Health Care For America Now

NEWS

Health Care Vote Set For Saturday Night - Associated Press

The Senate has a test vote on a health care reform bill scheduled for Saturday night.

Reid, as Legislative Tactician, Takes Ownership of Health Care Overhaul - New York Times

Now it is Senator Harry Reid’s health care bill.

A Health-Care Pep Talk for Senate Dems - Time

With health reform's first test vote on the Senate floor less than 72 hours away, a platoon of top strategists — including pollsters Mark Mellman and Geoff Garin, incoming White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer and deputy White House chief of staff Jim Messina — met with Democratic Senators Thursday afternoon to impress upon those who might be wavering that everyone's political fate is now joined with the success or failure of President Obama's top domestic priority.

CBPP: Despite Insufficient Subsidies, Senate Health Care Bill Enormous Step Forward - TPM

The left-of-center Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, which was critical of a number of provisions in the Senate Finance Committee's health care proposal, has much, much kinder words for the full Senate bill that Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled this week.

Insurance Industry Criticizes Senate Bill - New York Times

The insurance industry lobby is panning the Senate legislation.The lobbying group, America’s Health Insurance Plans, said in a statement on Thursday that the bill would increase costs for individuals, families and employers; reduce benefits for older Americans; and threaten employer coverage.

Sen. Lieberman Lies, Says "Public Option" Wasn't Part Of Presidential Campaign - Media Matters

Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) told Politico that no one mentioned a public option during the 2008 presidential campaign.  Unfortunately for him, historical fact directly contradicts his new conservative talking point.

NEWS

Senate unveils health-care bill - Washington Post

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid presented an $848 billion health-care overhaul package on Wednesday that would extend coverage to 31 million Americans and reform insurance practices while adding an array of tax increases, including a rise in payroll taxes for high earners.

Senate girds for historic debate on health bill - Associated Press

After months of maneuvering, the Senate stands at the brink of a historic battle over health care with President Barack Obama and his allies on one side and Republicans, outnumbered but unflinching, on the other.

Reid plan ups pressure on moderates - Politico

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled his $848 billion health reform bill Wednesday to broad support from fellow Democrats — and the move quickly turned up the pressure on the last few wavering moderates to support the plan, which includes a sizable chunk of deficit cutting.

Reid rolling out big guns to push healthcare bill to 60 needed votes - The Hill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has recruited an all-star team of former senators — Vice President Joe Biden, Tom Daschle and Ken Salazar — to push healthcare reform over the finish line.

Nelson: I'm Comfortable Being Lone Democrat To Derail Reform - Sam Stein

Ben Nelson, a key conservative Senate Democrats, said on Wednesday that he was pleased with the changes party leadership had made to health care legislation, specifically on matters of deficit reduction. But the Nebraska senator, whose vote has been elusive to pin down so far, said he would be comfortable being the lone Democrat to prevent the bill from overcoming a Republican filibuster.

Rising Prices of Drugs Lead to Call for Inquiry - New York Times

Democrats in Congress asked for two separate investigations of drug industry pricing Wednesday as they continue working on legislation to overhaul the nation’s health care system.

NEWS

Reid To Release Details Of Overhaul Plan To Caucus Today - CongressDaily

Senate Majority Leader Reid will share the details of his long-awaited healthcare overhaul bill with his Democratic Caucus today, according to his spokesman, Jim Manley.

Reid 'optimistic' about getting 60 votes on health bill - Washington Post

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid scrambled Tuesday to lock down votes behind a health-care bill that he may present as early as Wednesday.

3 Democrats Could Block Health Bill in Senate - New York Times

Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, says he is not sure he is ready to help a Democratic health care proposal clear even the most preliminary hurdle: gaining the 60 votes his party’s leaders need to open debate on the measure later this week.

Small Firms Scrapping, Scaling Back Health Plans - Associated Press

Faced with high health insurance costs, a North Carolina brokerage passed the buck on to its employees, a Texas public relations firm switched from group insurance to stipends, and a Missouri travel agency let its workers walk away instead paying for insurance.

How to pass a health bill fast - Politico

“Ping-pong” might be too difficult. Reconciliation, too partisan.

NEWS

Liberals Urge Reid to Keep Public Option - NYTimes

The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, met on Monday night with a group of liberal Senate Democrats who urged him not to back down from his decision to put a government-run insurance plan, or public option, in the major health care legislation that he is working to complete.

AP POLL: Tax the Rich to Pay for Health Bill - NYTimes

When it comes to paying for a health care overhaul, Americans see just one way to go: Tax the rich.

A centrist in health-care debate, Lincoln hears it from all sides – Washington Post

Hundreds of thousands of Lincoln's constituents are low-income and lack insurance, the very kind of voters expected to benefit under the Senate bill. Lincoln, a second-term senator, helped write some of the legislation's key provisions as a member of the Finance Committee, and her sometimes uncomfortable role near the center of the debate could cost her in culturally conservative Arkansas. Despite the potential benefits for many in her state, polls show her support weakening, and constituents are expressing doubts about the proposed overhaul.

Business foes of health care revamp ramp up effort – AP

Business foes of health care overhaul legislation are outspending supporters at a rate of 2-to-1 for TV ads as they grow increasingly nervous over a final bill.

Led by the giant U.S. Chamber of Commerce, opponents of the Democratic health care drive have spent $24 million on TV commercials over the past month to $12 million spent by labor unions and other backers. That's an abrupt reversal from the vast spending advantage supporters enjoyed most of this year, according to Evan Tracey, president of Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political ads.

Obama Official and Goldman Assess Insurers - NYTimes

On the White House’s official blog, Nancy-Ann DeParle, the director of the Office of Health Reform, rebuts recent claims by the insurance industry that the proposed health care overhaul would actually increase the cost of premiums.

Uninsured ER patients twice as likely to die - AP

Uninsured patients with traumatic injuries, such as car crashes, falls and gunshot wounds, were almost twice as likely to die in the hospital as similarly injured patients with health insurance, according to a troubling new study.

Senate Democrats Wait For CBO Score, Work To Hold Onto Votes - Kaiser Health News

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is planning a "key test vote by the end of the week" on a health reform bill, according to Senate aides, Politico reports. "The vote on a motion to proceed to the bill could come as early as Friday, teeing up the amendment process to begin after the Thanksgiving break." Reid may keep the Senate in session over the weekend.

OPINION

One nation, insured - LA Times

Some states, such as Arizona, are considering ways to opt out of a national plan. That's foolish.

Health reform's human stories - Rich Stockwell, Senior producer, 'Countdown'

It happened as I watched a 50-something woman walk out, after spending several hours being attended to by volunteer doctors. "She's decided against treatment. A reasonable decision under the circumstances," the doctor tells us as she heads for the next patient. The president of the board of the National Association of Free Health Clinics tells me why: "It's stage four breast cancer, her body is filled with tumors." I don't know when that woman last saw a doctor. But I do know that if she had health insurance, the odds she would have seen a doctor long ago are much higher, and her chances for an earlier diagnosis and treatment would have been far greater.

The Chamber of Commerce needs a hand. They are looking for some help to fund a study that will show that health care reform is bad for the economy. From the WaPo:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and an assortment of national business groups opposed to President Obama's health-care reform effort are collecting money to finance an economic study that could be used to portray the legislation as a job killer and threat to the nation's economy, according to an e-mail solicitation from a top Chamber official.

The e-mail, written by the Chamber's senior health policy manager and obtained by The Washington Post, proposes spending $50,000 to hire a "respected economist" to study the impact of health-care legislation, which is expected to come to the Senate floor this week, would have on jobs and the economy.

Step two, according to the e-mail, appears to assume the outcome of the economic review: "The economist will then circulate a sign-on letter to hundreds of other economists saying that the bill will kill jobs and hurt the economy. We will then be able to use this open letter to produce advertisements, and as a powerful lobbying and grass-roots document."

Luckily for them we already know of more than 300 respected economists and health care experts who signed on to a letter addressing health care reform and the economy. Unfortunately for the Chamber, here is what it says:

In June, more than 320 economists, business leaders, and health care experts wrote to President Obama and Congress stating:

'Some have argued that we cannot afford health insurance coverage for all because of the economic crisis. But solving America’s big health care problems is essential to economic recovery. We need to cover everyone now as part of comprehensive reform to rebuild our economy and restore prosperity. Affordable coverage with good benefits will give cash-strapped lower and middle-income Americans greater financial security – and the ability to pay their mortgages, start small businesses, save for college, pursue new job opportunities, and make other choices that will benefit our economy. And it will help business owners to insure their workers. Ensuring health security for all will allow workers to move to those jobs that fit them best, not just those that provide health insurance, promoting entrepreneurship and labor market productivity.' (Emphasis added.)

Campaign For America’s Future - an HCAN Steering Committee member – brought the economists together in June. Read the full letter here.

“Since the Chamber has put out a help wanted ad, we thought we could be of some assistance,” said Richard Kirsch, National Campaign Manager, Health Care for America Now. “If the Chamber would like the phone number of any of these economists or business leaders, we would be happy to provide it to them.”

You can let the Chamber know about the list of economists through their Twitter account at American Free Enterprise - @freeenterprise.

Here's a suggestion: RT @freeenterprise Looking for an economist?  We have 300+ who say fix health care to fix the economy. http://bit.ly/3zMQxl #sickofit

NEWS

Senate Aides: Reid Considering Medicare Payroll Tax Increase On Wealthy - Kaiser Health News

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pondering a proposal to increase the Medicare payroll tax on high earners "to help offset the costs of providing health insurance to millions of Americans, Senate aides said Thursday," The New York Times reports.

CMS: House bill increases health care costs - Politico

Democrats have promised that health reform would reduce health care costs, but legislation the House passed last week would increase costs over the next decade by $289 billion. By 2019, health costs would rise to 21.1 percent of GDP compared to 20.8 under current law, according to an actuarial report prepared by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Number of Insured Varies by Bill - Wall Street Journal

When the Senate unveils its health-care bill, all eyes will be on the price tag. But an equally significant number may be how many people get health insurance under the legislation.

Drug Makers Raise Prices in Face of Health Care Reform - NYTimes

Even as drug makers promise to support Washington’s health care overhaul by shaving $8 billion a year off the nation’s drug costs after the legislation takes effect, the industry has been raising its prices at the fastest rate in years.

OPINION

What The CMS Report Tells Us About The House Health Bill - Think Progress, Igor Volsky

The CMS report confirms that the House health care bill is a fairly modest proposal that expands access to insurance and builds on what works in the current system. Now, honest lawmakers — who believe in health care reform — must ensure that reform also lowers costs for families and reduces long term health care spending.

My Near Death Panel Experience - NYTimes, Rep. Earl Blumenauer

I DIDN’T mean to kill Grandma. I didn’t even mean to create death panels.

But now that I and my fellow lawmakers in the House have passed a health care bill, I’m finally free to explain what I learned as the author of the now-famous end-of-life provisions. My experiences during the bizarre controversies of the summer should provide a note of caution about what potential troubles and political distortions might lie ahead as health care legislation moves forward in the Senate, through the reconciliation process and toward a final bill.

NEWS

Goldman To Private Insurers: No Health Care Reform At All Is Best - Huffington Post

A Goldman Sachs analysis of health care legislation has concluded that, as far as the bottom line for insurance companies is concerned, the best thing to do is nothing. A close second would be passing a watered-down version of the Senate Finance Committee's bill.

Pro-Obama Activists to Hit GOP Members’ Offices Starting Friday - Roll Call

Organizing for America is dispatching volunteers to the local offices of 32 House Republicans whose districts supported President Barack Obama in the 2008 election to demand that they support Obama’s health care reform initiative.

Health insurance companies urge staff to fight reforms - Washington Post

The nation's largest health insurance carrier is urging its employees to lobby the Senate against reform proposals that would hurt the firm's bottom line, according to copies of e-mails released Thursday by a liberal advocacy group.

Business Roundtable: Health Care Costs Would Balloon Under Status Quo - FDL News

The Business Roundtable, an organization representing the CEOs of the largest companies in America, has said in a new report that the status quo in health care is completely unsustainable. It’s something that’s been forgotten as the debate rages in Congress, but the fight over health care is essentially a fight over what will be left standing when the current health care “system” collapses. There is no way individuals, businesses and the government could continue to operate if the assumptions in this report are true.

RNC to opt out of abortion coverage - Politico

The Republican National Committee will no longer offer employees an insurance plan that covers abortion after POLITICO reported Thursday that the anti-abortion RNC's policy has covered the procedure since 1991.

60 Plus Airing New Round Of Misleading Anti-Reform Ads - Media Matters

In a series of three very similar ads, the right-wing group 60 Plus has attacked the pro-reform votes of Congressmen Snyder (D-AR), Hill (D-IN), and Pomeroy (D-ND).  Just like their other ads, however, this series is full of misleading information and scare tactics.

U.S. Chamber's "Skyrocket" Ad Flies Without Facts - Media Matters

On November 11, 2009, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Employers for a Health Economy coalition released a new anti-health care reform ad titled "Skyrocket."  Just like the Chamber's other recent anti-reform ads, this new ad is in dire need of some factual information.

NEWS

Hoyer, Reid move to finish healthcare reform legislation before the end of 2009 - The Hill

The House could be in session until nearly Christmas Eve to try to win final passage on a healthcare bill.

AP Sources: Reid eyes payroll tax hike on wealthy - Associated Press

Majority Leader Harry Reid is considering a plan for higher payroll taxes on the upper-income earners to help finance health care legislation he intends to introduce in the Senate in the next several days, numerous Democratic officials said Wednesday.

Health-Bill Battle Won't Get a Recess - Wall Street Journal

The fight over the future of the U.S. health-care system is heading outside the Beltway this week, as groups on all sides take advantage of Congress's Veterans Day recess to put pressure on lawmakers.

Initially waved off, Hispanic advocates jump into health debate - Washington Post

After trying to carefully balance their interests in health-care reform and immigration, the nation's Hispanic lawmakers and largest advocacy groups are scrambling to develop a strategy to counter what they see as efforts to shortchange immigrants in health bills on Capitol Hill.

NEWS

Reid Says Health Bill Will Be Done by Christmas - New York Times

The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said Tuesday that he expected to bring major health care legislation to the floor next week and to complete work on the bill before Christmas. But other Democratic leaders said it was unlikely that a bill could reach President Obama’s desk by year’s end.

Reid begins procedural moves - Politico

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday took the first procedural step necessary to begin debate on the health care reform bill next week.

Carper Works On Public Option Alternative - CongressDaily

Even as Senate Majority Leader Reid seeks votes for a healthcare bill with a public option that states can opt-out of, Reid has allowed Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., to work on what one aide called a "Plan B" if Reid cannot line up 60 votes for cloture.

Health vote pits Democrat vs. Democrat - Politico

Democrats who thought a vote against the sweeping health care package would inoculate them from political attack are facing serious blowback from angry constituents and interest groups on the left—fierce opposition that could prove as consequential as anything Republicans could have thrown at them.

Maine Finds a Health Care Fix Elusive - New York Times

When his car repair shop’s health insurance premiums doubled between 2000 and 2002, David White saw the problem as akin to a sputtering engine. So he got under the hood of the state’s health system and tried to fix it.

THE INFLUENCE GAME: Bishops shape health care bill - Associated Press

Catholic bishops have emerged as a formidable force in the health care overhaul fight, using their clout with millions of Catholics and working behind the scenes in Congress to get strong abortion restrictions into the House bill.

Heath Shuler's health care bill vote angers Democrats, leaves GOP unconvinced - Asheville Citizen-Times

Rep. Heath Shuler doesn't play football anymore, but his recent vote against a health care reform bill may make him feel like he's once again scrambling to evade a wall of blitzing linebackers.

Health Care Reform Good for Ohio Small Businesses? - Public News Service

The U.S. House has done its part to advance the President's top domestic priority by passing a health care overhaul bill, and the debate now moves to the Senate.

NEWS

Senate Democrats look to start health reform debate next week - The Hill

Senate Democratic leaders expect their long-awaited healthcare bill to hit the chamber floor as early as Monday.

Obama Seeks Revision of Plan’s Abortion Limits - New York Times

President Obama suggested Monday that he was not comfortable with abortion restrictions inserted into the House version of major health care legislation, and he prodded Congress to revise them.

Groups redirect health-care ads to cheer and jeer Democrats - Washington Post

The House's passage Saturday of a sweeping health-care bill has pushed the advertising battle over reform into a new phase, as competing groups have taken to the airwaves to thank or punish Democrats for their votes.

Liberals threaten to sink healthcare bill over Stupak abortion amendment - The Hill

More than 40 lawmakers vowed to oppose the final healthcare bill if the House language on abortion is not removed.

Bill Clinton meets with Senate Dems on health care - USA Today

Former president Bill Clinton knows just how high the political stakes are in the fight to overhaul America's health care system.