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Congressional Black Caucus keeps up efforts for reform

The Louisiana Weekly reports that the Congressional Black Caucus "has vowed to continue pushing for specific provisions that its members feel are vital for African Americans. ... The original House and Senate bills would significantly reduce the staggering number of uninsured Americans," which are disproportionately black, according to the news organization.

12 Aug 2009

Cancer Institute of New Jersey expands hospital network

Enhancing its strong presence as a statewide leader in cancer care and providing patients with additional access to cancer programs, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) Network of hospitals has formally welcomed Mountainside Hospital as its newest Clinical Research Affiliate.

12 Aug 2009

Many seniors worry health reform could hurt instead of help

"Democrats have a senior citizen problem," Politico reports. "Frustrated older Americans are packing the town halls on health care. They are incredibly passionate about their Medicare benefits. Polls show senior citizens largely disapprove of health care reform ideas so far. And of course, they vote — in larger numbers than any other demographic."

12 Aug 2009

Specter gets rowdy earful at forum, other lawmakers change tactics to hear constituents

More than 1,000 people showed up at a Pennsylvania community college auditorium that seated only 250 to tell Sen. Arlen Specter what they thought of the plan to reform health care in America, and much of it was negative and "seething with frustration," The New York Times reports.

12 Aug 2009

Obama takes reform message to New Hampshire, takes on 'scare tactics'

President Barack Obama Tuesday called out "wild misrepresentations" of a plan to reform the health care system in America, The Concord (N.H.) Monitor reports.

12 Aug 2009

Health care opposition exposed

"The opposition to health reform is a web of vested interests with major financial stakes in the status quo," say former Chief of Staff to the House Aging Committee/former White House Drug Policy spokesman Bob Weiner and Analyst Jordan Osserman in a column in today's South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

12 Aug 2009

Fact checkers: Health care myths range from untrue to open questions

Business is good for fact-checkers. Various news organizations as well as FactCheck.org and PolitiFact.org, have weeded through the rhetoric on both sides of the health reform debate.

12 Aug 2009

Transcript: President Obama Town Hall meeting in New Hampshire

President Barack Obama continued his press for public support of health reform initiatives at what the White House called a "Health Insurance Reform Town Hall" meeting at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

12 Aug 2009

A historical look at health refom

Several news organizations offered historical looks at health reform and explainers on specific proposals.

12 Aug 2009

Revenue cycle: How to maximize patient collections

Conifer Revenue Cycle Solutions, Inc., President Stephen M. Mooney will discuss how hospitals and healthcare systems can improve their financial performance in the current economic downturn during an upcoming executive webinar, “Revenue Cycle: How to Maximize Patient Collections.”

12 Aug 2009

Specter to oppose health reform covering illegal immigration

During a town hall meeting Tuesday on health care reform, Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) stated his opposition to legislation that would cover illegal aliens. Specter has been a long-time champion of amnesty for illegal aliens, he was the author of the 2006 amnesty bill (S. 2611) that was widely rejected by the American people.

12 Aug 2009

U.S. health care system - “envy of the world”? not in Canada!

As members of Congress return to their states and districts to debate the merits of the Democrats’ proposals for health care reform, critics of the proposals may repeat the phrase used by some Republicans, newspaper editorials and bloggers that ‘the American health care system is the envy of the world.”

12 Aug 2009

Latinos wait for health care reform while illegal immigrants face care decisions

The health care needs of an estimated 6.8 million undocumented and uninsured immigrants "has become the third rail in the debate over health-care reform," The Chicago Tribune reports. Some health care advocates have proposed broadening the proposals before Congress to include this population, but "fierce opposition has kept the idea off the table."

12 Aug 2009

Obama hopes to retake health debate with grass (and Net) roots activity

CQ Politics reports: "After enduring weeks of criticism over their efforts to retool the U.S. health system, President Obama invited all 60 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus to a White House lunch last week for a round of commiserating and chin-up encouragement ... Still, for all the rhetorical morale-boosting, some lawmakers are growing restive over the question of just what sort of big-picture health plan they’re fighting for.

11 Aug 2009

Obama pushes for health reform at New Hampshire Town Hall meeting

President Barack Obama held a town hall meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, early this afternoon to push for health care reform.

11 Aug 2009

Government stops unlawful social security suspensions

The Social Security Administration has agreed to repay more than $500 million in benefits that were unlawfully withheld from 80,000 people since January 2007.

11 Aug 2009

Grassley feels the heat from interest groups, Demint becomes a leading opposition voice

The Associated Press/Chicago Tribune reports on interest group activity in Iowa. The AARP recently "announced it is launching an advertising and organizing blitz designed to 'debunk the myths' being offered by health care reform critics. 'We won't stand idle when opponents of health care reform attempt to scare or mislead the American people -- and older Americans in particular -- about what fixing the system really means,' said Bruce Koeppl, AARP Iowa director."

11 Aug 2009

Survey finds new low in support for health overhaul

A new poll finds a low in support for health care reforms amid cost concerns and raucous town hall meetings, according to CQ Politics.

11 Aug 2009

comScore releases new study on online health insurance industry

comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), has released a study of the online health insurance industry, which showed the effects of increasing U.S. unemployment on online consumer activity. While the number of visitors to health insurance provider sites has seen substantial declines, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of searches related to obtaining health coverage during the past year.

11 Aug 2009

An analysis of key provisions in health care legislation released to-date

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today released a side-by-side comparison of chronic care provisions contained within health reform legislation passed out of committee.

11 Aug 2009