Health Reform in the House Thursday, June 25, 9:30 a.m.
Hearing on Draft Proposal of Health Care Reform
Committee On Energy & Commerce
Subcommittee on Health
2123 Rayburn House Office Building | Fact of the Day 53% of Americans cut back on their health care in the past 12 months due to cost. (Kaiser Family Foundation) | Health Resources |
Under the Microscope HEALTH CARE POLLING: Several new nonpartisan polls show strong public support for reforming health care as well as a public health insurance option. Read polls conducted by the Washington Post-ABC, New York Times-CBS, Employee Benefit Research Institute and Kaiser Family Foundation.
Also of note, a segment that aired June 23 on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer explores how Public Views on Health Reform Shape the Political Landscape.
STUDIES: Building a High-Value Nurse Workforce
Fundamental health reform is integral to putting the country on the path to economic recovery. These goals--health reform and economic recovery--will not be met unless we build, empower, and deploy a twenty-first-century health care workforce. A reformed health care system must include an adequate supply of well-trained professionals who can deliver care to all Americans. Nurses are at the center of this discussion. It is nurses--of every stripe--who will deliver, coordinate, and direct care in hospitals, clinics, and physicians' offices, and it is these same most necessary nurses who are in short supply. These studies discuss factors that will strengthen America’s nurse workforce. [Health Affairs, 6/12/2009]
TONIGHT: ABC to air a taped health care town hall with President Barack Obama this evening at 10:00 p.m. EDT
Health Care Headlines Obama Turns to Grass Roots to Push Health Reform
Daniel in Pueblo, Colo., considers doctors a luxury he cannot afford. Darlene in Marion, Ind., divorced her husband to qualify for treatment for hepatitis C. Mary in East Bend, N.C., says her family can manage only insurance that carries a $10,000 deductible. [Washington Post, 6/24/2009] 'Public Option' May Be Highest Hurdle in Senate
The "public option" has emerged as the crux of the unfolding debate over health-care reform on Capitol Hill, an ideological flash point that has become perhaps the greatest challenge for the Senate negotiators attempting to reach a compromise that could actually become law. [Washington Post, 6/24/2009] White House Suggests Health Care Cost Isn't New Money
The White House is trying out a new argument to ease concerns over those sky-high estimates of the cost of overhauling the health care system. The federal government wouldn’t really be spending more money on health care, the argument goes — just shifting money that’s already in the system and spending it more efficiently. [CQ Daily, 6/22/2009] Consensus on Health Elusive
Senators conceded Tuesday that it appears increasingly unlikely that Congress will reach a bipartisan consensus on health care reform this year, with a rift growing over whether to include a government-run insurance option in the legislation. [Roll Call, 6/24/2009] Sen. Conrad Says Health Bill Getting Cheaper
Senate Finance Committee members working to bring the cost of healthcare reform below $1 trillion are getting closer but have not reached their goal, a key Democratic senator said Tuesday.
[The Hill, 6/23/2009] OPINION: Why We Need a Public Health-Care PlanBy Robert B. Reich
Why has health-care reform stalled in Congress? Democrats, after all, control both Houses, and President Obama, whose popularity remains high, has made universal health care his No. 1 priority. What's more, an overwhelming majority of the public wants it. [Wall Street Journal, 6/24/2009] OPINION: Deja Vu on Health Care?By Ruth Marcus
Congressional Democrats warn that the president's ambitious plans to overhaul the nation's health-care system may be in danger. Sensing political opportunity, Republicans ramp up their criticism, warning of a government takeover of health care. Business groups balk at the notion of an employer mandate. [Washington Post, 6/24/2009]
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