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Provisions for young, old in Kennedy bill; Senate leaders eye July for bill

Sen. Edward Kennedy's health care reform bill includes provisions to allow elderly people remain in their homes and the young to stay on their parents health insurance until age 26, according to The Associated Press.

10 Jun 2009

Women of color more likely to have major health care problems than white women

Women of color in America are 11 times more likely than their white counterparts to contract AIDS, according to a new study released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

10 Jun 2009

Kennedy's absence felt as health reform push intensifies

Congressional Democrats seeking leadership are feeling Sen. Edward Kennedy's absence in the looming health care reform debate as he continues his battle with brain cancer, and struggles to return to Washington, The New York Times reports.

9 Jun 2009

Reform debate circles back to costs, and how to pay for them

In the White House's pitches for health care reform, controlling costs has replaced universal coverage as the leading imperative to overhaul the system. A top White House economist, Christina Romer, said in a public appearance Monday, "Good health care reform is good economic policy," the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "Fixing what's wrong with our health care system is no longer a luxury we hope to achieve – it's a necessity we cannot postpone any longer" (Abate, 6/9).

9 Jun 2009

Health reform plans grab spotlight as specifics emerge

President Obama's carefully worded health care reform letter to key Senate Democrats last week highlighted the growing role the president is taking in overhaul efforts, Politico reports.

9 Jun 2009

Dodd: Health reform bill lacks detail

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., said Tuesday morning that the most contentious issues in health care reform such as a public plan and employer mandate will be left out of a bill for now, Politico reports.

9 Jun 2009

Baucus: Comparative effectiveness will be in health reform bill

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., says that a comprehensive health reform package - due out from his committee within the next week or two - will include plans to compare the effectiveness of drugs and other medical treatments so Americans can answer the question: "What are we getting for our money?"

9 Jun 2009

House Democrats unveil reform outline

CQ reports that details are emerging regarding House Democrats' Plan. "The health care overhaul under development by House Democrats would subsidize insurance premiums for families earning as much as four times the poverty level, while expanding Medicaid and improving its payments to health providers."

9 Jun 2009

DeParle, Sebelius: Time to tackle health care disparities

Officials said Tuesday that the time is now to tackle ethnic, economic and gender disparities in health care as they ready a major overhaul of the nation's health care system.

9 Jun 2009

War of words on health reform

The message war on health care continues unabated. A new memo by Democratic pollster Celinda Lake and the Herndon Alliance, a liberal group that backs a sweeping health care overhaul, urges advocates to emphasize that Democratic plans offer "an American solution" that will provide "peace of mind" and "choice" of insurance plans and physicians.

9 Jun 2009

EU unions send message to ministers on healthcare

"We cannot let market forces run healthcare systems or we will end up with a two-tier system of healthcare delivery."

9 Jun 2009

Obama ramping up efforts to overhaul the nation's health care system

President Barack Obama is ramping up his efforts to overhaul the nation's health care system, including devoting his Saturday radio and video address to health reform.

9 Jun 2009

How Congress might tax your health benefits

If you work at a company that reimburses employees for joining a gym, you pay income taxes on the value of that perk. If you get life insurance through work, there's a good chance that you pay taxes on a portion.

9 Jun 2009

Recession taking toll on unemployed as well as caregivers

The recession has increased the number of uninsured Americans and made it more difficult to access health care programs while also placing special burdens on caregivers.

9 Jun 2009

Grassley strikes back at Obama, other strong personalities emerging in health debate

Several newspapers had articles about major congressional players in the health care debate.

9 Jun 2009

Single-payer advocates challenge Democrats while private insurers get nervous

Democrats working feverishly on health care reform "face increasingly noisy protests from those on the left who complain that a national program like those in Europe has been excluded from the debate," The Washington Post reports.

9 Jun 2009

Reform bill details emerge, lobbyists gear up for fight

Industry groups reacted "warily" this weekend to a draft of the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee's health overhaul plan. The first details emerged late Friday and lobbyists began speaking up, USA Today reports.

9 Jun 2009

'Roll call' solicits strong opinions on health reform

Roll Call published a special section today that pulls together opinion pieces from 20 major players from all corners of the health care debate, including Tom Daschle, Michael Tanner, Dick Gephardt and Tommy Thompson and Newt Gingrich and Jim Frogue.

9 Jun 2009

Taxing health benefits could be used to pay for expanded coverage, drive out unnecessary care, some say

Economists say taxing health benefits not only could raise billions per year for health care reform efforts, but also could make the system run better, NPR and KHN report.

9 Jun 2009

Democrats prepare message as congress reacts to Kennedy's health reform draft

Congressional Democrats are preparing the message to go with their sweeping health reform in both the House and the Senate, after Sen. Edward Kennedy's draft reform bill was circulated, CNN.com reports.

9 Jun 2009