Health Reform News and Research

RSS

The President and White House officials try to debunk end-of-life care rumors

The Hill: "Democrats seem to have a new strategy for fighting the 'death panel' charges about healthcare reform legislation.

17 Aug 2009

Ad audit: Club for growth's anti-government message

An anti-tax group goes after health care proposals in Congress, alleging they would lead to health care rationing and crushing government deficits. But the campaign includes some dubious comparisons with the British health system, and the group’s recommended solutions are open to question.

17 Aug 2009

Obama administration officials soften stance on public plan

Associated Press: "President Barack Obama's administration signaled on Sunday it is ready to abandon the idea of giving Americans the option of government-run health insurance as part of his ambitious health care proposal.

16 Aug 2009

Grassley's doubts, coupled with cost control issues, could complicate Dems' overhaul efforts

Politico reports that, despite saying last week that he was "confident" President Obama was working towards a bipartisan health bill, Sen. Charles Grassley "told local voters, 'I'm not walking away from the table; I'm being pushed away from the table.' ... Grassley's Iowa road show shows just why Democrats feared this August recess.

16 Aug 2009

Lawmakers reconsider Town Hall format, continue to confront reform fervor

Some lawmakers are canceling town hall meetings or holding them over the telephone or with selected groups of people in an effort to avoid shouting confrontations over health care reform, which have greeted lawmakers returning home for the August recess, USA Today reports.

16 Aug 2009

Ratio of health lobbyists to lawmakers tops 6:1

"If there is any doubt that President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul U.S. health care is the hottest topic in Congress, just ask the 3,300 lobbyists who have lined up to work on the issue," Bloomberg reports, noting that the number amounts to six lobbyists for each member of Congress.

16 Aug 2009

White House reform strategy includes e-mail lists, union counterattack

President Obama and the White House are preparing e-mail lists to rally support while also trying to gain control of the nation's health care reform debate, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

16 Aug 2009

Palin defends 'death panel' claim; Clinton, Dean, Giuliani, Murkowski weigh in

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin defends her "death panel" claim, which is sparking reaction from powerful people.

16 Aug 2009

Obama heads west to gain momentum for reform

President Barack Obama is again heading West in hopes of winning support for his health reform push, The Associated Press reports.

16 Aug 2009

Grassley: Senate will not include end of life care provision, controversy continues

Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, says a Senate health bill will not include end-of-life care consultation, as the dispute over the provision continues to swirl.

16 Aug 2009

Obama presses health overhaul case to country

President Barack Obama is continuing his anti-insurance, pro-health reform pitch to town hall meetings and in his weekly address to the country.

16 Aug 2009

Obama criticizes media coverage, insurance companies during Montana Town Hall meeting

Reuters: "U.S. President Barack Obama, pushing for healthcare reform during a trip to conservative Montana, said on Friday the country was 'held hostage' by insurance companies that deny coverage to sick people." In what Reuters described as a "half-work, half-play trip with his family," Obama will highlight the benefits of his "$1 trillion plan to overhaul the insurance industry, expand healthcare coverage and cut costs to consumers."

16 Aug 2009

Doctors overiding end of life counseling see benefit in current controversy

The paragraphs, buried deep in the 1,000-page House health reform bill, appear innocuous, but they have ignited a firestorm among critics predicting government-sponsored euthanasia.

14 Aug 2009

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow misleading viewers on who's funding the anti-Obama health care ads

The National Republican Trust PAC announced Monday a national television ad buy hammering official Washington on irresponsible spending and the trillions planned for government-run health care. NRTP accepts no corporate money and is funded solely by the donations from average Americans, mostly in the amounts of $25 to $50. During the 2008 campaign season, the Center for Responsive Politics noted that in just one month of activity, NRTP surpassed left-wing billionaire George Soros' MoveOn.org in independent expenditures.

13 Aug 2009