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House Democrats split on health reform options

Conservatives are still leery of supporting a government-funded, or public, insurance option. Freshman lawmakers from suburban districts remain fearful of increasing taxes for their wealthy constituents to pay for the new measure and await alternatives from moderate Senate Democrats.

9 Sep 2009

Advocates express concern over reform proposal's changes to low-income children's coverage

Children's health advocates are concerned that a new health reform proposal by the Senate Finance Committee could jeopardize coverage of many low-income children now insured by the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which expires in 2013, Politico reports.

9 Sep 2009

Number of uninsured to increase as unemployment figures rise

The American Academy of Actuaries Senior Health Fellow Cori Uccello is expecting there to be an increase in the number of people without health insurance when the U.S. Census Bureau reports the latest figures on Thursday. According to last year's Census Bureau estimates, nearly 46 million people were uninsured in America.

8 Sep 2009

Reform measures target health insurance practices such as dropping coverage

Health reform legislation seeks to eliminate practices used by insurance firms known as "rescissions," which firms defend as fraud control. The Washington Post reports in a story headlined "When Your Insurer Says You're No Longer Covered."

8 Sep 2009

First Edition: September 8, 2009

It's going to be a big week as Congress returns to work and President Obama readies his speech to a joint session. High on everyone's list: health reform.

8 Sep 2009

Illegal immigrants may benefit from new health care reform bill

As President Obama addresses the nation on health care reform, a new analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 6.6 million uninsured illegal immigrants could receive benefits under the House health reform bill (H.R. 3200). While the bill states that illegal immigrants are not eligible for the new taxpayer-funded affordability credits, there is nothing in the bill to enforce this provision.

8 Sep 2009

Baucus reportedly proposing new insurance fee to pay for health reform

The New York Times reports that "In a last effort to give the Senate a bipartisan health care bill," Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., "the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee circulated a comprehensive proposal on Sunday to overhaul the health care system and proposed a new fee on insurance companies to help pay for coverage of the uninsured."

7 Sep 2009

Obama 'ready to draw line in the sand' on health reform

"White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says President Barack Obama is considering his own health care legislation to cut through the stalemate on Capitol Hill. Gibbs says Americans will know exactly where the president stands after his speech to Congress on Wednesday night. He says Obama is ready to 'draw some lines in the sand.'" Gibbs appeared on ABC's "This Week" (9/6).

7 Sep 2009

Senate negotiators have 'productive' phone call, despite tensions

A group of Senate negotiators, known as the Gang of Six, held a teleconference today to discuss their efforts to craft a bipartisan reform bill in the Finance Committee, USA Today reports. The group, which includes three Republicans and three Democrats, went into the call on the heels of a rough patch, with Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, asking supporter for help defeating "Obama-care" and Democrats attacking Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., for making critical remarks.

5 Sep 2009

Impact of the patient centered medical home model on the health care reform

Health2 Resources announced today free access to its Web portal, H2RMinutes, a one-stop source for news about the patient centered medical home (PCMH). H2RMinutes (http://www.h2rminutes.com) is designed specifically to keep health care policymakers, providers, employers and suppliers informed about the impact that the PCMH model is having on the national health care reform debate.

5 Sep 2009

Tightening the belt for health reform

Kaiser Health News asks: "If health care reform has to be put on a diet to pass this year, how much must the proposal slim down?" And officials are already considering the possible cuts.

5 Sep 2009

Obama to offer details, strive for consensus in upcoming speech

"With President Obama poised to give a health-care address Wednesday before a joint session of Congress, administration officials promised that he will deliver a detailed prescription for reform despite the risks of spelling out exactly where he stands," the Washington Post reports.

5 Sep 2009

Safety net hospitals worry health reform poses threat

The Associated Press/San Jose Mercury News: "To all the knotty issues involved in health care overhaul, add one more: The proposals in Congress may threaten the funding and future of the nation's already-struggling safety net hospitals."

5 Sep 2009

Many high health costs remain mysterious, including the cost of reform

Health care's high costs are a main reason lawmakers are taking on health reform, but it's also a challenge to identify and target the many reasons care is so expensive. NPR takes a look at medical devices, like plastic tubes and scalpels, that boast surprisingly big price tags. A $2,000 dollar metal stent must be tiny and flexible, a $60 plastic catheter must bend in exactly the right way and "the market is still sorting itself out" on the appropriate price of relatively new specialty scalpels used for heart surgery (Joffe-Walt 9/4).

5 Sep 2009

Google searches for 'death panels' trigger new ad war

Weeks after Sarah Palin coined the term, "death panels" to refer to a proposal in the House health reform bill, the term is among those helping to generate the most active internet advertising spree ever linked to a public policy issue, the Los Angeles Times reports.

5 Sep 2009

Democrats consider 'trigger' option instead of immediate public plan

The White House is considering a health reform proposal that would turn to a government-run public plan only if private insurers fail to provide affordable options.

5 Sep 2009

Biden predicts health reform will pass after partisan battles

Vice President Joe Biden predicted Thursday that health reform would pass, but not before a contentious partisan battle, CQ Politics reports. "'As bleak as it looks ... you think about every change in health care, it passed by a couple of votes,' Biden said in response to a question following an address at the Brookings Institution.

4 Sep 2009

Morning Edition: September 4, 2009

Today's headlines illustrate the following point: Everyone should enjoy the long weekend ahead, because next week Congress comes back to Washington and President Obama delivers his big health care speech -- in other words, the health policy world will be very busy.

4 Sep 2009

Real American Brands to start medical transportation business

Real American Brands, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: RLAB) announced today that the company has approved plans to pursue and operate an emergency and non-emergency health services transportation division, to be developed in close consultation with transport and medical personnel who have broad experience in the field.

4 Sep 2009

White House 'rallies the faithful' for health overhaul push

The White House is going beyond the Wednesday speech to take control of the health reform debate, including a road trip to urge passage of legislation.

4 Sep 2009