NewsTrust - Health Care - Most Recent Stories

'Daily Show' Destroys CNN For Fact-Checking 'SNL' But Not Their Guests

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Daily Show - By Jon Stewart - Oct. 13 (Comedy News) - Jon Stewart began his show last night by skewering CNN for fact-checking a "Saturday Night Live" skit in which Fred Armisen (playing Barack Obama) claimed to have done "nothing" since taking office. In this hard-hitting report, CNN found that while many of the president's initiatives have not moved forward, he has in fact done "something" since taking office. Take that, comedy show.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.1 average - 4 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Finance passes healthcare bill; Snowe the lone GOP supporter

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Hill - By Jeffrey Young - Oct. 13 (News Report) - Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine) joined all of the panel’s Democrats in voting for the legislation. Every other Republican voted against the bill. The vote means the healthcare debate has officially moved to its final stages, as Finance was the last of five congressional committees to take action on President Barack Obama’s foremost domestic priority.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Senate Finance Committee approves healthcare overhaul bill

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Los Angeles Times - By James Oliphant - Oct. 13 (Breaking News) - Legislation that would transform the nation's healthcare system cleared a significant hurdle today as the Senate Finance Committee voted (14-9) for a sweeping overhaul.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average - 10 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Senate panel clears health bill with one Republican vote

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By David M. Herszenhorn, Robert Pear - Oct. 13 (Breaking News) - The Senate Finance Committee voted on Tuesday to approve legislation that would reshape the American health care system and provide subsidies to help millions of people buy insurance, as Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine, joined all 13 Democrats on the panel in support of the landmark bill.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average - 8 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Snowe Voting Yes On Senate Finance Health Care Reform Bill

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Ryan Grim, Jeff Muskus, Sam Stein - Oct. 13 (News Report) - Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said Tuesday that she intends to vote for the Senate Finance Committee's health care reform package. She cautioned that her vote should be seen as a sign of her faith in the process going forward, not as support for the final package that will arrive on the Senate floor. "Is this bill all that I would want? Far from it," said Snowe. "Is it all that it can be? No. But when history calls, history calls, and I happen to think that the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress to take every opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to solve the monumental issues of our time." Snowe's statement came several hours before a scheduled committee vote. "My vote today is my vote today. It doesn't forecast what my vote will be tomorrow," she said. It does keep her at the negotiating table and at the center of the debate; Snowe risked marginalizing herself if she voted no. Snowe is well aware of the math. Her vote, she said, comes with knowledge that Democrats don't need Republicans to pass the landmark legislation.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average - 7 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Senate Finance Panel Passes $829 Billion Health Plan

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Bloomberg - By Laura Litvan - Oct. 13 (News Report) - The Senate Finance Committee approved an $829 billion plan to overhaul U.S. health care, clearing the way for a full Senate debate over the broadest expansion of the government’s role in the medical system since the creation of Medicare in 1965.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The audacity of greed: how private health insurers just blew their cover

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Salon - By Robert Reich - Oct. 13 (Opinion) - The health-insurance industry has finally revealed itself for what it is. Background: The industry hates the idea that's emerged from the Senate Finance Committee of lowering penalties on younger and healthier people who don't buy insurance. Relying on an analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers, insurers say this means new enrollees will be older and less healthy -- which will drive up costs. And, says the industry, these costs will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums. Proposed taxes on high-priced "Cadillac" policies will also be passed on to consumers. As a result, premiums will rise faster and higher than the government projects.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Senate Finance Committee approves health care bill

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Lori Montgomery, Shailagh Murray - Oct. 13 (News Report) - A key Senate committee easily approved a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health-care system Tuesday afternoon, clearing the way for President Obama's top domestic initiative to advance to a historic debate before the full Senate.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.3 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Health Insurers Emerge as Obama's Top Foe in Reform Effort

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Ceci Connolly - Oct. 13 (News Report) - For months, President Obama and his administration waged their fight for a health-care overhaul without a clear opponent, even courting the industry executives and interest groups that helped kill reform efforts 15 years ago.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.1 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The Audacity of Greed

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Talking Points Memo - By Robert Reich - Oct. 13 (News Analysis) - How Private Health Insurers Just Blew Their Cover

NewsTrust Rating: 3.1 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

A Business Lesson for Health Care Reform

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Tommy G. Thompson - Oct. 13 (Opinion) - In the often contentious but vital debate over health care reform, one issue unites patients, doctors, business owners and workers alike: the need to reduce how much Americans pay for the care they receive.

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Senate Finance approves health bill

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Politico - By Carrie Budoff Brown - Oct. 13 (News Report) - The Senate Finance Committee has approved a $829 billion health care reform bill on a 14-9 vote, with Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe the only Republican who voted “yes.” The vote moves President Barack Obama’s goal of overhauling the nation’s health care system one step closer to reality.`

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Sens: Snowe may be risking a high perch on healthcare reform vote

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Hill - By Alexander Bolton - Oct. 13 (News Report) - Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine) is risking a shot at becoming the top Republican on an influential Senate committee by backing Democratic healthcare legislation, according to senators on the panel.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Panel passes health reform; Snowe votes yes

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Times - By Joseph Weber - Oct. 13 (Breaking News) - The 10-year, $829 billion Finance Committee plan does not allow the government to compete with companies to sell insurance, which has become known as the "public option."

NewsTrust Rating: 3.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

As Panel Votes Today, Democrats Look Ahead

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Shailagh Murray, Lori Montgomery - Oct. 13 (News Report) - The Senate Finance Committee will hold a landmark vote on health-care reform legislation Tuesday that is expected to underscore the deep partisan divisions that have emerged and hardened over five months of debate.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Insurers Attack Health Overhaul Before Senate Vote

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Bloomberg - By Nicole Gaouette, Lizzie O'Leary - Oct. 13 (News Report) - Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus fought to hold together an industry coalition in support of revamping U.S. health care after insurers waged a late attack on his panel’s proposal.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Congress Is Split on Effort to Tax Costly Health Plans

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By David M. Herszenhorn, Robert Pear - Oct. 13 (News Report) - A proposed tax on high-cost health insurance plans has touched off a fierce clash between the Senate and the House over how to pay for a health care overhaul.

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

What is Olympia Snowe thinking?

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Politico - By Chris Frates, Mike Allen - Oct. 13 (News Analysis) - The only mystery left around the Senate Finance Committee’s health reform vote Tuesday is this: What is Olympia Snowe thinking?

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The Insurance Industry's Deceptive Report

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Ezra Klein - Oct. 12 (Opinion) - In the hallowed tradition of the tobacco and energy industries, the health insurance industry has commissioned a report (pdf) projecting doom and despair for those who seek to reform its business practices. The report was farmed out to the consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers, which has something of a history with this sort of thing: In the early-'90s, the tobacco industry commissioned PWC to estimate the economic devastation that would result from a tax on tobacco. The report was later analyzed by the Arthur Andersen Economic Consulting group, which concluded that "the cumulative effect of PW’s methods … is to produce patently unreliable results." It's perhaps no surprise that the patently unreliable results were all in the tobacco industry's favor. He who pays the piper names the tune, and all that.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.0 average - 12 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The Empire Strikes Back

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Mother Jones - By Kevin Drum - Oct. 12 (Opinion) - AHIP, the insurance industry trade group, has apparently decided to hop off the healthcare reform bandwagon. After months of claiming that they were on board, they released a report on Monday claiming that current proposals would raise insurance costs for middle class families by about $4,000 more than otherwise projected over the next decade.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Insurance Group Says Health Bill Will Mean Higher Premiums

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Ceci Connolly - Oct. 12 (News Report) - After months of collaboration on President Obama's attempt to overhaul the nation's health-care system, the insurance industry plans to strike out against the effort on Monday with a report warning that the typical family premium in 2019 could cost $4,000 more than projected.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average - 8 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Is the Insurance Industry Declaring War?

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New Republic - By Jonathan Cohn - Oct. 12 (Opinion) - Over the weekend, America's Health Insurance Plans circulated a study it commissioned from PriceWaterhouseCoopers. In a memo to AHIP members, reproduced here, president Karen Ignani explained its significance

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average - 4 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The Audacity of Greed: How Private Health Insurers Just Blew Their Cover

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Robert Reich's Blog - By Robert Reich - Oct. 12 (Opinion) - The health-insurance industry has finally revealed itself for what it is. Background: The industry hates the idea that's emerged from the Senate Finance Committee of lowering penalties on younger and healthier people who don't buy insurance. Relying on an analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers, insurers say this means new enrollees will be older and less healthy -- which will drive up costs. And, says the industry, these costs will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums. Proposed taxes on high-priced "Cadillac" policies will also be passed on to consumers. As a result, premiums will rise faster and higher than the government projects. It's an eleventh-hour bombshell.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.5 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Health-Care Plan Future Rests on Snowe, Democrats (Update1)

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Bloomberg - By Kristin Jensen, Laura Litvan - Oct. 12 (Opinion) - The future of U.S. health-care legislation now depends on warring Democrats, number-crunching analysts and, possibly, one senator from Maine

NewsTrust Rating: 4.3 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Why the Savings From Health Care Reform Are Underappreciated

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Sima Gandhi - Oct. 12 (Opinion) - One part of the explanation for public reluctance to embrace reform may be explained by behavioral economics. --Undervalue future money and overvalue money now, --Focus on losses over gains, and --Prefer the status quo over change.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.1 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer