msnbc.com: Health care

Landmark health insurance bill passes House

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 06:07:51 GMT

Triumphant Democrats pass landmark health care legislation in the House, spurred by a summons from President Barack Obama to "answer the call of history."

Ailing ‘uninsurables’ may face long wait for care

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 16:10:07 GMT

You're afraid your cancer is back, and a health insurance company just turned you down. Under the health care bills in Congress, you could apply for coverage through a new high-risk pool, but the fine print says you may have to be uninsured for six months to qualify.

Costs of defensive medicine spur heated debate

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 21:03:02 GMT

Dr. James Wang says he tries to tell his patients when extra medical procedures aren't necessary. If they insist, though, he will do it — not so much to protect their health as his own practice.

Ditch new drugs, take older meds to cut costs

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 21:14:17 GMT

If you want a prescription that won't empty your wallet, while still keeping you well, you might start asking your doctor about drugs you don't see on TV.

Newsweek: Will health bill cover prayer treatments?

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:26:12 GMT

A recently uncovered health care amendment would require insurers to consider covering "religious and spiritual health care." While it does not mention Christian Science by name, it's been widely interpreted as a protection of the church's prayer treatments, seen as an alternative to medical help.

Majority leader: House will pass health bill

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 19:26:12 GMT

Chanting "Kill the bill," thousands of conservatives rally at the Capitol against the Democrats' health care overhaul plan. The majority leader predicts the bill will pass on Saturday.

Going home: House calls to return with reform?

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 18:08:00 GMT

House call programs dotted across the U.S. are showing they can help save health care dollars, and enable seniors to stay at home. The idea is also winning support from both Republicans and Democrats alike.

Reid signals timetable for health care may slip

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 01:08:01 GMT

The Senate Democratic leader indicated Tuesday that lawmakers may not complete health care legislation this year. At the same time, House Republicans have produced a draft proposal of their own.

House health bill totals $1.2 trillion

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 00:40:32 GMT

The health care bill headed for a vote in the House this week costs $1.2 trillion or more over a decade, according to Democratic officials and figures contained in an analysis by experts.

Estimate: Public health option would cover few

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:15:19 GMT

What's all the fuss about? After all the noise over Democrats' push for a government insurance plan to compete with private carriers, coverage numbers are finally in: Two percent.

Pelosi unveils $894 billion House health plan

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:42:37 GMT

House Democrats roll out legislation to extend health care to millions who lack coverage, impose new restrictions on the insurance industry and create a government-run option.

End-of-life counseling remains in health bill

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:47:07 GMT

The Medicare end-of-life planning provision that 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said was tantamount to 'death panels' for seniors is staying in the latest Democratic health care bill unveiled Thursday.

Could ‘medical homes’ improve health care?

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:36:04 GMT

An Iowa clinic has reorganized itself so that nurses closely follow patients whose problems, if let slide, could send them to the ER. Policymakers say such experiments could be the key to giving better care for less money.

House Democrats to unveil health bill

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:58:23 GMT

House Democrats reach agreement on key elements of a health care bill that would require requiring virtually universal sign-ups and offer a new government-run insurance option.

Health care fight becomes battle of the sexes

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:39:40 GMT

Insurers say women under the age of 55 cost more to cover because they use more health services, and not just for maternal and infant care. Is this discriminatory?

CQ: Politics of health care: Republicans vs. AARP

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:22:59 GMT

House Republicans trying to thwart Democrats’ plans for a health care are questioning the motives of AARP, the seniors’ organization that the GOP accuses of putting its own interests ahead of its members’.

Moderate Democrats balk at public option

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:13:31 GMT

Democratic moderates who control the balance of power on health care legislation balk at a government-run insurance option for millions of Americans.

NBC/WSJ poll: Support for Afghan surge, public option

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:51:30 GMT

The latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds that a plurality of Americans now backs a troop increase in Afghanistan, and that there is slightly more support for a government-run health insurance option.

Video: Mom’s death is only relief from medical debt

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:06:27 GMT

After battling breast cancer and medical bills for years, a Texas mother dies, finally allowing her family to pay their debts and get insured (msnbc.com)

No guarantees: 3 tales of insurance disaster

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:23:16 GMT

Msnbc.com readers reveal that even good health insurance is no guarantee of covered care. Three families found that their coverage wasn’t enough, that it didn’t exist when they needed it most, or that it ended with the loss of a job.

Health care wastes up to $850 billion a year

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:56:54 GMT

The U.S. health care system is just as wasteful as President Barack Obama says it is, according to a Thomson Reuters report released on Monday.

Senate health bill to include public option

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:28:13 GMT

Health care legislation heading for the Senate floor will give millions of Americans the option of purchasing government-run insurance coverage, Majority Leader Harry Reid announces.

Newsweek: Reid move is a negotiating strategy

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:38:33 GMT

Reid may just be anchoring high as a ploy: if it looks like he doesn't have the numbers to get cloture on a bill that includes the opt-out public option, he could shift to a trigger model, for example. That's a more palatable shift for liberals than starting from a trigger and moving to no public option at all.

Senate likely to cut employer mandate

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:27:48 GMT

Businesses would not be required to provide health insurance under legislation being readied for Senate debate, but large firms could owe significant penalties if workers needed subsidies.

Health insurer profits not as fat as Dems claim

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:06:21 GMT

In the health care debate, Democrats have gone after insurance companies as rapacious profiteers. But health insurance profit margins are anemic compared with other a variety of industries.

House health care bill exceeds $1 trillion

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:03:07 GMT

Health care legislation taking shape in the House carries a price tag of at least $1 trillion over a decade, significantly higher than the target President Barack Obama has set, congressional officials say.

Dem majority no guarantee of health plan win

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:00:50 GMT

The Democrats' control of a hefty majority in the Senate — plus the House — would suggest that President Barack Obama is within reach of overhauling the nation's health care system this fall.

Ambulances start charging extra for the obese

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:18:42 GMT

The memory still bothers Ken Keller: A panicked ambulance crew had a critically ill patient, but the man weighed more than 1,000 pounds and could not fit inside the vehicle. And the stretcher wasn't sturdy enough to hold him.

House Dems trim health bill to $871 billion

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:20:19 GMT

House Democrats aim to cut the cost of their health care bill to well below the president's preferred price tag by giving the government a strong hand in selling insurance in competition with the private market.

Health bill exempts some big employers

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:07:43 GMT

More than 70 million Americans who have health insurance through their jobs could be open to higher costs or denials of coverage under a leading plan making its way through Congress.

Analysis: Doctors courted in health care war

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:58:17 GMT

In the special interest war over health care, the White House and congressional Democrats have the nation's drug makers and hospitals generally on their side; the insurance industry, not so much.

Adviser: Obama waits on finished health care bill

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:55:30 GMT

The White House is waiting for Congress to settle on a final health care bill, even though President Barack Obama has a clear preference in favor of at least one specific — the much-debated public option, advisers said.

Aides: Obama not demanding public option

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:10:08 GMT

The White House will not commit to health care legislation that would cap insurance premiums or tax benefits, taking a wait-and-see approach as congressional negotiators seek a deal, advisers said Sunday.

Obama assails ‘deceptive’ health ads

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:06:34 GMT

President Barack Obama pushed back against critics of his health care plan with a stern warning that absent reform, costs will continue to rise and eventually devastate the U.S. economy.

House, Senate Dems at odds on health care

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:27:48 GMT

It's not just Democrats and Republicans who are at odds over health care reform. House and Senate Democrats are going after each other over the shape of the legislation too.

Get ready to pay more for health coverage

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:42:41 GMT

No matter what happens with national health care reform, employers are already shifting part of the rising cost of care to employees. By msnbc.com's John W. Schoen.

Pelosi makes case for public health care option

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:51:14 GMT

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that the case is growing stronger for allowing the government to sell health insurance in competition with private companies, contending recent attacks from the industry should dispel any doubts.

Many nursing home elderly get futile care

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:41:40 GMT

A surprising number of frail, elderly Americans in nursing homes are suffering from futile care at the end of their lives, two new federally funded studies reveal.

No quiet fadeaway for ‘public option’

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:23:26 GMT

Fears about high costs of the health care overhaul and mistrust of insurers are rekindling interest in letting the government sell health insurance as part of the plan.

Community clinics crucial in health reform

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:28:27 GMT

Francisco Lupercio has insurance for his house, his truck and the store he runs with his wife. But he can't afford health insurance, so he joined dozens of other people lining up for exams at a community clinic.

Another GOP senator open to health overhaul

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:23:02 GMT

A second Republican senator signaled Wednesday she's open to voting for sweeping health care legislation this year, putting President Barack Obama closer to a historic achievement that has eluded generations of Democratic leaders.

Health care reform clears a Senate hurdle

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:10:19 GMT

President Barack Obama's vow to reform the U.S. health care system cleared a key hurdle Tuesday with a bonus vote from a moderate Republican whose backing could be key to final passage.

‘Die quickly’ Democrat drops rhetoric

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:48:38 GMT

A Florida congressman tried to make sure a health care town hall meeting he hosted Monday night didn't turn into a debate about his recent remarks that Republicans want sick people to "die quickly."