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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

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

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

Grassley: No end-of-life counseling provision in Senate finance plan

Congress Daily reports that the Senate Finance Committee will not include in its version of health overhaul legislation House-backed provisions aimed at helping people plan for end-of-life care.

13 Aug 2009

Grassley gets 'tough, but respectful questions' at Town Halls, repeats euthanasia claims

Even Republican officials got angst — albeit slightly more muted than at Democratic town halls — at forums on health care reform Wednesday. Sen. Chuck Grassley faced big crowds in his home state of Iowa, The Associated Press reports.

13 Aug 2009

Kill Grandma? Debunking a health bill scare tactic

It's not, however, because people aren't saying it. The most notable spokeswoman for the cause is Elizabeth McCaughey, the former lieutenant governor of New York. McCaughey's last brush with major public prominence came during the debate over then-President Bill Clinton's health plan, when she wrote a highly controversial critique of the proposal published in The New Republic arguing the bill would have bound everyone inside the new system.

13 Aug 2009

Many seniors worry health reform could hurt instead of help

"Democrats have a senior citizen problem," Politico reports. "Frustrated older Americans are packing the town halls on health care. They are incredibly passionate about their Medicare benefits. Polls show senior citizens largely disapprove of health care reform ideas so far. And of course, they vote — in larger numbers than any other demographic."

12 Aug 2009

Fact checkers: Health care myths range from untrue to open questions

Business is good for fact-checkers. Various news organizations as well as FactCheck.org and PolitiFact.org, have weeded through the rhetoric on both sides of the health reform debate.

12 Aug 2009

Obama hopes to retake health debate with grass (and Net) roots activity

CQ Politics reports: "After enduring weeks of criticism over their efforts to retool the U.S. health system, President Obama invited all 60 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus to a White House lunch last week for a round of commiserating and chin-up encouragement ... Still, for all the rhetorical morale-boosting, some lawmakers are growing restive over the question of just what sort of big-picture health plan they’re fighting for.

11 Aug 2009

Sorting out the truth in the health care debate

The New York Times reports in a "primer on the details of health reform" that Republican criticism of a government-run insurance plan to compete with private health insurance as "socialized medicine" "seems overblown," it reports. "The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that, under the House bill, the number of people with employer-sponsored insurance would climb to 162 million in 2016, which is 3 million more than expected under current law. Further, it said, enrollment in the proposed public plan might total 11 million, far lower than estimates cited by Republicans."

11 Aug 2009

White House launches website to battle health reform rumors

USA Today reports in The Oval blog that "the White House has rolled out its newest weapon in the cyberwars over health care: A website called Reality Check."

11 Aug 2009

Obama: Opposition health claims 'simply not true'

Wasington Post: "President Obama decried Saturday what he called the 'outlandish' claims by critics of his plans for health-care reform as he continued to ratchet up his personal rhetoric in support of the changes he hopes to make. In his weekly Internet and radio address, the president pushed back against claims 'that reform will promote euthanasia, cut Medicaid, or bring about a government takeover of health care. That's simply not true.'" (Shear 8/8).

9 Aug 2009

Total number of uninsured difficult to predict

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6 Aug 2009

Lawmakers, officials distort the facts to support or oppose health overhaul

"Confusing claims and outright distortions have animated the national debate over changes in the health care system," the Associated Press reports.

3 Aug 2009

Abortion, end-of-life care fire up health debate, blogosphere

As the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up the health reform bill last night, "a series of amendments on both sides of the abortion debate [added] a political charge -- and a distraction -- to the progress of the legislation," Politico reports (Smith, 7/30).

31 Jul 2009

White House: Opponents misrepresent end-of-life issue in health reform debate

The White House says opponents of the President's health care reform effort are misrepresenting parts of the House and Senate legislation including a provision on end-of-life care. Critics say they fear health care reform could lead to excessive government intervention in end-of-life issues.

30 Jul 2009