Abortion News and Research

RSS

GOP rejects Obama's compromise on health care, wants 'new approach'

USA Today: "President Obama offered to add a handful of Republican ideas to his 10-year, $950 billion health care plan Tuesday but was rebuffed and urged to start over.The letter from Obama to the GOP signalling his interest in four specific Republican health reform ideas was met with an icy reception from Republican leaders. ... 'We were surprised and disappointed with your latest proposal to simply paper a few of these common-sense proposals over an unsalvageable bill,' wrote Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky." (Wolf and Fritze, 3/2).

4 Mar 2010

Obama to include GOP ideas in health proposal today

With President Barack Obama's release today of his latest health reform plan, he hopes to propel the dialogue forward as he also signals willingness to incorporate GOP ideas into his proposal.

4 Mar 2010

Democrats seem to gain momentum on health reform, but face many obstacles

As Democratic leaders pursue a go-it-alone strategy on health care, the real test will be whether their caucus can pull together and be effective, according to a Politico analysis.

3 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 3, 2010

This morning's news is all about President Obama's outreach yesterday to the GOP and his speech today detailing new elements of his health reform plan. Will this step resuscitate the Dem's overhaul efforts?

3 Mar 2010

Sen. Nelson signals support for health overhaul bill; Hoyer offers alternative way to move legislation forward

Speaking at a conference hosted by the Federation of American Hospitals Tuesday, Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., who withheld his support for a healthcare overhaul bill until just before the Senate passed it in December, "strongly hinted that he is prepared to back the final push to finish the job this spring," The Hill reports. "'Doing nothing on healthcare reform might seem like a reasonable option to some, but in my opinion it's not. Our nation's healthcare crisis will only get worse the longer we delay,' Nelson said.

3 Mar 2010

Nancy Pelosi holds press availability on health insurance reform in the Capitol

Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a press availability this afternoon on health insurance reform in the Capitol.

3 Mar 2010

GOP, Dems continue battle over using 'reconciliation' to move health reform forward

Democrats are defending the use of the budget reconciliation in a health care overhaul as "nothing extraordinary" while Republicans are accusing them of "trying to ram through legislation using a parliamentary trick that Republicans say was never designed for such a big bill," The Wall Street Journal reports.

2 Mar 2010

Seeking undecided Dems, Obama's latest health proposal will focus on cost

The New York Times: "President Obama this week will begin a climactic push to rally restive Congressional Democrats to pass major health care legislation by hammering the argument that the costs of failure will be higher insurance premiums and lost coverage for individuals and businesses. ... he will contrast Democrats' proposals for expanding coverage and for regulating insurance company practices with what he sees as the shortcomings of the Republicans' incremental plans."

2 Mar 2010

States continue to wrestle with Medicaid spending, budget issues; Utah legislation would criminalize illegal abortion

Cincinnati Business Courier: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has signed a bill that will extend the state's mini-COBRA program from 12 to 15 months for small-business employees, according to a report in Columbus Business First (3/1).

2 Mar 2010

Some Democrats cautious as leaders line up health votes - GOP slams Dem approach

In addition to GOP resistance, the Democratic party faces internal opposition to some aspects of health reform legislation.

2 Mar 2010

Republicans press campaign against reconciliation; Mccain seek to strip Medicare out of health bill

Republicans and Democrat hit the Sunday talk shows today to debate whether a complex congressional process called 'reconciliation' should be used to consider a major overhaul of the U.S. health care system. Reconciliation is normally used for 'taxing and spending and reducing deficits,' said Sen.

28 Feb 2010

President Obama, Pelosi inaccurately respond: Health bills do not fund abortion

Yesterday members of Congress attended the White House Summit on Health Care Legislation. Responding to a claim by Minority Leader John Boehner that the health care legislation will fund abortion, President Obama dismissed it as talking points and "untrue." Speaker Pelosi also inaccurately responded that the health bills do not fund abortion.

27 Feb 2010

Reconciliation may be Democrats last hope for health overhaul

At the close of Thursday's summit, President Barack Obama hinted at his party's next step: If Republican support does not emerge, Democrats will move forward with reconciliation, a complicated procedure that would allow them to pass health overhaul legislation even without a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority in the Senate, The Washington Post reports.

26 Feb 2010

Lack of chemistry between Obama and GOP leaders could strain summit; Gingrich urges series of smaller bills

The New York Times reports on a lack of chemistry between President Barack Obama and leading Republicans such as Rep. John A. Boehner, the House Republican leader, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

26 Feb 2010

Bipartisanship unlikely after health summit; Party unity Obama's next best bet

Democratic and Republican lawmakers each have an opportunity to make bipartisan concessions during Thursday's summit - like warming to malpractice reform or publicly conceding Democratic plans would ultimately lower the deficit, respectively - but political pressure will likely push both sides towards their partisan ranks, Politico reports.

25 Feb 2010

Abortion, public option questions remain

The Wall Street Journal: "Abortion was one of the final matters to be resolved in December when the Senate created its version of the health-care bill, with a carefully crafted compromise that left neither side in the debate happy.

24 Feb 2010

Centrist Dems have mixed responses to new Obama health plan

"The sweeping health-care package unveiled this week by the White House appears to face big hurdles in the House, with abortion and unease among moderates potential stumbling blocks to winning passage of the legislation," The Wall Street Journal reports. President Obama's proposal Monday has "drawn mixed reviews from moderate Democrats," who face electoral pressures and in some cases dispute specific policy ideas. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., for instance, "criticized a new White House provision that would give the federal government powers to hold down insurance premiums, saying that should be up to the states" (Adamy and Hitt, 2/24).

24 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 24, 2010

Today's headlines focus on the run-up to tomorrow's White House health summit as well as the latest from Capitol Hill regarding the outlook for health reform.

24 Feb 2010

Doubts, questions loom over planned bipartisan health summit

More reactions to President Obama's health proposal are trickling in from Capital Hill, as the White House attempts to parry Republican criticism by asking GOP lawmakers to put their own plan on the table.

24 Feb 2010

Obama plans to offer own health bill before summit as parties stake claims

President Obama will offer "comprehensive" health reform legislation in advance of next week's planned summit with Republicans, The New York Times reports. "Democratic officials said the president's proposal was being written so that it could be attached to a budget bill as a way of averting a Republican filibuster in the Senate. The procedure, known as budget reconciliation, would let Democrats advance the bill with a simple majority rather than a 60-vote supermajority."

20 Feb 2010