NEWS

White House Official Links Health Care Plan to Fiscal Balance - New York Times

A comprehensive overhaul of the health care system, eliminating inefficiencies and wasteful practices, will be crucial in correcting the nation’s unsustainable fiscal excesses, the White House budget director said on Wednesday. The Obama administration is increasing its pressure on Congress to act before the August recess.

Obama says Senate's delay in health care bill 'OK' - Associated Press

President Barack Obama stepped up his us-against-them pitch for overhauling health care Thursday, saying the American people need it and must overcome resistance from opponents in Washington, whom he described vaguely as naysayers and skeptics.

White House sees healthcare bill by year's end - Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Shrugging off delays in a divided Congress, President Barack Obama's administration on Friday said a sweeping healthcare overhaul would still be approved by year end to control costs and expand coverage.

McCaughey claims end-of-life counseling will be required for Medicare patients - Politifact

Republicans have found many reasons to oppose the Democrats' health care proposal, but this is one of the oddest.

Baucus: Removing Health Care Deadline Should Help Process - Roll Call

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said Thursday evening that Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) decision to not push for a full Senate vote on health care reform before the August recess makes it somewhat easier for the gang of six bipartisan negotiators on his committee to reach a deal.

OPINION

The Healthcare Timeout is Fine. - FiveThirtyEight

To hear the defeatism and paranoia on some liberal blogs this afternoon, the "timeout" that Harry Reid and the Senate called on health care today — they won't vote on the measure before the August recess — is just about the stupidest thing since Chris Webber, pictured at left, called a phantom timeout in the 1993 finals, costing his team a technical foul and the Michigan Wolverines the national championship.

Inhofe: If GOP Can ‘Stall’ Or ‘Block’ Health Care Reform, It Will Be ‘A Huge Gain’ For The 2010 Elections - Think Progress

Last week, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) set off a political storm when he said that if Republicans can defeat health care reform it would be President Obama’s “Waterloo” because it would “break him.” Since then, some Republicans have sought to distance themselves from DeMint’s view that defeating health care would yield political advantages for the GOP.

E.J. Dionne Jr.: The politics of tenacity — Well, who ever thought health-care reform would be easy? - EJ Dionne

Wow, what big and unexpected news! Reforming the health-care system is really hard, and Republicans want President Barack Obama to fail.

Obama Returns to Campaign Footing - Ezra Klein

It took me a moment to place the rhythm of Barack Obama's speech at the Cleveland Clinic today. It didn't sound like his press conference last night. Too many jokes. And it didn't sound like his recent interviews. Too sing-song a cadence. What it sounds like, I realized, is something we've not heard for awhile: Obama's campaign.

Health Care Checkup: Wall Street Journal Health Care Editorial Wrong on the Facts - Education and Labor Committee

The Wall Street Journal ran an editorial yesterday that advanced false and misleading information regarding the House’s health reform bill, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, (H.R. 3200).