News & Comment
Blogs and Opinion
Diagnosis For America by Jonathan Tasini, | October 25, 2005
The Delphi bankruptcy and GM deal are symptoms of a national malaise that only universal health care can cure. read more »The EC Plan B? by Laura Donnelly, OurFuture.org | October 17, 2005
With the FDA's decision on whether to make emergency contraception (EC) available over the counter now stalled indefinitely, women's health organizations that were lobbying for Plan B came up against an infuriating roadblock. Then, last week, a GAO draft report concluded what they'd already suspected: The decisi read more »No In-Vitro. This Is Indiana! by Laura Donnelly, OurFuture.org | October 6, 2005
Talk about turning back the clock for women. A new bill proposed by Indiana state senator Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis, would ban single women from assisted reproductive procedures. That's right. read more »The Poor's PR Problem by Laura Donnelly, OurFuture.org | September 8, 2005
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the relief effort, much business has been pushed aside or delayed—the estate tax vote and John Roberts' confirmation hearings come immediately to mind. read more »America's Health Crisis by Robert Reich, | April 18, 2005
If what's good for GM is good for America, then America needs a single-payer health care plan. read more »
The Latest
Group: Public Plan Could Save Money Faster, Reuters | June 24, 2009
that includes a Medicare-like government option could save $1.8 trillion more than if only private plans are offered, a prominent private U.S. health policy group said. more »
Obama Signs Tobacco Bill Into Law, BBC News | June 23, 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama has signed into law America's strongest anti-smoking measure ever, saying it will save lives. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now has new powers to regulate the content and marketing of tobacco products. Hailed as a milestone in the history of tobacco regulation, the bill was passed by Congress earlier this month. more »
Study: Americans Struggling To Pay For Health Care, Reuters | June 22, 2009
Americans are struggling to pay for health care in the ongoing economic recession, with a quarter saying they have had trouble in the past 12 months, according to a survey released. more »
Report: Health Care Costs to Rise 9% in 2010, USA Today | June 18, 2009
mployers who offer health insurance coverage could see a 9% cost increase next year, and their workers may face an even bigger hit, according to a report from consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Costs will rise in part because workers worried about losing their jobs are using their health care more while they still have it, the firm said in the report released to the Associated Press. more »
Budget Chief Sees "Hard Slog" on Health Reform, USA Today | June 17, 2009
Overhauling the nation's health care system won't easily lead to the long-term budget savings that President Obama hopes to achieve, the director of the Congressional Budget Office says. Obama has said that "health care reform is entitlement reform," but he plans to use savings from Medicare and Medicaid over 10 years to extend health insurance coverage to millions of people. more »
Former Senators to Present Health Reform Compromise, Associated Press | June 17, 2009
Trying to prevent a repeat of the 1990s standoff over health care, four former Senate leaders are preparing a plan that combines ideas from both political parties to guarantee coverage for all. more »
Sebelius: Single-Payer Health Care Not In Plans, npr.org | June 16, 2009
As lawmakers on Capitol Hill hammer out legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says that a single-payer option is not on the table. "This is not a trick. This is not single-payer," Sebelius told Steve Inskeep. more »
Doctors and hospitals-Vital players in health care reform, newyorker.com | June 16, 2009
This article in the June New Yorker magazine, brought to my attention by Bob Laszewski's blog at http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2009/06/its-not-prices-stupid...., describes and analyzes various health care markets in the U.S. with the surprising conclusion that holding Doctors and Hospitals accountable for cost could be a key to reform
Pelosi: "No Health Care Reform Without Public Plan", Huffington Post | June 12, 2009
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the Huffington Post Thursday that a health care overhaul that did not include a public option wouldn't make it through the House because it "wouldn't have the votes." At a press conference earlier in the morning, Pelosi had been asked if including a public plan that would compete with private insurance was "essential" to health care reform.
Out-Of-Pocket Health Costs up 34% in 3 Years, Marketwatch | June 3, 2009
Americans with job-based health insurance saw their protection from higher out-of-pocket costs erode between 2004 and 2007, especially those who were sick and of modest means, according to a new study. The majority of people with health insurance, about 160 million Americans, receive it through their jobs. more »
