Archive | May, 2012

RNC Chair Steele Says ‘No Hypocrisy’ In Offering Staffers Insurance Plan That Covers Abortion

Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele said Monday that there is “no hypocrisy” in offering RNC employees an insurance plan that includes abortion coverage, despite the fact that the party’s platform opposes abortion rights, Politico reports. Earlier this month, Politico

New York Times Opinion Piece Argues That Benefits Of Health Reform Would Outweigh Negative Impact Of Stupak Amendment

The debate over abortion coverage in the House health care reform bill (HR 3962) “exaggerates the extent to which the Stupak amendment would really change things for women seeking abortions,” Phillip Levine, a professor of economics at Wellesley College, writes in a

Statement On The Politicization Of Evidence-Based Clinical Research

The American College of Physicians (ACP), representing 129,000 internal medicine physicians and medical student members, believes that it is essential that research on the effectiveness and comparative effectiveness of different medical treatments not be influenced by political considerations. The U.S.

Insurers Under Fire For Denials Of Care, Inadequate Coverage

When people talk about revamping the health care system, among the often-mentioned reasons for change are unfair denials of care by insurance companies and medical debt, both of which are in the news today.

Public Ponders Fairness Of ‘Cadillac’ Tax, Affordability Issues

BusinessWeek: “In chasing revenue to help pay for health-care reform, Democrats have managed to rally two groups that tend to oppose each other – unions and Big Business. The focus of their ire: a proposed 40% excise tax on high-premium or so-called Cadillac health plans.

Health On The Hill – Nov. 23, 2009

In this installment of Health On The Hill, Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey talks with NPR’s Julie Rovner, The Fiscal Times’ Eric Pianin and KFF’s Jackie Judd about the Senate’s Saturday vote to begin debate on health reform legislation and discuss what’s ahead. Read the

Today’s Opinions And Editorials

Answers From Iowa Kaiser Health News If this were a presidential election year, a recent report by the Iowa Committee for Value in Healthcare would be reaping a lot of attention.

Hospital Officials Report Job Cuts, Concern About Possible Effects Of Reform

Several news outlets find that hospital executives are worried about their facilities’ finances, and for a Chicago hospital the prospect of health care reform brings even more concerns.

Senate Personalities Shape, Debate Health Reform Bill

The New York Times Prescriptions Blog reports on a ripple in “the Senate’s predominant history as an old-boys’ club.” It notes that “to move the bill forward for full debate, the Democrats’ last two crucial votes came from women: Senators Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.

Senate Democrats Brace For Heavy Health Reform Work

The Hill reports that “Democratic leaders sent out a notice Monday morning alerting senators that when the chamber returns to session after the Thanksgiving holiday, ‘roll call votes could occur at any time during the day and evening, with weekend sessions likely.