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Long-term care insurance bill finds support from industry leader

Today Jonas Roeser, a long-term care industry leader, declared his support for H.R. 1891, a House bill to make long-term care insurance more affordable through a 50% tax deduction. Roeser is Senior Vice President of Marketing and Operations for LTC Financial Partners LLC (LTCFP) -- http://www.ltcfp.com -- one of the nation's largest and most experienced long-term care insurance agencies.

11 Sep 2009

ECFC against Congress proposal for caps on flexible spending account contributions

Amidst the sound and fury of concern over various aspects of President Obama's health care reform proposal, observers too often lose sight of the core fundamental principles on which the President is correct, according to the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation.

11 Sep 2009

Follow President Obama's leadership: HCLA urges Congress

The Health Coalition on Liability and Access today commended President Obama for acknowledging the need to reform our nation's broken medical liability system, and calls on Congress to follow the President's leadership by including reform in pending health care legislation.

11 Sep 2009

Obama's speech leaves room for Snowe's compromise to put off public option

Kaiser Health News reports that President Obama's joint address to Congress last night appeared to leave room for compromise on a key issue: "By signaling his flexibility last night on a government-run insurance plan, President Barack Obama gave new impetus to a fallback 'trigger' approach that some believe could be essential to passing health care legislation this year" (Pianin and Carey, 9/10).

11 Sep 2009

Health care reform briefings on September 19

On September 19 a number of organizations are joining in briefings on health care reform that would really allow health care to become more affordable and more responsive to the individual rights and choices of Americans. This will provide a stark contrast to the many contradictory and expensive proposals that are now under consideration in Congress.

11 Sep 2009

APHA calls for comprehensive health care reform affordable to all Americans

"According to new Census Bureau data released today, there are now more than 46 million Americans who do not have health coverage. And alarmingly, things are only getting worse.

11 Sep 2009

PhRMA concurs with Obama's health care reform

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) President & CEO Billy Tauzin issued the following statement after President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress on health care reform:

11 Sep 2009

A market 'fundamentally changed': How health proposals could affect Americans who buy their own insurance

Kaiser Health News, in a collaboration with The Washington Post, reports on how the insurance market may change. "Who will benefit - and who won't - if Congress overhauls America's health-care system?

11 Sep 2009

Increasing coverage without raising the costs not possible: Gary Bauer

Former presidential candidate Gary Bauer on the eve of President Obama's health care address said Tuesday that he would be listening for specifics from the President about "compromises and concessions he is willing to make to show that his promises of bipartisan policy development were real."

11 Sep 2009

Overshadowed Republican reply asks for compromise, new beginning

The official Republican response to President Barack Obama's speech, delivered by Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., was overshadowed by Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie," remark Newsweek reports.

11 Sep 2009

NCOA supports Obama for improving Medicare’s delivery system

NCOA applauds President Obama's call for universal health care. Older Americans with Medicare know first-hand the benefits of universal coverage -- and they should be in the forefront of efforts to secure the same rights for their children and grandchildren.

11 Sep 2009

Tort reform back on table in health care debate

"Sparked by complaints at town hall meetings last month about the impact of medical malpractice suits on healthcare costs, a battle is brewing between business advocates and lawyers over whether to limit damages in lawsuits against physicians and other medical professionals as part of a healthcare overhaul," CongressDaily reports.

11 Sep 2009

ACLJ: Abortion funding issue cannot be resolved without a specific exemption

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), focusing on constitutional law, said today despite President Obama’s insistence that “no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions” – the fact is that such a proclamation does not guarantee that abortion won’t become a mandatory health care “benefit” under health care reform.

11 Sep 2009

Gastroenterologists applaud President's call for screening tests coverage

Gastrointestinal specialists from the American College of Gastroenterology applaud President Obama's call to cover preventive screening tests, such as breast cancer exams and colonoscopy. In his health care speech to a joint session of Congress last night, the President argued that "there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense."

11 Sep 2009

Routine screening is useful for identifying pregnant women with gestational diabetes

Pregnant women who develop marked increased blood sugar levels during pregnancy can reduce the risk of certain birth complications if they receive treatment. This is a prerequisite for offering all pregnant women routine screening for gestational diabetes.

11 Sep 2009

Personalities: Democrats continue to wrangle while GOP seeks to make use of summer momentum gains

Top health care negotiators for a group of fiscally conservative Democrats are seeking to bolster their positions with key Democrats and Republicans ahead of the stretch run at health care reform.

11 Sep 2009

Obama: 'Time for bickering is over' on health care reform

"Obama said the changes he has in mind would cost about $900 billion over [a] decade, 'less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans' passed during the Bush administration."

11 Sep 2009

Better use of quality-of-care ratings can lead to greater consumer control

A hospital pneumonia survival rate of 93 percent may sound good, but knowing that it's actually merely "fair" can help people pick a better hospital, according to new research. A "good" survival rate would be from 95 percent to 98 percent, medical experts say.

11 Sep 2009

Democrats and Republicans take action, offer more reactions the day after President Obama's speech

Republicans are continuing to react to President Obama's Wednesday night speech while Democrats are counting votes and meeting with key groups within the caucus.

11 Sep 2009

Obama highlights new uninsured census numbers during meeting with nurses

Almost 6 million more Americans were uninsured during the last year when the economy worsened, President Obama, citing new census data, told a group of nurses at the White House on Thursday, the New York Times reports.

11 Sep 2009