Health, Education, Labor & Pensions news stories on Newser

Public Option a Go: Reid

Nick McMaster — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:07:19 CDT

Harry Reid will include a public insurance plan in the pending health care reform bill, with a provision allowing individual states to refuse to participate. The Senate majority leader’s bill is likely to include an “opt-out” version of the public plan, taken from the Senate health committee, as well as...

Senate Bill Likely to Come Down to Reid, Dodd, Baucus

Kevin Spak — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:27:21 CDT

Every senator worth their salt is salivating for a seat at the table when Harry Reid merges the Senate’s two competing health care bills—but the vast majority will instead have their noses pressed to the glass. Reid hopes to speed things up by keeping the group small, Politico reports,...

Harkin: I've Got Votes to Pass Public Option

Kevin Spak — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:04:42 CDT

Sen. Tom Harkin sees no good reason Democrats can’t pass a health care bill that includes a public option. “I have polled senators, and the vast majority of Democrats—maybe approaching 50—support a public option,” the newly minted Health, Education, Labor and Pensions chairman said today. “So why shouldn’t...

Dodd Has Prostate Cancer

Kevin Spak — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:55:01 CDT

Senator Chris Dodd has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, the Hartford Courant reports, but the disease is in its early stages, and Dodd doesn’t think it will sideline him long. He’ll undergo surgery during the August recess, and expects to return after a “brief recuperation,” the 65-year-old said. “It’s something...

Senate Hits Brakes on Health Care

Kevin Spak — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:35:02 CDT

Would-be health care reformers had a bad day yesterday, hitting a series of obstacles that makes hitting President Obama’s August deadline increasingly unlikely, Politico reports. The Senate Finance Committee said it wouldn’t have a package before the July 4 recess, and the Congressional Budget Office slapped a $1.3 trillion...