First Edition: November 24, 2010

In today's headlines, the political skirmishes of health overhaul debate continue, with liberals pressing the new law's congressional opponents not to accept federal health insurance coverage. 

Obama Administration Clashes With Insurers Over Controlling Costs
Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports: "Better coverage. Health insurance premiums lower than they would have been otherwise. Millions of Americans eligible for rebates in just a little over a year. … But even as administration officials embark on a broad expansion of federal oversight of the health insurance industry, they're up against this reality: Average Americans want premiums to go down, not just go up more slowly. And there's no single magic bullet - not even the spending rules - that will do that" (Kaiser Health News).

KHN Column: If Employers Walked Away From Health Coverage
In their latest Kaiser Health News column, Brian Klepper and David Kibbe ask, "What would happen if the rank and file of America's employers, financially overwhelmed by the burden associated with sponsoring health coverage, suddenly opted out?" (Kaiser Health News).

House Dem Dares GOP On Healthcare Repeal
Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) is daring Republicans to make good on one of their top legislative priorities: repealing the healthcare law (The Hill's Healthwatch Blog).

Liberals Pounce On GOP Congressman Who Wants His Health Care
When a little-known GOP Congressman-elect who campaigned against the new health law demanded that the benefits of his new federal health plan start immediately, it was an irresistible opening for some (NPR).

Poll: Voters Want Foes To Reject Health Care
Most voters say members of Congress who campaigned against the health care reform bill should turn down the medical insurance offered them as federal employees, according to a new poll released Tuesday (Politico).

GOP Lawmakers Under Pressure To Decline Government Health Plan
Congressional Republicans who assailed the Democrats' healthcare law in the run-up to the midterm elections are facing pressure to decline government-provided coverage when they take office (The Hill's Healthwatch Blog).

Washington Wire: Parties Skirmish Over Health Law
One of the country's largest labor unions has demanded Republican lawmakers skip congressional health insurance because the party voted against the health-care overhaul. The argument: If you don't support government health care, you shouldn't enroll in government health care, says the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (The Wall Street Journal).

Const. Amendment, Round 2
Florida Republican lawmakers are reviving a proposed constitutional amendment that takes aim at a major part of the federal health overhaul --- with Senate President Mike Haridopolos planning the unusual step of sponsoring the proposal himself (Health News Florida).

3 Big Developments Make AIDS Outlook More Hopeful
In the nearly 30 years the AIDS epidemic has raged, there has never been a more hopeful day than this. Three striking developments took place Tuesday (The Associated Press).