"Senate Democrats Reach Tentative Compromise on the Public Option"
- Democratic Senate negotiators struck a tentative agreement Tuesday night to drop the controversial government-run insurance plan from their healthcare legislation.
- The agreement would replace the public option in the current Senate bill with a new national insurance plan offered by private insurers, and would allow Americans to “buy in” to Medicare beginning at age 55.
- The deal also included a proposal to reauthorize CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), which is set to expire in 2013.
- Though the public option has not officially been dropped, senators agreed to ask congressional scorekeepers to provide a cost estimate on the alternative.
- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has been working with top Democrats over the past two weeks to forge a compromise on the public option that would win him the 60 votes needed to block a Republican filibuster. Once Reid is certain he has 60 senators in support of the bill, he will file for closure, effectively ending debate and setting up the bill for a vote.
- Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/us/09health.html?_r=1&hp
"Survey: Health Costs, Reform a Source of Stress for Americans"
- A new survey conducted by Misericordia University and Braun Research found that two in five Americans plan to spend less this holiday season as a result of rising health costs, and three in 10 said healthcare costs have led to arguments and tension with friends and family members.
- The Healthcare in America survey also concluded that the healthcare reform debate is a cause of stress and annoyance among the majority of Americans.
- Those surveyed reported that their top concerns with healthcare reform include the cost to future generations and its impact on the federal deficit, the cost of out-of-pocket expenses, and the accessibility of quality coverage.
- Read more: http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/243190/topic/WS_HLM2_LED/Survey-Health-Costs-Reform-a-Source-of-Stress-for-Americans.html
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