Health Reform in the House | Fact of the Day The large majority of uninsured (66%) are from low-income families, but 11 million come from the middle class, accounting for almost a quarter of the nation’s non-elderly uninsured.
(Kaiser Family Foundation) | Health Resources |
Under the Microscope FACT CHECK: 120 Myths and Facts in America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, H.R. 3200
The Center for American Progress Action Fund released a “fact check” report this week countering 120 of the most widespread myths on health reform. Opponents of reform are circulating a lengthy list of false claims about H.R. 3200 to their email lists in an attempt to prevent reform of America’s health care system. This report includes point-by-point refutations of these false claims, as well as clarifications of the bill’s purpose.
[Center for American Progress Action Fund] Below are additional sites dedicated to helping Americans sort fact from fiction on this important issue: Health Insurance Reform Reality Check [The White House] Daily Mythbusters [Speaker's Office] Health Care Checkup: A line-by-line rebuttal to false email [House Democratic Leadership] Setting the Record Straight [Organizing for America] PolitiFact.com [St. Petersburg Times] Myths and falsehoods about health care reform
[Media Matters for America]
Health Care Headlines Obama Calls Health Plan a ‘Moral Obligation’
President Obama sought Wednesday to reframe the health care debate as “a core ethical and moral obligation,” imploring a coalition of religious leaders to help promote the plan to lower costs and expand insurance coverage for all Americans. [New York Times, 8/19/2009] White House Says It Wants GOP Votes
The White House insisted today that it is still hoping for Republican support for health care reform, strongly disputing a New York Times report that the administration has shifted its strategy to pass legislation with only Democratic votes. [Congress Daily, 8/19/2009] Dems Recommit to Bipartisan Health Deal
Senate Democratic leaders and negotiators have recommitted themselves to a bipartisan healthcare deal, despite an August recess characterized by partisan sniping that prompted senior White House officials to consider a go-it-alone approach. [The Hill, 8/19/2009] Grassley Re-emphasizes Support for Reform Bill
Despite moving last week to downplay his participation in the Senate Finance Committee’s ongoing bipartisan health care negotiations, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Wednesday released a statement emphasizing his support for a consensus reform bill. [Roll Call, 8/19/2009] For Outsiders, Opening Doors to Health Care
Health care may be a costly drag on the economy, but it’s still a great place to find a job. A special section on the best programs for your career, how to pay for classes — and much more. Midcareer managers and other workers have been migrating to health care jobs for years, of course. Now, with the recession, the lure is even stronger. [New York Times, 8/19/2009] CDC: U.S. Life Expectancy Up to Nearly 78
U.S. life expectancy has risen to a new high, now standing at nearly 78 years, the government reported Wednesday. [USA Today, 8/20/2009] OPINION: Cost control not coverage is the key to health reform
By Mort Zuckerman, chairman and editor in chief of US News & World Report
Why does it cost the US about $7,000 per person annually for our incomplete national healthcare system, while other major economic competitors provide universal coverage for about half that? The answer is quite simple: the federal government pays whatever the cost will be. [Financial Times, 8/20/09] OPINION: Lincoln’s Prophecy for the GOP
By Harold Meyerson
Sen. Charles Grassley was grumping as usual on MSNBC on Monday morning ("the government is a predator, not a competitor") when journalist Chuck Todd interrupted his rap with a serious question. If the Senate Finance Committee's bipartisan Gang of Six comes up with a compromise that you think is a good deal, Todd asked Grassley, "are you willing to be one of just three or four Republicans" to support that deal?
[Washington Post, 8/20/2009] |