12/7/09
Durbin: Dems won't accept GOP efforts to slow health debate - The Hill 12/7/09
Thune admits Nelson abortion amendment will likely fail - The Hill 12/7/09
Stabenow: Final public option to be completed 'in the next few days' - The Hill 12/7/09
Nelson: Negotiations on alternative public option 'very positive' - The Hill 12/7/09
W. H. denies involvement - Politico 12/7/09
Coburn says Nelson amendment will make it in the bill - Politico 12/7/09
Officials: Medicare buy-in on table - Politico 12/7/09
Rhetorical shift away from public option, too - Politico 12/7/09
Religious organizations oppose Nelson amendment - Politico 12/7/09
Joe lieberman's revenge - The Washington Post 12/7/09
Exclusive: Medicare buy-in attracting interest in the public option negotiations - The Washington Post 12/7/09
Comparison of Democratic Health Care Bills - Associated Press 12/7/09
Abortion Emerges as Obstacle in Health Care Debate - Associated Press 12/7/09
Health-Care Bill Breakthrough Eludes Senate After Week of Work - Bloomberg 12/7/09