Today's Opinions: Pawlenty's order against the health overhaul, repealing the health law and more about health care costs

Pawlenty's Order Pure Politicking The Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer
The move can be explained in no other way than in being a totally partisan decision, intended to shore up his conservatism in what will be a 2012 battle of who is more conservative to wear the Republican mantle for president (9/1).

Dear Patients: Vote To Repeal ObamaCare The Wall Street Journal
Because the issue this election is so stark — literally life and death for millions of Americans in the years ahead — we are this week posting a "Dear Patient" letter in our waiting rooms (Dr. Hal Scherz, 9/1).

Older Smokers Also Benefit From Quitting Kennebec (Maine) Journal
Health providers should take advantage of the new Medicare stop-smoking benefit and do something positive for their older patients (9/1).

Get Some Valuable Health Care Advice Des Moines Register
The University of Iowa is offering Iowans the chance to learn more about the law. Average people — not just the policy wonks among us — should take advantage of the opportunity (9/1).

Health Costs Are Our Fault The (Johnson County, N.C.) Herald
And you can't have a real debate when a crowd -- maybe two-thirds of them receiving health care through a government-created program -- cheers on some charlatan yelling, "Hey government, hands off my health care" (Scott Mooneyham, 9/1).

Medicare: Wishful Thinking The Jacksonville, Florida Times-Union
Inflation in health care costs has outpaced the general rate of inflation in recent years. Pushing for a reduction is worth the effort, but don't bet on it (8/31).

Reducing Medical Errors The (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Journal Gazette
In 2014, the federal government will cut payment by 1 percent to hospitals with the highest rates of patient safety issues. A bolder step, as Indiana has done, would save more (9/1).

A Dying Patient Is Not A Battlefield CNN
Watching this patient suffer, not from his disease but because of what we did to him in the name of helping him, was agonizing (Theresa Brown, 8/31).

State Retiree Healthcare Costs Could Double Over Next Nine Years N.J. Spotlight
On the hook for nearly $70 billion, New Jersey already tops all states in unfunded liability (Mark J. Magyar, 9/1).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.