Selected stories from the daily newsletter CQ HealthBeat from the week of January 18, 2009. Provided as a service under rights licensed by The Commonwealth Fund. The full-text version of this newsletter is available in the Health Reform section of
commonwealthfund.org.
President Obama said at a town hall meeting in Ohio that his push to revamp the nation's health care system has "run into a bit of a buzz saw along the way" but he won't walk away.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that there aren't enough votes in the House to send President Obama the Senate-passed health care bill, as rank-and-file Democrats shied away from efforts to clear a comprehensive package. Read more »
A top Senate Democrat said that the majority party should take a break of up to six weeks in the health care debate to allow the caucus to regroup and refocus on how to move a bill forward. Read more »
When it comes to a massive overhaul of the health care system, staying the course in the face of adversity may make a nice slogan, but it's lousy politics and policy, many Democrats said after Massachusetts Senate election results that brought an end to their ability to move an overhaul with a filibuster-proof 60 votes in the Senate. Read more »
Democratic leaders say they will continue to press forward with legislation to overhaul the health system, but after a demoralizing Senate loss in Massachusetts, they haven't yet settled on how to finish the effort.
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Like the last guest left when the party's over, the Medicare physician payment formula remains an awkward presence for Congress as Democrats attempt to regroup on efforts to overhaul the health care system.
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