Health Care For America Now

NEWS

Jarrett: Obama Won't Break Middle Class Tax Pledge - ABC

Senior White House Counsel Valerie Jarrett told me this morning that the President will keep to his pledge not to tax the middle class to pass his health care package.  “He’s confident that a bill will be passed consistent with his parameters.”

GOP Set to Propose Its Own Health Bill - Wall Street Journal

Republicans are preparing an alternative health-care bill to Democratic legislation, House Republican Leader John Boehner said, marking a shift in strategy as the full House is set to begin debate on the issue this week.

Lieberman: No reform at all is better than a public option - Washington Post

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) said Sunday that no health-care reform bill at all is better than legislation that includes some form of a government-run public option.

Obama Strategy on Health Care Legislation Appears to Be Paying Off - New York Times

After months of plodding work by five Congressional committees and weeks of back-room bargaining by Democratic leaders, President Obama’s arms-length strategy on health care appears to be paying dividends, with the House and the Senate poised to take up legislation to insure nearly all Americans.

Lieberman In '94: The Filibuster "Ails Washington" And Should Be Eliminated - Huffington Post

Senator Joseph Lieberman's (I-Conn) threat to filibuster health care legislation that includes a public option for insurance coverage has sent minor shock-waves throughout Washington.

Health insurer Anthem's market share swells - Indianapolis Business Journal

With Congress bringing back the idea of a government-run insurance plan, or public option, the debate is on again whether there’s sufficient competition and choice in the health insurance market.

Rep. Boehner Falsely Claims Republicans Have Been "Ready To Work" With Democrats On Health Care - Media Matters

During the weekly Republican address airing on October 31, 2009, House Minority Leader John Boehner tried to convince Americans that the GOP had been "ready to work" with Democrats "whenever possible," including on health care. That is far from the case.

OPINION

Mandates and Affordability - New York Times

If Congress approves health care reform, virtually all Americans will be required to buy health insurance or pay a penalty. That raises a fundamental question: Will the policies be affordable?

Misrepresentations - The New Republic

A week ago, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was upset when The Yes Men, a group of pranksters and activists, held a fake press conference, claiming that the Chamber has reversed their opposition to climate change legislation. It’s true that the Chamber was misrepresented. But the real question should be, who does the Chamber represent–particularly when it comes to health care reform?

ANALYSIS: House Bill More Affordable Than Senate Legislation - Think Progress

A rough analysis of the affordability measures in the House and Senate conducted by Sonia Sekhar at the Center for American Progress Action Fund demonstrates that the House health bill provides more affordable coverage than the latest available version of the Senate legislation. While the chart below does not provide a perfect comparison between the amount an average family of four would spend on coverage within the exchange, it’s the first actual representation of the premium differences under the two bills.

Analysis: Public Option Might Play Only Minor Role In Changing Health Care - Kaiser Health News

For all the controversy over a government-run insurance option, the program outlined in health overhaul legislation likely would play a minuscule role in efforts to expand health care coverage, according to many health care experts and lawmakers.

Scoring Wyden's modified 'Free Choice' amendments - Ezra Klein

Jon Cohn reports that Ron Wyden has gotten a CBO score (pdf) for a heavily modified — and compromised — version of his Free Choice Act. The amendment would no longer open the exchanges to everyone. Now, it would simply open them to people whose employer-based coverage would cost 8 to 10 percent of their income. These folks would get a voucher for part of the cost of coverage from their employer, and they'd also be eligible for the exchange's subsidies if they qualified.

Business leaders' opposition to public health insurance option takes chutzpah - LA Times

Where do they expect the thousands of workers they've laid off and their families to get coverage?