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First Edition: November 30, 2009

In today's headlines, much attention is focused on the Senate as that chamber begins what is expected to be a stormy health overhaul debate.

30 Nov 2009

Public option expected to dominate Senate debate on health reform this week

The Associated Press: "... the all-hands-on-deck Democratic coalition that allowed the bill to advance is fracturing already. ... Some Democratic senators say they'll jump ship from the bill without tighter restrictions on abortion coverage. Others say they'll go unless a government plan to compete with private insurance companies gets tossed overboard.

29 Nov 2009

Dems face huge challenge in reconciling abortion language in House, Senate health bills

Several news outlets are following the dilemmas that Democrats are facing in the health reform bills due to abortion.

27 Nov 2009

Senators away for holiday continue health debate at home

Senators away for the Thanksgiving holiday are continuing the health care reform debate with constituents and are facing far less vitriol than during the August recess.

25 Nov 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

You would be hard pressed to find any health policy expert who isn't disappointed that cost containment has fallen off the health care "reform" express (Robert Laszewski, 11/25).

25 Nov 2009

Fact checks examine various health care reform claims

The Christian Science Monitor reports on four key issues - a public option, raising taxes and cutting costs, individual mandates and abortion - that may become points of major differences when expected debate begins Nov. 30 on the Senate bill. The Monitor examines how each issue is covered in both the House and the Senate bills (Chaddock, 11/24).

25 Nov 2009

Public ponders fairness of 'Cadillac' tax, affordability issues

BusinessWeek: "In chasing revenue to help pay for health-care reform, Democrats have managed to rally two groups that tend to oppose each other—unions and Big Business. The focus of their ire: a proposed 40% excise tax on high-premium or so-called Cadillac health plans."

24 Nov 2009

Groups on both sides of abortion issue revived in Senate reform fight

The Wall Street Journal reports that abortion-rights groups are mobilizing to keep a provision that would toughen abortion restrictions out of a Senate health care reform bill. "Activists hope to flood Washington to rally and lobby on Dec. 2, during the week that Senate floor debate begins." Ads are running to criticize the restrictions and a new coalition — the Coalition to Pass Health Care Reform and Stop Stupak — is being formed, The Journal reports.

24 Nov 2009

RetireSafe urges America's seniors to protest the massive cuts to Medicare

While the Senate Democrats moved forward to begin the debate on their health care "reform" bill this weekend, RetireSafe, a 400,000 supporter strong grassroots senior advocacy group, is calling on all of America's seniors to grab their bullhorns to protest the massive cuts to Medicare.

24 Nov 2009

Opinion: China forced abortions; U.S. work in Africa; foreign aid; Uganda legislation

"One of the few incontrovertible assertions one can reasonably make is that no one supports forced abortion," syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker writes in a Detroit News opinion piece that examines reports of "coerced abortions" and involuntary sterilizations in China.

23 Nov 2009

Lobbying is up as health industry examines impact of reform proposals

"Companies and groups hiring lobbying firms on health issues nearly doubled this year as special interests rushed to shape the massive revamp of the nation's health care system now in its final stretch before Congress." As many as 1,000 groups "have hired lobbyists since January, compared with 505 during the same period in 2008, according to a USA TODAY analysis of congressional records compiled by the nonpartisan CQ MoneyLine."

23 Nov 2009

Senators prepare for upcoming health reform battles

The Wall Street Journal reports that, in a party-line vote Saturday night, "Democratic leaders finally moved their sweeping health bill to the Senate floor, where wheeling and dealing over major unresolved and divisive issues likely will shape the legislation before its next big test." Some centrists are busy saying they won't support a bill with a government-run public option in it. They are also divided over abortion.

23 Nov 2009

AUL Action opposes anti-life health care bill

At 8:00 p.m. tonight, the Senate is expected to vote on cloture on the Motion to Proceed to debate on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's pro-abortion health care bill. Sixty Senators' votes are needed for the bill to move forward. While this vote has been touted by pro-abortion lawmakers as merely "procedural" in nature, according to the Congressional Research Service, over 97% of bills that require a cloture vote to begin debate ultimately pass the Senate.

23 Nov 2009

Americans United for Life Action responds to pro-abortion vote in Senate health care bill

"This was a pro-abortion vote tonight because this bill provides for an unprecedented expansion of federally-funded abortion. Supporters argued that the debate needed to move forward - but life should be at the heart of any health care reform. There was no more important time for legislators to show their support for life than by leveraging their power now to demand that any health care reform bill genuinely respects life. What is health care about if it is not for preserving and protecting human life?

23 Nov 2009

Senators vote to advance elective abortion bill

Tonight, in a partisan vote, the U.S. Senate voted to proceed to Senator Reid's version of the government takeover of health care. Among the several objectionable items included in this bill; like the public option, employer and individual mandates, is the government funding for elective abortion, which is the most onerous and morally objectionable.

23 Nov 2009

Senate health care bill an "enormous disappointment": U.S. bishops

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the Senate to make essential changes its health reform bill in order to keep in place federal law on abortion funding and conscience protection on abortion, protect access to health care for immigrants and include strong provisions for adequate affordability.

21 Nov 2009

Lawmakers at health reform crossroads

As Senate health bill consideration approaches a critical point, Majority Leader Harry Reid has taken ownership of it, The New York Times reports. "Should Mr. Reid shepherd the measure successfully through the Senate and meld it with the House version into final legislation that President Obama can sign, it would be the biggest accomplishment of his career." If he fails it would be a hard defeat for Democrats and him, especially when he faces a tough re-election campaign at home in Nevada (Hulse, 11/19).

20 Nov 2009

White House and Bishops at odds over abortion

"The White House is on a collision course with Catholic bishops in an intractable dispute over abortion that could blow up the fragile political coalition behind President Barack Obama's health care overhaul," the Associated Press reports.

20 Nov 2009

Policy flashpoints fuel reform debate

Kaiser Health News: "The health care overhaul debate in Congress now centers on two bills: the House-passed measure and the Senate Democrats' version unveiled Wednesday. They differ in important ways." KHN provides a consumers' guide that discusses mandates, new regulations on health insurers and how the legislation would affect both the insured and uninsured (Appleby, Carey, Galewitz and Rau, 11/19).

20 Nov 2009

Health policy research roundup

Urban Institute: Progress Enrolling Children in Medicaid/CHIP: Who Is Left And What Are The Prospects For Covering More Children? - This policy brief examines the characteristics of the estimated 5 million uninsured children who are eligible for CHIP/Medicaid in 2007 (64 percent of all uninsured children; 88 percent of all low-income uninsured children), but not enrolled.

20 Nov 2009