http://www.mail.com/subjects/366-health-care-reform.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.28/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/subjects/366-health-care-reform.html http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2088536-senate-confirms-nurse-to-medicare.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A former intensive care nurse with a businesslike approach to a politically divisive public policy area won Senate approval Wednesday to run Medicare and other major health insurance programs. By an overwhelming 91-7 vote, the Senate confirmed Marilyn Tavenner to oversee Medicare, Medicaid, children's health insurance and coverage for th... Wed, 15 May 2013 21:43:19 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2088536-senate-confirms-nurse-to-medicare.html 2013-05-15T21:43:19Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2080036-snowe-presses-bipartisanship-book.html PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe describes a scene out of a Rockwell painting: With Washington crippled by a blizzard, President Barack Obama worked the week before Christmas with a fire roaring in the fireplace in the Oval Office. Outside the window, his daughters played in the snow with their dog. Inside, Snowe writes in a new book, she de... Sun, 12 May 2013 15:15:08 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2080036-snowe-presses-bipartisanship-book.html 2013-05-12T15:15:08Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2078018-fundraising-hhs-secretary-draws-scrutiny.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A fundraising push by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is drawing criticism from a key Senate Republican who questions whether she has a conflict of interest. HHS spokesman Jason Young confirms that Sebelius in recent weeks has asked various charitable foundations, businesses executives, churches and doctors to donat... Fri, 10 May 2013 23:50:41 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2078018-fundraising-hhs-secretary-draws-scrutiny.html 2013-05-10T23:50:41Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2077204-utah-to-to-use-dual-model-health-exchange.html SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The federal government has approved Utah to become the first state to have a dual-model health insurance exchange in which the state and the federal government divide responsibilities. The plan allows Utah to continue to run its existing health insurance marketplace for small businesses, a system that lets employees pick health care ... Fri, 10 May 2013 21:55:38 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2077204-utah-to-to-use-dual-model-health-exchange.html 2013-05-10T21:55:38Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2076062-obama-declared-health-care-law-is-to-stay.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Caught between nervous Democrats and emboldened Republicans, President Barack Obama on Friday stepped up the sales pitch on his health care overhaul as the final elements of his top domestic achievement go into effect. With his legacy and the law's success at stake, Obama said: "The law is here to stay." Behind the scenes, the White Hous... Fri, 10 May 2013 21:23:47 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2076062-obama-declared-health-care-law-is-to-stay.html 2013-05-10T21:23:47Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2073498-ap-exclusive-calif-exchange-granted-secrecy.html LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California law that created an agency to oversee national health care reforms granted it broad authority to conceal spending on the contractors that will perform most of its functions, potentially shielding the public from seeing how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent. The degree of secrecy afforded Covered California appears u... Thu, 09 May 2013 19:46:45 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2073498-ap-exclusive-calif-exchange-granted-secrecy.html 2013-05-09T19:46:45Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2062190-cruz-urges-gop-to-work-together-senate-control.html COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is urging Republicans to work together to help the party take back the Senate next year, telling South Carolina Republicans that, in his words, "change can come quickly." Cruz spoke at a South Carolina GOP dinner Friday night. He says the GOP fell on hard times during the second term of President George W. Bush an... Sat, 04 May 2013 01:38:30 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2062190-cruz-urges-gop-to-work-together-senate-control.html 2013-05-04T01:38:30Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2054642-obama-hints-potential-military-action-syria.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama signaled Tuesday he would consider U.S. military action against Syria if "hard, effective evidence" is found to bolster intelligence that chemical weapons have been used in the 2-year-old civil war. Among the potential options being readied for him: weapons and ammunition for the Syrian rebels. Despite such plannin... Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:24:17 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2054642-obama-hints-potential-military-action-syria.html 2013-04-30T22:24:17Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2043386-dems-gop-talk-up-deficit-reduction.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Liberals' loud objections to White House proposals for slowing the growth of huge social programs make it clear that neither political party puts a high priority on reducing the deficit, despite much talk to the contrary. For years, House Republicans have adamantly refused to raise income taxes, even though U.S. taxes are historically lo... Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:13:40 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2043386-dems-gop-talk-up-deficit-reduction.html 2013-04-25T07:13:40Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2041186-health-insurer-wellpoints-1q-profit-rises-3-pct.html INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — WellPoint shares hit their highest level since the summer of 2011 on Wednesday after the nation's second largest health insurer trumped first-quarter earnings expectations, raised its 2013 forecast and said it could profit immediately from a key health care overhaul coverage expansion next year. The Indianapolis company's performance t... Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:21:47 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2041186-health-insurer-wellpoints-1q-profit-rises-3-pct.html 2013-04-24T23:21:47Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2040924-under-criticism-gop-puts-health-care-bill.html WASHINGTON (AP) — An effort by House Republicans to highlight problems with President Barack Obama's health care law by bailing out a program for people with pre-existing medical conditions appeared to backfire Wednesday. GOP leaders postponed a scheduled vote after the measure met strong opposition from two directions: from conservative groups resistant ... Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:50:39 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2040924-under-criticism-gop-puts-health-care-bill.html 2013-04-24T20:50:39Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2039044-montana-democrat-baucus-rules-7th-senate-term.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana announced plans Tuesday to retire at the end of his term after a career of enormous power and notable independence, producing both collaboration and conflict with fellow Democrats on major tax and health care legislation. "I don't want to die here with my boots on. There is life bey... Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:15:10 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2039044-montana-democrat-baucus-rules-7th-senate-term.html 2013-04-23T22:15:10Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2038420-us-hospitals-send-hundreds-immigrants.html DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Days after they were badly hurt in a car accident, Jacinto Cruz and Jose Rodriguez-Saldana lay unconscious in an Iowa hospital while the American health care system weighed what to do with the two immigrants from Mexico. The men had health insurance from jobs at one of the nation's largest pork producers. But neither had legal perm... Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:11:51 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2038420-us-hospitals-send-hundreds-immigrants.html 2013-04-23T07:11:51Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2027278-arkansas-approves-medicaid-expansion-alternative.html LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas' plan to use federal money to buy private insurance for low-income residents won final approval from state lawmakers Wednesday, endorsing a model that several other states are eyeing as a possible alternative to expanding Medicaid. The Republican-controlled Legislature narrowly reached the three-fourths majority needed to... Thu, 18 Apr 2013 04:46:19 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2027278-arkansas-approves-medicaid-expansion-alternative.html 2013-04-18T04:46:19Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2012556-tracking-obamas-health-law-budget-easy.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Next year is the year President Barack Obama's signature health care law goes into high gear, covering millions of uninsured Americans by a mix of private plans and government programs infused with tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer money. You'd think there'd be a chapter in the new 2014 budget that lays it all out. Wrong. Well, may... Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:47:31 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2012556-tracking-obamas-health-law-budget-easy.html 2013-04-11T07:47:31Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2010970-budget-cover-uninsured-trim-medicare-tax-cigs.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's new budget offers Medicare cuts to entice Republicans into tax negotiations, while plowing ahead to cover the uninsured next year under the health care law the GOP has bitterly fought to repeal. But the biggest health consequences of any new proposal in Obama's plan could come from nearly doubling the federal tob... Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:22:10 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2010970-budget-cover-uninsured-trim-medicare-tax-cigs.html 2013-04-10T22:22:10Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2007400-okla-bill-check-here-fund-fight-vs-fed-laws.html OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma residents might soon be able to direct a portion of their state income tax refunds to defend its laws against federal constitutional challenges, an ironic and unintended consequence of a lawmaker's tongue-in-cheek skewering of the cost of such court fights. Rep. Joe Dorman, a Democrat from Rush Springs, said he had grown tire... Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:32:22 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2007400-okla-bill-check-here-fund-fight-vs-fed-laws.html 2013-04-09T11:32:22Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1993150-obamacare-credits-trigger-surprise-tax-bills.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of people who take advantage of government subsidies to help buy health insurance next year could get stung by surprise tax bills if they don't accurately project their income. President Barack Obama's new health care law will offer subsidies to help people buy private health insurance on state-based exchanges, if they don't alr... Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:56:10 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1993150-obamacare-credits-trigger-surprise-tax-bills.html 2013-04-02T16:56:10Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1969260-house-passes-gop-budget-plan-promising-deep-cuts.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Moving on two fronts, the Republican-controlled House on Thursday voted to keep the government running for the next six months while pushing through a tea-party flavored budget for next year that would shrink the government by another $4.6 trillion over the next decade. The spending authorization on its way to the White House for Preside... Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:18:33 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1969260-house-passes-gop-budget-plan-promising-deep-cuts.html 2013-03-22T02:18:33Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1951406-insurers-warn-overhaul-induced-sticker-shock.html Some Americans could see their insurance bills double next year as the health care overhaul law expands coverage to millions of people. The nation's big health insurers say they expect premiums — or the cost for insurance coverage — to rise from 20 to 100 percent for millions of people due to changes that will occur when key provisions of the Affordable C... Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:51:42 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1951406-insurers-warn-overhaul-induced-sticker-shock.html 2013-03-13T16:51:42Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1948046-ryans-budget-gop-takes-aim-dem-spending-plans.html WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans redoubled their efforts to roll back signature accomplishments of President Barack Obama on Tuesday, offering a slashing budget plan that would repeal new health care subsidies and cut spending across a wide swath of programs dear to Obama and his Democratic allies. The GOP plan was immediately rejected by the White Hou... Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:17:06 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1948046-ryans-budget-gop-takes-aim-dem-spending-plans.html 2013-03-13T00:17:06Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1929538-correction-health-overhaul-language-barrier-story.html OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — In a story March 4 about the challenges of explaining health care reform to non-English speakers, The Associated Press relied on incorrect information from the California Primary Care Association in reporting that organizations have to provide written notices in languages spoken by 10 percent or more of their service population. The... Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:53:48 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1929538-correction-health-overhaul-language-barrier-story.html 2013-03-06T19:53:48Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1931980-military-leaders-welcome-house-gop-budget-bill.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A massive House Republican measure to keep the government operating would ease some of the pain of automatic spending cuts slamming the Defense Department, the nation's senior military leaders told Congress on Tuesday. Members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff painted a dire picture of construction projects on hold, limits on aircraft carrier... Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:05:57 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1931980-military-leaders-welcome-house-gop-budget-bill.html 2013-03-05T21:05:57Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1928190-romney-heart-told-hed-win-until-fla.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney says his heart said he was going to win the presidency, but when early results came in on election night, he knew it was not to be. The GOP nominee tells "Fox News Sunday" that he knew his campaign was in trouble when exit polls suggested a close race in Florida. Romney thought he'd win the state solidly. Obama ended up takin... Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:48:15 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1928190-romney-heart-told-hed-win-until-fla.html 2013-03-03T14:48:15Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1925280-health-care-overhaul-rolls-despite-budget-havoc.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Airline schedules, food inspections, IRS taxpayer assistance and deployments of Navy ships could all be hampered by the government's automatic spending cuts. But President Barack Obama's health care law — a program Republicans have spent the last three years trying to kill — will roll out on time, the administration says. Only a small fr... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 18:40:14 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1925280-health-care-overhaul-rolls-despite-budget-havoc.html 2013-03-01T18:40:14Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1918894-budget-cuts-loom-government-shutdown-next.html WASHINGTON (AP) — With big, automatic budget cuts about to kick in, House Republicans are turning to mapping strategy for the next showdown just a month away, when a government shutdown instead of just a slowdown will be at stake. Both topics are sure to come up at the White House meeting Friday between President Barack Obama and top congressional leaders... Thu, 28 Feb 2013 04:26:42 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1918894-budget-cuts-loom-government-shutdown-next.html 2013-02-28T04:26:42Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1915036-koop-who-transformed-surgeon-general-post-dies.html With his striking beard and starched uniform, former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop became one of the most recognizable figures of the Reagan era — and one of the most unexpectedly enduring. His nomination in 1981 met a wall of opposition from women's groups and liberal politicians, who complained President Ronald Reagan selected Koop, a pediatric su... Tue, 26 Feb 2013 04:04:51 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1915036-koop-who-transformed-surgeon-general-post-dies.html 2013-02-26T04:04:51Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1909930-governors-looming-cuts-threaten-economic-gains.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington's protracted budget stalemate could seriously undermine the economy and stall gains made since the recession, exasperated governors said Saturday as they tried to gauge the fallout from impending federal spending cuts. At the annual National Governors Association meeting, both Democrat and Republican chief executives expressed... Sat, 23 Feb 2013 22:53:12 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1909930-governors-looming-cuts-threaten-economic-gains.html 2013-02-23T22:53:12Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1907748-govs-to-hear-oregon-health-care-plan.html SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber will brief other state leaders this weekend on his plan to lower Medicaid costs, touting an overhaul that President Barack Obama highlighted in his State of the Union address for its potential to lower the deficit even as health care expenses climb. The Oregon Democrat leaves for Washington, D.C., on Friday to... Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:01:08 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1907748-govs-to-hear-oregon-health-care-plan.html 2013-02-22T09:01:08Z