First Edition: March 9, 2010

Today's headlines reflect the latest news on President Obama's effort to build support -- both among the public and lawmakers-- for his health plan. Meanwhile, the GOP pledges to make the reform face off a key issue in the midterm elections.

Health On The Hill - March 8, 2010 Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey talks with NPR's Julie Rovner and KFF's Jackie Judd about the latest developments regarding health reform. Specifically, President Obama visit to Philadelphia and plans for St. Louis later this week to continue his push to have Congress pass health overhaul legislation this month (Kaiser Health News). Watch the video.

Anyone Remember What's In The Health Bill? Since the Senate passed its version of a health overhaul on Christmas Eve, most of the debate has focused on the politics of the effort. By now, many people have forgotten — if they ever knew — what the bill would actually do (NPR).

Obama Launches Attack On Health Insurance Companies The White House is mounting a stinging, sustained broadside against health insurance rate increases as President Obama and his aides enter what they hope will be the final stretch of a year-long political war over health-care reform (The Washington Post).

Obama Turns Up The Volume In Health Care Bid President Obama challenged wavering members of his party on Monday not to give in to political fears about supporting health care legislation, asserting that the urgency of getting a bill through Congress should trump any concern about the consequences for Democrats in November (The New York Times).

Obama Adds Fire To Healthcare Debate In an impassioned rally that evoked his campaign, President Obama left what he called the Washington "echo chamber" Monday and urged voters to knock on doors and make phone calls to embolden members of Congress to pass healthcare legislation (Los Angeles Times).

Obama Makes Health-Care Pitch President Barack Obama took his health-care push on the road Monday, putting denunciations of insurance companies at the center of his stump speech (The Wall Street Journal).

Obama Takes Hard-Sell Health Pitch To Pa. President Obama stepped up pressure Monday on his fellow Democrats to retool the nation's health care system, decrying those who put politics above policy (USA Today).

Lights, Camera, Reconcile! The yearlong debate over health care reform — a titanic contest involving big ideas, passionate convictions and lofty principles — is headed toward a highly unlikely endgame: a clash between parliamentary procedure attorneys (Politico).

Stupak: Health Bill Abortion Fight Can Be Resolved Prospects are good for resolving a dispute over abortion that has led some House Democrats to threaten to withhold support of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, a key Michigan Democrat said Monday (The Associated Press).

Undecided Committee Chairmen Add To Pressure On Health Vote A handful of House committee chairmen are either undecided about or plan to reject the healthcare reform bill that is expected to be voted on as early as next week (The Hill).

GOP Sharpens Midterm Attack Line National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn said Monday that if some type of health care legislation is able to limp its way out of Congress, GOP candidates across the country are poised to make it the premiere issue of the fall campaign (Politico).

State Insurance Experts See Flaw In Obama's Plan To Curb Health Premiums At the heart of President Obama's drive to rein in health costs is a proposal for federal review and regulation of health insurance premiums, with a new agency empowered to block excessive rate increases (The New York Times).

Senate Panel To Investigate Deaths At Long Term Care Facilities The Senate Finance Committee has opened an investigation into patient deaths and allegations of substandard treatment at long-term care hospitals, small specialty medical centers that treat chronically ill patients (The New York Times).

VA To Automate Its Agent Orange Claims Process The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to announce today that it will fully automate how it pays claims for illnesses related to exposure to the chemical Agent Orange to keep an overburdened system from collapse (USA Today).