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China’s healthcare reform one year later

In April 2009, the Chinese government announced the guidelines for healthcare reform, with the core principle of providing universal healthcare services to the country's 1.3 billion population. China will invest 850 billion RMB ($124 billion) on healthcare from 2009 to 2011, further stimulating demand for medical devices, in what is already one of the world's fastest growing markets for medical technology. One year later, a number of new regulations and guidelines are in place, which are beginning to reshape the structure of the Chinese healthcare industry.

18 Mar 2010

Dems move forward with 'deem and pass' strategy; Some Dem. holdouts express support for reform

The Hill's Blog Briefing Room: "The House will have a clean up-or-down vote on the Senate's healthcare vote in the form of a rules vote, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Wednesday. As Democrats prepare to move forward with health reform efforts, Hoyer seemed to confirm the so-called 'deem and pass' strategy that would see the House indirectly approve the Senate's health bill through a vote on a rule making changes to it.

18 Mar 2010

Senate parliamentarian wields authority over Democrats' health care efforts

The Associated Press: "When Congress battles over thorny bills, parliamentarian Alan Frumin has been known to sleep in his office — on call 24/7 as the Senate's Solomon, divining the answers. Frumin's ability to review long-standing rules and centuries of precedent to resolve Senate questions makes the mustachioed parliamentarian something of a Washington rock star these days.

18 Mar 2010

Massachusetts hospital costs not connected to quality of care, report finds

A new report from Massachusetts finds that the price of hospital care there is not necessarily related to quality.

18 Mar 2010

House Democratic leader twisting arms of the rank-and-file; Tracking health reform vote tally

Democrats are pressuring fellow members to accept the health care reform legislation and are playing hardball to secure votes for the health reform package.

18 Mar 2010

Democrats take aim at deficit targets, continue to wait for CBO numbers on health overhaul

"With Congress just days away from an expected vote, Democrats still hadn't settled on final language of the bill and until they do the Congressional Budget Office can't release an estimate for how much the complete package would cost." House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D., Md.) said yesterday that "he hoped Democratic leaders would be able to lock down final details soon.

18 Mar 2010

Health reform could boost number of young adults buying insurance

The Wall Street Journal: "Although insurers generally oppose the Democrats' health-care bill, an overhaul would give the industry a chance to boost its diminishing rolls with an influx of young customers who tend to be healthy and profitable to cover. The legislation, which Congress will vote on soon, is designed to get millions of young people to buy health insurance, using a mixture of subsidies to make coverage more affordable and penalties for people who remain uninsured."

17 Mar 2010

House Democrats move health bill with controversial, complicated strategy

House Democrats have started the clock to a landmark vote on sweeping changes to America's health care system.

17 Mar 2010

Democrats continue tallying health bill support; Republicans criticize 'deem and pass' rule

Politico: "House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday that Democrats don't yet have the votes to pass a bill this week and that they're still talking with every single member of the caucus. He also told reporters during his half-hour weekly news conference that he hopes to have language for a reconciliation bill finalized later in the day and defended the possible use of the rules to deem the Senate bill passed without forcing members to actually take the uncomfortable vote to support it."

17 Mar 2010

Tea Party activists rally in Washington against Dem's health reform bill

Fox News: "Tea Party activists from across the country rallied outside Democratic congressional offices in Washington on Tuesday to protest the $875 billion health care bill and demand meetings with their respective members of Congress." A memo was circulated in advance by the House Democratic leadership offering tips for dealing with the activists (3/16).

17 Mar 2010

Democrats making final push for health reform votes

The Associated Press: As "Democratic leaders make a desperate scramble for votes," President Obama "is wooing freshman Democrats in the Oval Office, holding at least two one-on-one sessions in the past few days that never appeared on his official schedule, according to aides to two lawmakers invited, Reps. Scott Murphy, D-N.Y., and Suzanne Kosmas, D-Fla.," who both voted no on a House health reform measure last year.

17 Mar 2010

Catholic Bishops oppose health bill, while other Catholic groups offer support

McClatchy: "The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Monday it opposes the Democratic health care plan heading for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives because of its language on abortion. The group noted that it liked the House health care bill because it would continue the strict ban on federal financing of abortion.

17 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 16, 2010

In today's headlines, ongoing efforts by President Obama and Democratic leaders to press and persuade wavering votes in support of health reform take center stage.

16 Mar 2010

APHA urges Congress to finalize health reform legislation

"The American Public Health Association supports Congress as it seeks to finalize comprehensive health reform legislation this week. The measure before Congress and the plans to strengthen it represent the greatest opportunity our nation has had to improve our health system and strengthen public health. We cannot squander this moment.

16 Mar 2010

KHN column: Can incremental health reform provide a path forward?

In this Kaiser Health News column, Gail Wilensky writes: "As we await another historic vote in the House on whether lawmakers will support the Senate version of reform, it's worth asking whether incremental reform would have been a better path" (3/15).

16 Mar 2010

President delivers emotional speech, pushes for reform in Ohio

The Associated Press: "With a fresh sense of urgency, President Barack Obama sought to reassure seniors Monday about health care legislation approaching a final vote in Congress, pledging it would make preventive care cost-free and close a gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage. 'This proposal adds almost a decade of solvency to Medicare,' Obama said in a visit to a senior center."

16 Mar 2010

Major Catholic health group support Democrats' health reform

Catholic World: ''Breaking with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the president of the Catholic Health Association has endorsed the Senate health care reform legislation that is scheduled to be voted on by the House of Representatives this week."

16 Mar 2010

GOP criticizes House Dems likely 'self-executing rule' for health reform consideration

"House Republicans say they cannot block a Democratic maneuver that would allow Members to avoid a separate vote on the Senate health care bill. 'There is nothing that can prevent it,' said Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the Rules Committee."

16 Mar 2010

Issues over abortion, reconciliation rules remain in the path of health reform vote

A host of political challenges and possible pitfalls awaits lawmakers as they push toward a final vote on health reform -- among them, abortion, reconciliation rules and immigration.

15 Mar 2010

Economists, Dems differ on who's to blame for insurers' rate hikes

Democrats assailed health insurers for hiking rates in recent weeks to gain popular momentum for their health overhaul, but health economists say insurers did cause high health costs, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The economists "contend that insurance companies, while often meriting criticism for their practices, aren't to blame for high health care costs."

15 Mar 2010