Articles by Donna Smith and John Whitesides

Healthcare Reform Will Cut Deficit by $138 Billion, Says Budget Office

Democrats in the House of Representatives Thursday predicted weekend passage of a sweeping healthcare overhaul that budget analysts said would hit President Barack Obama’s fiscal targets and cut the U.S. deficit over 10 years. House Democratic leaders finished work on …

Obama Health Secretary Keeps Pressure on Health Insurers

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius ratcheted up the pressure on health insurance companies Wednesday, urging them to forgo short-term profits to make coverage more affordable and to stop fighting the Obama administration’s reform effort. She told a health …

Democrats Optimistic on Health Care Bill Prospect

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday she was sure Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate would produce a final health care reform plan that would hold insurers accountable and make medical coverage affordable. She did not promise the …

What Senate Health Bill Would Do

A sweeping healthcare reform bill appears headed for passage in the U.S. Senate after surviving a test vote early Monday morning. The bill has been criticized by some liberals who complain that without a new government insurance option it will …

Business Roundtable Says Health Reform Must Contain Employer Costs

An influential business group said Thursday that its continued support for President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul hinges on whether it slows the soaring growth rate of healthcare costs. The Business Roundtable, which represents some of the largest employers in the …

Healthcare Battle Turns to Antitrust Law for Malpractice, Health Insurers

Democrats in Congress moved Wednesday to repeal the health insurance industry’s exemption from antitrust laws, cranking up the pressure in a growing battle over President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform plans. The moves were the latest chapter in an escalating feud …

Senate Panel Passes Healthcare Bill

A key U.S. Senate committee endorsed a sweeping healthcare overhaul Tuesday, gaining the support of an influential Republican and delivering President Barack Obama a victory on his top domestic priority. The Democratic-controlled Senate Finance Committee approved the measure on a …

U.S. Senate Panel Rejects Public Healthcare Option; More Votes Ahead

A U.S. Senate panel Tuesday rejected a government-run “public” insurance option as part of a broad healthcare overhaul, handing insurers an early victory and setting the stage for a long fight over one of the bill’s most contentious issues. The …

Senate Panel’s 10-Year, $856 Billion Healthcare Plan Excludes Public Option

Senator Max Baucus unveiled his plan for a 10-year, $856 billion healthcare overhaul Wednesday that would revamp insurance rules but does not include a government-run option backed by liberal Democrats. Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, made the …

Critics Attacked Senate Health Bill Before Its Unveiling

Critics in both parties assailed the Senate Finance Committee’s healthcare reform plan Tuesday, the day before the panel publishes a long-awaited bill that could form the basis for compromise in Congress. Democratic Senator John Rockefeller, a Finance panel member and …