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Drugmakers, insurers and hospitals expected to see gains from health bill

Kaiser Health News: "Most health industry sectors are winners - some bigger than others -- under sweeping health care legislation that will expand coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans over the next decade, analysts say." Hospitals and drug makers are both winners; insurers could go either way, depending on long-term cost trends; and, doctors "got a pass," according to one expert (Galewitz, 3/22).

24 Mar 2010

Senate final fight on health reform starts, Dems hope for weekend wrap-up

Senate lawmakers will begin debate today on a reconciliation bill "fixing" the health reform overhaul that has been approved by both the House and the Senate. Democrats hope to finish consideration of the legislation by Saturday.

24 Mar 2010

Rudd vs Abott health debate

During yesterday's 75-minute debate between the Prime Minister and Tony Abbott at the National Press Club in Canberra, Mr Rudd conceded that small regional and rural hospitals might have to be given block funding grants to keep them afloat should they not be be able to survive on his new activity-based funding formula.

24 Mar 2010

Health reform creates winners, losers and an interesting timeline

The health legislation creates a slew of winners and losers, as well as immediate effects and changes that will arrive slowly.

24 Mar 2010

NMA to discuss impact of historic health care reform legislation on health disparities

With the passage of the historic health care legislation, the National Medical Association (NMA), the nation's oldest and largest organization representing the interests of 30,000 African American physicians will hold a press conference to address health care reform implementation and its impact on health disparities.

23 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 23, 2010

Today's headlines cover a range of topics related to the newly passed health overhaul bill, from the surrounding opposition and next steps to some of its policy implications.

23 Mar 2010

Providence Service Corporation remarks on passage of health care reform bill

The Providence Service Corporation today commented on last night's historical congressional action. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senate version of the health care reform bill as well as a reconciliation bill making some modifications to the original Senate act, called the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010. The bills make a number of sweeping changes to Medicaid and insurance coverage for America's poor, a mission Providence has embraced since its inception in 1997.

23 Mar 2010

Federal health reform bill unconstitutional, 38 states to pass legislation for stopping ObamaCare

Today the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is accelerating its nationwide effort to block the federal requirement to purchase health insurance, a key component of the health reform bill passed last night by Congress.

23 Mar 2010

The immediate effects of the health reform bill

Kaiser Health News staff writers Julie Appleby and Kate Steadman write about the provisions in the health bill that will take effect soon. "Obama administration officials and wonks call them 'early deliverables.'

23 Mar 2010

Passage of health insurance reforms should spur action to ensure quality maternal care

Now that health insurance reform legislation has passed, President Obama and Congress must urgently turn their attention to ensuring quality maternal care for every American woman to reduce rising deaths and complications during pregnancy and childbirth, Amnesty International said today.

23 Mar 2010

Republicans start assault on new health bill

Almost instantly after the successful passing of the health bill by the Democrats in Congress, the Republicans have started opposing it. In Florida the legal battle is led by Attorney General Bill McCollum, who happens to be a Republican running for governor. In a statement made at a news conference Bill McCollum told the press that a lawsuit would be filed once the health care bill was signed by President Obama and turned into Law.

23 Mar 2010

Short of specialists and cancer care

Associate Professor Bogda Koczwara, from the Medical Oncology Group of Australia, conducted the survey which found just 19 per cent of all those diagnosed with cancer were receiving chemotherapy.

23 Mar 2010

Bligh Vs Langbroek on asset sales

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh in a new opinion poll seems to have lost the trust votes of more than 50% voters. They appear to be dissatisfied with her performance but she seems to be still a preferred leader over LNP opposition leader John-Paul Langbroek, with 40 per cent choosing Ms Bligh - a slight increase for the Labor leader.

23 Mar 2010

What's next? Senate prepares to consider House-passed reconciliation fixes

The Washington Post: "The year-long battle over reshaping more than one-sixth of the U.S. economy will now move across the Capitol. The House's approval of the Senate's version of health-care legislation ... also will send to the Senate a 153-page package of amendments to that legislation." Democrats there will use the "reconciliation rule to try to pass the revisions based on a simple majority."

23 Mar 2010

NPAF applauds Congressional Democrats for supporting health insurance reform

The National Patient Advocate Foundation -- a national, non-profit organization dedicated to the mission of creating avenues of improved patient access to health care through public policy reform at the state and federal levels -- today praised Congressional Democrats for their courageous support of health insurance reform that will expand health insurance coverage and restrict the ability of insurance companies to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

23 Mar 2010

Obama to sign Senate health reform bill Tuesday

President Obama will sign the Senate health care reform bill on Tuesday "aides said, in an effort to build momentum for the Senate to complete its fixes on the legislation," The New York Times reports. "The ceremony, scheduled to take place on the White House South Lawn, is expected to include members of Congress, doctors and nurses and ordinary Americans who will benefit from the bill" (Zeleny, 3/22).

23 Mar 2010

How the Senate will tackle health reform now

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey offers a guide to some of the phrases being used as the health reform reconciliation bill moves to the Senate.

23 Mar 2010

How the health bill would affect you

Kaiser Health News has a Q & A for consumers, detailing who would have to get health insurance, what programs are available to help them afford it and how the legislation would affect seniors and young adults (Galewitz, 3/21).

23 Mar 2010

AAHSA commends the U.S. House of Representatives for passing health reform legislation

We commend the U.S. House of Representatives for passing health reform legislation. Our country has a moral imperative to provide affordable access to health care, and this legislation will help do just that through significant improvements to Medicare, Medicaid and long-term care services.

23 Mar 2010

Today's opinions and editorials: Some see house voting in the interest of the majority while others decry bipartisan, costly effort

I know, I know, Democracy's dead, the Union's crumbling and "big guvment" is knocking down your door to deliver forced proctology exams — without latex gloves. ... Well, my friends, get a grip. What really happened, finally, is a House elected by a majority decided to act in the majority's interest. What happened is the start of an effort to fix a problem that sooner or later touches everyone.

22 Mar 2010