universal health care news stories on Newser

Stephen Hawking Talks Health Care, ALS, and Life

Kevin Spak — Tue, 10 May 2011 09:54:00 CDT

When you can only speak by twitching your cheek toward words flitting past your screen, you don’t tend to do a lot of interviews. But Stephen Hawking sat down with the New York Times last month to talk about his life, aliens, and health care. Some highlights: On aliens: Contacting...

1B Can't Afford Health Care: WHO

Matt Cantor — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:19:05 CST

A billion people worldwide can’t afford health care, and paying for it drives 100 million people into poverty annually, a World Health Organization report says. The global report says all countries should seek creative ways to boost health-care efficiency and funding, Reuters reports. “For many, health services just don't exist,...

Bastards! Health 'Reform' Isn't Worthy of Name

Rob Quinn — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:45:44 CDT

The Democrats should hurry up and pass their sorry excuse for a health bill, but they should stop calling it "health care reform," writes Michael Moore. The president and Democratic leaders should apologize to the American people for coming up with a bill that leaves 12 million people still uninsured...

Bishops to Congress: Get Health Reform Done

Jane Yager — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 09:10:07 CST

The US Catholic bishops, whose primary role in the health care debate until recently was to voice concern about abortion funding, have changed tack in the wake of Scott Brown's election and are now urging Congress not to abandon the "moral imperative" of universal health coverage. The appeal the bishops...

Romneycare Did In Obamacare

Harry Kimball — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:57:16 CST

Mitt Romney didn’t help Scott Brown win by campaigning for him, Timothy Noah writes, but by giving Massachusetts universal health care four years ago. Sure, the senator-elect and the former governor railed against Obamacare as a “one size fits all” health reform plan, but they were being disingenuous. The real...

The Senate's Health Care Plan: Try Everything

Kevin Spak — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:27:00 CST

The Senate health care plan ensures universal coverage, but when it comes to controlling costs, all it offers is…pilot programs. Sounds pretty flimsy, right? “Two thousand seventy-four pages and trillions of dollars later, this bill doesn’t even meet the basic goal,” complained Mitch McConnell, “to lower costs.” But pilot programs...

House Passes Landmark Health Care Reform

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:24:39 CST

The House narrowly passed landmark health care legislation tonight to expand coverage to tens of millions who lack it and place tough new restrictions on the insurance industry. The measure passed 220-215 with only one Republican—Louisiana's Joseph Cao—in favor and 39 Democrats opposed. "Oh, what a night," said...

Obama to Recast Health Reform as Moral Issue

Nick McMaster — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:41:08 CDT

President Obama is about to start focusing more on the moral aspects of health care reform, stressing the need to provide secure coverage to all Americans, the Wall Street Journal reports. The shift may reflect the concerns of some supporters that Obama has spent too much time talking about the...

Obamacare Isn't 'Socialist Hellhole,' It's Switzerland

Jason Farago — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:34:54 CDT

Investor's Business Daily made a howler when it said the British physicist Stephen Hawking "wouldn't have a chance" under the UK's health care, but for Paul Krugman, the "vile and stupid" editorial missed the point. Obamacare doesn't look like the British system, in which government runs hospitals and pays doctors....