THE DAILY DOSE: FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2009

Daily Dose
For Immediate Release:
2009-07-24T00:00:00
Contact Info:
Katie Grant
Stephanie Lundberg
(202) 225 - 3130
Health Reform in the House

Fact of the Day

Each year on average in the U.S., about 50,000 adults die from vaccine-preventable diseases or their complications.
(National Foundation for Infectious Diseases)

Health Resources

Under the Microscope

Profiles of Latino Health: The Top 12 Questions About Latinos and Health Care
As families increasingly struggle to balance health care costs with everyday needs, nearly all Americans are acutely aware of the urgent need for comprehensive reform of our health care system. Latinos, who at 15% of the U.S. population are the largest racial or ethnic minority group in the nation, are expected to represent 60% of the nation’s population growth between 2005 and 2050. Policymakers must respond to the changing demographics of the country and understand Latinos’ experiences with the current system in order to create reforms that guarantee affordable, accessible health care for all. These questions and their subsequent answers shine a spotlight on Latinos’ health status and their interactions with the health care system. [National Council of La Raza, Spring 2009]

Health Care Headlines

  • White House Official Links Health Care Plan to Fiscal Balance
    A comprehensive overhaul of the health care system, eliminating inefficiencies and wasteful practices, will be crucial in correcting the nation’s unsustainable fiscal excesses, the White House budget director said on Wednesday. [New York Times, 7/22/2009]
  • Obama’s New Term: ‘Insurance Reform’
    If you haven’t been paying attention, you might have missed it. But with the substitution of one word, President Barack Obama was able to redirect his health care message from uninsured Americans to those who already have insurance. [Politico, 7/22/2009]
  • Obama: Fall is ‘Bottom Line’ for Overhaul
    President Obama Thursday said he can accept that his August deadline will pass without an overhaul of the healthcare system because he believes Congress is working hard and not trying to duck tough choices. But he insisted that a bill reach his desk this fall. [CongressDaily, 7/24/2009] Read a related article.
  • Obama Visits Clinic Known for Quality Care, Controlling Costs
    The Cleveland Clinic, the renowned medical center visited by President Obama on Thursday, embodies many features that experts believe are essential to both improving health care and controlling its cost. [Washington Post, 7/23/2009] Read a related article.
  • GOP Still Vague on Details of Health Bill
    GOP leaders urged Democrats to start over on their health bill Thursday without saying when they will release a bill of their own. [Roll Call, 7/23/2009]
  • Supporters, Opponents of Abortion Find Common Ground in Bill, Lawmakers Said
    New legislation that would reduce abortions and support women who carry pregnancies to term has finally won support from both sides of the abortion debate — four years after Democratic sponsors began writing the bill, the lawmakers said Thursday. [CQ HealthBeat, 7/23/2009]
  • OPINION: Prevention Has Vital Role In Health Reform
    By Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) & Dr. Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy
    Within the contentious debate surrounding national health care reform, there's one point of agreement for most Americans: The present system is broken. It's not just an issue of cost but outcomes.
    [Sacramento Bee, 7/23/2009]
  • OPINION: Cost and Compassion
    By Paul Krugman
    The talking heads on cable TV panned President Obama’s Wednesday press conference. You see, he didn’t offer a lot of folksy anecdotes. [New York Times, 7/23/2009]
  • OPINION: Getting Good Value in Health Care
    By Pauline W. Chen, MD
    Like most doctors I know, every time I see a patient in clinic, questions scroll down my mind’s eye like credits at the end of a movie. [New York Times, 7/23/2009]
  • OPINION: Health Law Costs Aren’t the Problem
    By Michael J. Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
    We’ve heard the claims repeated from the moment the bill was signed three years ago - Massachusetts’ health reform law is unaffordable. Those claims have come from a wide variety of ideological and political quarters, but what they have in common is a failure to understand how the law works.
    [Boston Globe, 7/23/2009]