News & Comment
Blogs and Opinion
"Sicko" Vs. A Sick Show by Isaiah J. Poole, OurFuture.org | July 2, 2007
"Sicko" is required viewing, not because it's a contender for the Oscar for Best Picture—though given this year's paltry offerings, anything is possible—but because it is far better than the play now being staged by the White House. read more »Bloggingheads on the Obstructionists by Bill Scher, OurFuture.org | July 2, 2007
I had the pleasure of doing a BloggingHeads.tv segment with Eric Alterman, where we had a lively discussion about how to handle the obstructionist conservative minority, how SiCKO will impact the health care debate, and more. read more »'Sicko' Draws A Line by John Nichols, The Nation | June 25, 2007
Either health care is a right or it isn't. Michael Moore challenges lawmakers to take a side. read more »Framing The Health Care Picture by RJ Eskow, | June 19, 2007
To win, Dems need to develop and verbalize solid positions on health care. read more »An Entrepreneurial Take On Health Care by Ned Lamont, | June 18, 2007
A return to a bold and willing political spirit will cure health care stagnation. read more »Health Care, Not Borders by David Gartner, | June 14, 2007
The new TB comes from decades of medical neglect, not weak border controls. read more »Lindsay Lohan And The Rest Of Us by Kirsten D. Levingston and Alan Jenkins, | June 5, 2007
From Beverly Hills to Brooklyn, the nation needs accessible and evenly-applied drug treatment programs for all. read more »Poor Country, Rich Health Care by Sarah van Gelder, yesmagazine.org | June 5, 2007
Cuba is increasing export of its outstanding level of medical care. read more »Hacker: Obama's Health Plan's Actually Pretty Good by Isaiah J. Poole, OurFuture.org | June 4, 2007
Jacob S. Hacker, the Yale University professor who has crafted a health-care-for-all plan that he has discussed with several Democratic presidential candidates, has taken a close look at the health care proposal released last week by Sen. Barack Obama and concludes that it's better than the early reviews concluded. read more »Obamacare: Clearing Away The Fog by Jacob S. Hacker, | June 4, 2007
The closer you look, the more radical Sen. Barack Obama's health plan appears. 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. read 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. read 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. read 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. read 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. read 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. read 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. read more »
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. read more »
Uninsured Face Avalanche of Health Costs, Reuters | May 28, 2009
With unemployment rising to its highest level in more than a quarter century, more Americans are confronting the double crisis of losing both their jobs and their employer-sponsored insurance, which covers 177 million people. Many unemployed Americans say they cannot afford the high premiums insurance companies charge for personal policies. read more »
