Viewpoints: 'Romney's rebound,' Va. lawmakers' ultrasound vote, Kennedy's not sole interpreters of Senator's legacy

The Wall Street Journal: Romney's Rebound
But Mr. Romney also improved his case for his own candidacy, stressing a reform agenda as much as his business biography. In the final days in particular, he pressed his new plan for a 20 percent across-the-board income tax cut, as well as Medicare reform. He stressed his ability to revive the economy, which remains the dominant issue even among conservatives, despite the prominence of social issues in the last week (2/28). 

The Wall Street Journal: Conservatives And The Mandate
ObamaCare's individual mandate, it turns out, is no more popular with the public than it is with the GOP hopefuls. A USA Today poll this week finds that 72 percent of voters believe the mandate to be unconstitutional. Only fools and angels, then, might tread forth to defend a now-embarrassing history of conservative support for the unpopular mandate (2/28).

The New York Times: The Loyal Opposition: Virginia Lawmakers Vote Against Women's Rights
The Virginia State Legislature has decided not to force pregnant women to undergo vaginal penetration in a medical office before they exercise their Supreme Court-sanctioned right to an abortion. I suppose this is a victory of sorts (Andrew Rosenthal, 2/28).

The New York Times: Women's Health Care At Risk
A wave of mergers between Roman Catholic and secular hospitals is threatening to deprive women in many areas of the country of ready access to important reproductive services. Catholic hospitals that merge or form partnerships with secular hospitals often try to impose religious restrictions against abortions, contraception and sterilization on the whole system (2/28).

The Dallas Morning News: The Politics Of Contraception
The governor drew no distinction between family planning and abortion, which again is part of the national strategy aimed at Planned Parenthood. Though obvious, it is worth noting in this context that contraception is the primary safeguard against abortions. When you deny it, particularly to poor women, the consequences are obvious….At some level, this becomes a debate over whether women, particularly poor women, should have the right to contraception. Is that really where we want to go? (2/29).

Boston Globe: Kennedy Family Isn't Only Interpreter Of Senator's Legacy
Kennedy's words were open to interpretation: When he referred to "conscience protection," was he referring only to abortion? Or would he also extend "conscience protection" to church-affiliated institutions that oppose insurance coverage for contraception? While Kennedy family members have every right to express an opinion about how the late senator's principle might be applied, so do others -; including U.S. Senator Scott Brown (2/29).

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Corbett's Budget Will Set Back Pa.'s Patient Safety Efforts
Earlier this month, Gov. Corbett submitted Pennsylvania's 2012-2013 proposed budget. As expected, reductions in spending were suggested due to our slow economic recovery along with a worthy desire to maintain a balanced budget in our state. However, I believe the governor's proposed budget clearly misses the mark when it comes to public safety and welfare by proposing to merge the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority (PSA) with the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) (Michael Cohen, 2/28).

Des Moines Register: Iowa View: GOP House Budget Would Trim Hospitals' Funding
The high cost of health care and the increase in the costs of health care insurance is hitting a crisis point. The Iowa Senate Democrats have acknowledged this problem and have been working to facilitate changes that would reform the health care delivery system and mitigate cost concerns for years. Hospitals, like all health care providers, are striving to move beyond the current system for provision of health care services (Iowa State Sen. Jack Hatch, 2/29).

Des Moines Register: Board's Charges Are Sign Of Progress
In 2009, a Des Moines Register investigation found the Iowa Board of Nursing Home Administrators rarely issued sanctions against administrators. The board -; comprised mostly of those inside the nursing home profession -; did not review state inspection reports detailing problems in the facilities. Now, for the first time in 10 years, the licensing board has charged two nursing home administrators with negligence for resident-care issues... This certainly is a sign of progress (2/29).

Market Watch: Canadian National Health Care's Big Benefit
Before "Obamacare" passed, it was Canada's single-payer national health care system that was often under attack -; in the U.S., that is. Even though Canadians treasure their health-care system despite its flaws, Americans were told for years -; actually, lied to -; that Canadians were being denied urgent care and had to flee to the U.S. to get it. They didn't, and they don't. As a Montreal friend assured me the other day, "If you need help, you'll get right in. For some other things, you may have to wait a bit" (Bill Mann, 2/28).

Kansas City Star: Medical Care From U.S. Veteran's Point Of View
Complaints are heard, from time to time, about the medical support afforded our country's veterans. Often the issue is the distance some must travel to get care -; a particular problem for those living far from a VA hospital. I remember a time a decade or so ago when the Kansas City VA Medical Center was a target of complaints about everything from cleanliness to treatment outcomes -; carping I thought largely unjustified. There's been nothing in my 15-year-or-longer experience there to support such criticism. My most recent visit to the center was typical (C.W. Gusewelle, 2/29).

Houston Chronicle: Merger Of Pharmacy Benefit Managers Would Cost Consumers
That's why we have joined others in the pharmacy community and have called on Congress and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to reject the Express Scripts-Medco merger. Patients deserve the right to choose their pharmacy and whether or not they wish to opt-in to mail-order programs. When it comes to health care in America, the rule of the day should be that consumers know best (Dorinda Martin, 2/28).

The Seattle Times: Support State Bill To Fight Medicare/Medicaid Fraud
Sometimes you have to make great sacrifices to help others and I believe those good deeds should be rewarded. Receiving some of the retrieved money gives people incentive to do the right thing and expose fraud. Washington must pass SB 5978. It protects whistle-blowers, taxpayers and Medicaid/Medicare patients. It's a true win-win we can all support (Jim Alderson, 2/28).

The Seattle Times: Judge Leighton's Plan B  Ruling Makes Constitutional Sense
No doubt a druggist who refuses to sell Plan B may infuriate a woman. Her anger is probably less about the inconvenience of finding another store and more about the implied censure of behavior she feels is none of the druggist's damn business. But the Constitution offers no guarantees against a druggist's disapproval -; or of "access" to health care, whatever that means. It does guarantee the druggist's free exercise of religion (Bruce Ramsey, 2/28).

The (Ore.) Statesman Journal: Another View: Health Care, Education In The Oregon Legislature
If Republicans in the Oregon Legislature are serious about creating jobs and helping the state's many unemployed workers, they will stop blocking Gov. John Kitzhaber's landmark health care and public education reforms. GOP lawmakers are rightly concerned about employment in a state with an 8.9 percent jobless rate and 176,000 unemployed workers. They've introduced several bills aimed at creating jobs and boosting the economy, and they're holding on to the health care and education bills in an effort to force Democrats to support the GOP proposals (2/28).

Forbes: President Obama's Dangerous New Medical Board
The IPAB is one of the most egregious parts of ObamaCare because it puts rationing of care on auto pilot. A House subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), is expected to vote today on a bill that would repeal the IPAB entirely. The Ways and Means Committee also will vote, and then it will go to the full House of Representatives for a vote, likely next month. After that, the legislation faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, where Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) just introduced an IPAB repeal bill. Opposition to the IPAB crosses party lines. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee that will consider the bill today, has said he has no interest in defending the board: "I've never supported it, and I would certainly be in favor of abolishing it" (Grace-Marie Turner, 2/28).