Health Care For America Now

NEWS

Medical expenses have 'very steep rate of growth' - USA Today

Spending on health care consumed an estimated 17 cents of every dollar spent last year in the United States, representing the largest one-year increase since the federal government started tracking the number in 1960.

Health-care sector grew as economy contracted in 2009 - Washington Post

Health-care spending in the United States grew last year despite a contracting economy, amounting to 17.3 percent of the gross domestic product, according to estimates released Wednesday.

Soaring cost of healthcare sets a record - LA Times

Spending was 17.3% of the economy last year. The share paid by the U.S. will soon exceed 50%, a study says.

Therapy benefit cap looms over patients and providers as healthcare bill stalled - The Hill

Medicare beneficiaries face a steep cliff in their coverage for physical therapy and similar treatments due to Congress’s failure to enact a healthcare reform bill.

Rep. Tsongas joins Congress push on health-care reform - Lowell Sun

In the wake of the election of Sen.-elect Scott Brown, U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas has not given up on passing health-care reform and continues to advocate for a "public-option" insurance plan that has been deemed all but dead following Brown's upset victory.

Ed Schultz Pleads For Health Care Reform, Calls Lieberman A 'Coward' (VIDEO) - Huffington Post

Ed Schultz made an impassioned plea for health care reform Wednesday during an on-location shoot at a temporary free clinic in Hartford, Connecticut.

OPINION

Obama: If Democrats don't pass health-care reform, 'I don't know what differentiates us from the other guys' - Ezra Klein

Today's televised session between Barack Obama and the Senate Democrats wasn't encouraging to those of us hoping the Democrats are spending their time worrying about how to pass the health care bill. There were questions on the deficit, on jobs, on partisanship, on energy and on judicial nominees. No one bothered to ask about health-care reform. The closest was New York's Kirsten Gillibrand, who asked about health care for 9/11 responders. It felt, for a moment, like we were back in the Bush years. Want to talk health care? Add 9/11 to the sentence.

Health Care Industry Front Group Cheers Death Of The Public Option With Large Washington Post Ad - Think Progress

One of the most aggressive industry front groups fighting to defeat health care reform has been the Conservatives for Patients’ Rights (CPR), run by disgraced hospital executive Rick Scott and represented by the same public relations (CRC Public Relations) firm that brought us the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth.

What Happens If Nothing Happens to Health Care? - Wall Street Journal

Barring a political miracle, we're going to learn the cost of doing nothing—nothing significant to restrain health-care cost increases, nothing to prod the health-care system to produce more benefit for each dollar it takes, nothing to expand health-insurance coverage.