First Edition: October 25, 2010

Oct 25 2010

Today's headlines include the latest on health overhaul policies and politics as the mid-term election grows closer.

Dueling Letters On Medicare Part D Changes
Kaiser Health News staff writer Jessica Marcy reports on reactions to changes in Medicare's Part D program as open enrollment season approaches, and offers - as examples - letters from Republican lawmakers and advocacy groups (Kaiser Health News).

KHN Column: What If Republicans Win?
In his latest Kaiser Health News column, John Goodman writes: "Quite a few Democrats and almost every Republican are running against ObamaCare in this fall's elections. What if they win?" (Kaiser Health News).

Employers Looking At Health Insurance Options
The new health care law wasn't supposed to undercut employer plans that have provided most people in the U.S. with coverage for generations (The Associated Press).

Health Care Overhaul Depends On States' Insurance Exchanges
In Massachusetts, which has had a government-run health insurance marketplace for four years, people typically file paper applications for subsidized coverage offered by one of five state-approved insurers (The New York Times).

Health Insurers Help GOP After Dalliance With Dems
Health insurers flirted with Democrats, supported them with money and got what they wanted: a federal mandate that most Americans carry health care coverage. Now they're backing Republicans, hoping a GOP Congress will mean friendlier regulations (The Associated Press).

Group Funding GOP Campaigns Had Its Origins Backing Tobacco
Rep. Allen Boyd of Florida has marshaled some key advantages for his seventh reelection race: He has outraised his GOP opponent, and has the rare distinction of being a Democrat endorsed by both the National Rifle Assn. and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But Boyd also voted in favor of the healthcare overhaul this year, and like other Democratic incumbents now faces a barrage of attacks by little-known conservative groups funded by anonymous donors (Los Angeles Times). 

Manchin Says He Wouldn't Have Voted For Health Bill
Joe Manchin, West Virginia's Democratic governor who is now in a tight race for the Senate, once said he supported health care legislation. But he now wants everyone - especially Mountain State voters — to know he would have voted against it (The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire). 

Doctors Oppose A Nursing Push
New Jersey health officials may let specialized nurses sedate patients in hospitals without a doctor present, an idea that has angered many physicians statewide (The Wall Street Journal).

Candidates Debating Health Law As Election Nears
Kaiser Health News tracked political developments in the weekend's news coverage, including how candidates were talking about the health law.

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