Health Reform in the House | Fact of the Day Under the House health insurance reform bill, approximately 1 in 10 Americans is expected to enter the Health Insurance Exchange to purchase individual insurance at competitive rates given a range of options.
(Congressional Budget Office) | Health Resources |
Under the Microscope Health Care Reform Status Update
Over the past month, Democrats made a concerted effort to engage their constituents on the critical issue of health insurance reform, holding more than 1000 health care events. Despite significant coverage of opposition to reform at some of these events, an incredible amount of substantive discussion occurred at town hall meetings around the country, and support for reform remains strong.
[Office of House Majority Leader Hoyer, 9/8/2009]
Health Care Headlines Obama Readies Reform Specifics
Looking to rescue his signature domestic policy initiative with a prime-time address to Congress on Wednesday, President Obama for the first time is poised to "draw some lines in the sand" over the size and shape of legislation to remake the nation's health-care system, top advisers said Sunday. [Washington Post, 9/7/2009] Health Compromise Floated Before Obama Speech
As President Obama and top advisers drafted his eagerly awaited health care speech to Congress, new details emerged Monday about fees and coverage limits under a proposal being floated by the chairman of a crucial Senate committee.
[New York Times, 9/7/2009]
Read a related article and Sen. Baucus’ 18-page framework. Clinton's Health Defeat Sways Obama's Tactics
Before Congress’s August break, the chief aides to Senate Democrats met in a nondescript Senate conference room with three former advisers to President Bill Clinton. The topic: lessons learned the last time a Democratic president tried, but failed disastrously, to overhaul the health care system. [New York Times, 9/6/2009] When Your Insurer Says You're No Longer Covered
The untimely disappearance of Sally Marrari's medical coverage goes a long way toward explaining why insurance companies are cast as the villain in the health-care reform drama. [Washington Post, 9/8/2009] Young Adults Swelling Ranks of Uninsured
Some of the difficult financial choices facing uninsured Americans — whether to go to a hospital or tough out an illness, whether to pay the rent or pay doctor bills — confront young people who not that long ago had to worry only about buying gasoline or paying a cellphone bill. [New York Times, 9/5/2009] Wash. Health Cp-Op Part of Health Debate
Group Health Cooperative was created in Washington state more than six decades ago, started up by members of local granges, unions and cooperatives who were inspired by a physician who had established America's first cooperative hospital in Elk City, Oklahoma. [Associated Press, 9/5/2009] '24 Hours in the ER' Shows Challenges of Health System
USA Today chronicled 24 hours in the emergency room at the UVA Medical Center, a teaching hospital and trauma center that serves patients across a swath of central Virginia. [USA Today, 9/5/2009] Spin Meter: Once Medicare’s Foe, GOP Now Boosts It
It's a remarkable turnaround for a party whose leaders tried to slash billions from Medicare more than a decade ago and have assailed the program as a wasteful entitlement. [Associated Press, 9/8/2009]
Read a related article. Better Care, Pay Less: Some Communities Find a Way
At Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania, pay a flat fee for bypass surgery and you'll get essentially a 90-day warranty on your heart fix. It gambled that following a checklist of best practices would help patients recover faster and cost less -- and so far, it's winning the bet. [Associated Press, 9/7/2009]
Read more about one community mentioned. EDITORIAL: President Obama's Health Choices
President Obama’s address to Congress about health care reform on Wednesday is the moment for him to stand tough for a large and comprehensive plan. [New York Times, 9/6/2009] COMMENTARY: When Patient Handoffs Go Terribly Wrong
By Pauline W. Chen, MD, author and surgeon
I have always felt uneasy about patient handoffs, transferring my responsibility as a doctor to another physician. [New York Times, 9/3/2009] |