Though many Americans are weary of the debate as Congress prepares to vote on one of President Obama's highest legislative priorities, experts note that this is only one battle in a very long war. And if it passes, things may get only hotter and more contentious.

Continue reading Even If Health Care Reform Passes, the Fights Won't Stop

Even If Health Care Reform Passes, the Fights Won't Stop originally appeared on DailyFinance on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:15:00.

Filed Under: Economy, Health Care, Insurance

A recent study finds that Americans are less willing to leave an existing job. Workers had lots of reasons for staying put, but a big one is fear of losing employer-provided health coverage. Would passage of the health care overhaul change that?

Continue reading People@Work: For Many Americans, a Job Means Health Care

People@Work: For Many Americans, a Job Means Health Care originally appeared on DailyFinance on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:00:00.

Filed Under: Columns, Health Care, Careers

Unwilling to see his landmark healthcare reform legislation die, President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged lawmakers to pass the bill, according to Aol News. The site reported that the president called for an "up or down" vote on a plan that he said incorporated "the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans." For the full story on Aol News, click here.

Continue reading Obama Calls for 'Up or Down' Vote on Healthcare

Obama Calls for 'Up or Down' Vote on Healthcare originally appeared on DailyFinance on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:00:00.

Filed Under: Healthcare

Though millions of words have been written about the health care reform that may or may not become law in 2010, very few actually address the health of the American citizenry. Apparently it's assumed that expanding health care insurance is the same thing as improving the health of the American people. Not true. As I hope to make clear, "improving health" is not the same as "providing health care insurance." While health care insurance certainly improves access to treatment, it doesn't necessarily improve the overall health of the American people.

Continue reading Improving Americans' Health, With or Without Health Care Reform

Improving Americans' Health, With or Without Health Care Reform originally appeared on DailyFinance on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:00:00.

Filed Under: Healthcare

President Barack Obama releases his proposed $3.8 trillion federal budget for fiscal year 2011 and immediately the hue and cry is one of "$1 trillion structural deficits," "a nation going broke" and "an unserviceable debt."

Continue reading Here's a Fair Way to Balance the U.S. Budget

Here's a Fair Way to Balance the U.S. Budget originally appeared on DailyFinance on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:30:00.

Filed Under: Columns, Economy

The price of health care is going to keep climbing, and the ascent is gong to be steep: According to the new National Health Care Trend survey, released by Buck Consultants, costs for the most popular types of health care coverage are projected to increase by more than 10% in 2010.

Continue reading Health Care Costs Expected to Jump Over 10% in 2010

Health Care Costs Expected to Jump Over 10% in 2010 originally appeared on DailyFinance on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:17:00.

Filed Under: Economy, Healthcare

It's time to do what the late, great New York Governor Al Smith would do, and cut through the rhetoric and the hype and "look at the record" to evaluate the economic players in Washington. Investors have probably read a lot about the drop in President Barack Obama's job-approval rating. And they're correct. It has declined to about 50% in the first quarter of 2009 from about 63% at the start of his presidency, according to a Gallup Poll. But what many investors probably don't know is that the job-approval rating for every president declines in his first year in office.

Continue reading Obama and the Democrats Are Down, But Hardly Out

Obama and the Democrats Are Down, But Hardly Out originally appeared on DailyFinance on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:00:00.

Filed Under: Columns, Economy

President Barack Obama tonight reiterated his vow to fix the costly and inefficient U.S. health care system. He even joked that he did not decide to tackle the issue because it was "good politics." But during his first State of the Union address, Obama painted a grim picture of life for Americans under the present regime for insuring their health.

Continue reading Obama Reaches for the Reset Button on Health Care

Obama Reaches for the Reset Button on Health Care originally appeared on DailyFinance on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:00:00.

Filed Under: Economy, Healthcare, Taxes

As the Massachusetts Senate race between Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Scott Brown came to its dramatic conclusion on Tuesday, the press repeatedly echoed the phrase "referendum on health care." There was a good reason for this: Brown vocally positioned himself as the "41st vote" needed to defeat passage of the Senate health care bill.

Continue reading Salvaging Health Care After the Massachusetts Upset

Salvaging Health Care After the Massachusetts Upset originally appeared on DailyFinance on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 13:30:00.

Filed Under: Economy, Healthcare

No doubt, the loss of a Democratic Senator is not the kind of present President Obama wanted for his one-year anniversary. He would have preferred passage of his long-promised goal of health-care reform over this stunning defeat that puts any reform in jeopardy. Now that Republicans have gained filibuster power, can the Democrats still pull this one off? My colleague, Joe Lazzaro, thinks they might do it just yet. Investors, however, seem to have already started to bet against health-care reform. Already on Tuesday, the health-care and pharma sectors climbed higher, a trend that mostly continued on Wednesday.

Continue reading Health-Care Sector Appears to Rally As Reform Chances Dim

Health-Care Sector Appears to Rally As Reform Chances Dim originally appeared on DailyFinance on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:15:00.

Filed Under: Healthcare, Genzyme Corporation , Bristol-Myers Squibb, CIGNA Corporation, Sanofi Aventis, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Amgen, Eli Lilly