Obama Backs Easing State Health Law Mandates

From the New York Times – WASHINGTON — President Obama, who has stood by his landmark health care law through court attacks and legislative efforts to repeal it, told the nation’s governors on Monday that he was willing to amend the measure to give states the ability to opt out of its most controversial requirements…

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Wisconsin Union Battle Masks Medicaid Tensions

By Christopher Weaver for Kaiser Health News – Hiding out at a secret location in Illinois, Wisconsin state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout ends every media interview with the same warning: Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s attack on public employee unions is overshadowing another part of his budget plan that could shred the state’s health care safety net.…

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Obama administration unlikely to block Arizona plan to cut 250,000 from Medicaid rolls

By N.C. Aizenman for the Washington Post – The Obama administration would permit a controversial plan by Arizona’s governor to cut an estimated 250,000 impoverished adults from Medicaid, despite a provision in the new health-care law barring states from tightening their eligibility standards for the program, federal officials said Wednesday. Gov. Jan Brewer (R) formally…

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The Insurers’ Real Agenda for Change

By Wendell Potter for the Huffington Post – The media had lots of health care news to obsess about last week. A federal judge ruled the health care reform law unconstitutional, and Senate Republicans tried in vain to repeal the law. But most of the press paid virtually no attention to a potentially much more…

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Enrollment in high-risk insurance pools lagging behind predictions

By Amy Goldstein for the Washington Post – More Americans have been signing up for special health plans designed for people with medical problems that caused them to be spurned by the insurance industry, according to new government figures. But enrollment continues to lag significantly behind original predictions. The number of people who have bought…

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February Single-Payer Newsletter

We just sent out our latest email newsletter (see it here). If you’re not on our email list, you can sign up for them here. February’s single-payer newsletter includes these articles: Dr. King and Health Reform By Claudia Fegan, M.D. – “There are 50 million Americans who are uninsured. African Americans are represented disproportionately among…

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A Better Approach to Health Care

As the current health law comes under attack and our national deficit continues to grow, single-payer plans are gaining more and more interest. By Margaret Flowers, MD for YES! Magazine – Last month, fulfilling a campaign promise, Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to repeal “Obamacare.” The vote was primarily a symbolic gesture. House…

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Dr. King and Health Reform

Beyond the flawed Obama health care reform The following remarks were delivered by Dr. Claudia Fegan, past president of Physicians for a National Health Program, to the Louisville (Ky.) Urban League on Jan. 15. 2011 The time is always right to do what’s right: Dr. King and health reform By Claudia Fegan, M.D. It is…

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House Republicans Consider Privatizing Medicare

From the AP – WASHINGTON — Months after they hammered Democrats for cutting Medicare, House Republicans are debating whether to relaunch their quest to privatize the health program for seniors. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is testing support for his idea to replace Medicare with a fixed payment to buy a private medical…

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Action Alert: State of the Union

Tonight, President Obama will deliver the State of the Union Address to those who are anxiously waiting to hear what he will say about Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. While President Obama has stated he will not urge cuts to Social Security in his speech tonight, a narrowly defeated proposal by the Deficit Commission to…

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