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Former HHS Secretaries Shalala, Leavitt on Health Reform

In a party-line vote, the Senate agreed Saturday to begin floor debate on a health care reform bill next week, when Senators return from their Thanksgiving break. But Democrats remain divided over key aspects of the legislation.

Two former Secretaries of Health and Human Services help put the political debate in context. Donna Shalala served during the Clinton administration, and Michael Leavitt served during the George W. Bush administration.

Senate Health Reform Bill Clears Key Hurdle

Senate Democratic leaders celebrated Saturday when their health care reform bill passed a key procedural hurdle, but by Monday deep divisions over some key provisions of the $848 billion legislation were already back in the spotlight.

Senate Edges Closer to Health Reform Debate

The Senate on Thursday inched closer to debating Majority Leader Harry Reid's $848 billion health care reform bill, despite stiff GOP resistance. After a report from NewsHour health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser, Susan Dentzer of the journal Health Affairs explains the details of the Senate bill.

Senate Health Care Plan Would Cover 31 Million

The health care reform legislation unveiled Wednesday night by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would extend health insurance to 31 million more Americans at a cost of $848 billion, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. In a news conference Wednesday evening, Democratic leaders touted the plan, saying that it would save lives and save money.

Arts Advocate Weighs in on Health Reform

The CEO of Americans for the Arts discusses the difficulty artists have in finding health insurance.

Reid Unveils Senate Health Reform Legislation

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid moved forward on a long-awaited version of health care reform legislation Wednesday night, telling reporters "tonight begins the last leg of this journey."

Report: House Bill Would Increase Health Care Costs

The health care reform bill that passed the House last week would increase U.S. health care costs by $289 billion over the next decade, according to a government report released this weekend.

Reid Aims to Begin Senate Health Care Debate Next Week

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is aiming to bring a health care reform bill to the Senate floor next week, but several obstacles remain. NewsHour health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser discusses the week's health reform news.

Cost Estimates Prove Key to Health Reform Debate

Congress' budget scorekeepers have found themselves at the center of the health care reform debate, as lawmakers strive to keep costs down.

Spotlight Turns to Senate After House Passes Reform Bill

The House approved its version of health care reform in a late-night Saturday vote this weekend, but the bill's prospects in the Senate remain unclear. Political analyst Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute discusses the road ahead for health care legislation.

Abortion Opponent, Advocate Discuss House Bill

The House health care reform bill includes a controversial provision strongly restricting the way in which public funds can be used to cover abortion services. An abortion rights advocate and opponent discuss the bill.

House Passes Historic Health Care Reform Bill

In a rare late-night Saturday vote, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a historic health care reform bill that would reshape many aspects of the U.S. health insurance system.

House Opens Floor Debate on Health Reform Legislation

President Obama traveled to Capitol Hill Saturday to rally Democratic lawmakers as the House opened debate on sweeping health care reform legislation. The bill passed its first hurdle Saturday afternoon when, in a 242-192 vote, lawmakers easily approved the procedural rule setting the terms of the floor debate on the measure.

Democrats Scramble to Secure Votes Ahead of House Vote

Some conservative Democrats in the House remained on the fence Friday over whether to vote for the party's sweeping health care reform legislation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she is still aiming for a Saturday vote, although Majority Leadery Steny Hoyer suggested that timeline could slip. NewsHour health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser updates the latest health care reform news.

House Health Care Vote Could Be Delayed Past Saturday

House Democratic Leaders worked Friday to line up enough votes to pass a sweeping health care reform measure, but it seemed possible the vote might be delayed past House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Saturday deadline. There are 258 Democrats in the House, so leaders could afford to lose 40 of their votes and still pass the bill. Republicans are united in opposition against the measure.

Endorsements, Protests for House Health Reform Bill as Vote Nears

House Democrats' health care reform bill gained key endorsements from the country's largest seniors' group and doctors' group Thursday, while opponents rallied against the bill at the U.S. Capitol. NewsHour congressional correspondent Kwame Holman updates the day's news from Capitol Hill.

U.K. Health Secretary: British, American Systems Can Learn From Each Other

U.K. Health Secretary Andy Burnhamdiscusses how the U.S and U.K. can learn from the best of each other's health care systems.

House Republicans Offer Alternate Health Care Plan

House Republicans are planning to offer their own 230-page health care reform bill during the House floor debate as an alternative to Democratic leaders' plan. The measure focuses more on controlling costs than expanding coverage. Among its key provisions, it would cap damages for pain and suffering in medical malpractice cases and would increase incentives for people to open health savings accounts.

Public Option Makes a Comeback on Capitol Hill

After being declared all but dead this summer, the public option is on the table in both the House and Senate. Health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser updates the week's news from Capitol Hill.

House Health Care Bill Features Public Option Compromise

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled a health care reform bill Thursday that includes a version of the public option favored by her party's centrists, one in which the government would negotiate reimbursement rates with health care providers rather than use rates tied to Medicare. House Democratic leaders are aiming to bring the bill to the floor next week.

Snowe, Collins Discuss Public Option Inclusion

Maine's moderate Republicans talk about what it will take to win their votes for health care reform.

Senators Split Over Public Option with Opt-out Clause

Fault lines spread through the U.S. Senate Tuesday over Majority Leader Harry Reid's decision to include a public option with an "opt-out" clause for states in the Senate's health care reform legislation. After an update of the day's news from health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser, congressional scholar Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute discusses the politics of the move.

Reid to Include Public Option in Senate Bill

After days of negotiations, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced Monday that he will include a government-run public health insurance option in the health care reform legislation he plans to bring to the Senate floor. This version of the public option will have an opt-out provision for states that do not want to be a part of the new public insurance system.

Insurers Under Pressure From White House, Congress

President Obama and Democrats in Congress have been cranking up pressure on insurers in the past week, as the industry lobby has criticized the Senate Finance Committee’s health care reform plan. Ed Haislmaier of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, and Richard Kirsch, national campaign manager for the liberal group Health Care for America Now, give two views on the criticism of the insurance industry.

House Panel Votes to Repeal Insurance Industry Antitrust Exemption

The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to revoke the health insurance industry's limited antitrust exemption, which exempts the industry from federal oversight of some business practices, such as price-fixing.

Voices of Health Care Reform: Hospital CEO

A children's hospital CEO on the challenges of running a hospital that serves Medicaid patients.

Calculator: What Would You Pay for Insurance?

A Kaiser Family Foundation calculator estimates what you would pay under the various reform proposals in Congress.

Democrats Turn Focus to Reform Compromise; Public Option Question Looms

Top Senate Democrats and White House officials have turned their health reform efforts toward crafting a compromise package that can unite Democrats and avoid a GOP filibuster. Policy analysts examine the different ways a public option could take shape in Congress.

Emanuel: Affordability, Competition Central to Reform

In an interview with Judy Woodruff, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel discusses the Senate Finance Committee's passage of a health reform bill, the future for the public option and more.

San Francisco Ramps Up Care for City's Uninsured

Amid the health reform debate, San Francisco has launched its own initiative to extend coverage.

Lawmakers Gear Up for Crucial Vote on Health Reform

The Senate Finance Committee plans to vote Tuesday on a legislative proposal to overhaul health care. Tonight on the NewsHour, NPR's Julie Rovner and Congress watcher Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute discuss the prospects for the bill and the continuing debate over the fate of the public insurance option.

CBO Says Senate Health Bill Would Cost $829 Billion

The Senate Finance Committee's health care reform plan would cost $829 billion over 10 years, but would meet President Barack Obama's goal of reducing the federal budget deficit by 2019, according to a cost estimate released Wednesday.

In Netherlands, Insurers Compete Over Quality of Care Instead of Prices

Some experts are calling the Netherlands' health care system a model for the U.S. Ray Suarez reports on the country's recent health reform initiative.

Among Doctors, Many Opinions on Health Reform

President Barack Obama made his latest pitch for health care reform Monday in a White House Rose Garden speech to 150 white-coat-wearing doctors from around the country. After a report on the speech, two doctors give different perspectives on health care reform.

High-Risk Insurance Pools May Get Funding Boost

High-risk insurancepools -- which help provide coverage for people with pre-existing conditions -- have garnered attention recently as lawmakers consider health care reform, with bipartisan interest in using the pools to cover more of the uninsure.d

Obama Pitches Health Reform to Doctors

In a speech at the White House Rose Garden, President Obama told doctors who had gathered from all 50 states that they are the most credible experts on American health care and asked for their help in passing reform legislation.

Congress Poised for More Debate as Senate Finance Committeee Wraps Up Health Bill

The Senate Finance Committee completed marathon deliberations over its health care reform legislation shortly after 2 a.m. Friday morning. In the closing hours, senators adopted two key amendments. The first lowered penalties for Americans who fail to buy health insurance from thousands to hundreds of dollars, and removed criminal penalties. The second exempted seniors from a new restrictions on the tax deductions they can be taken for medical expenses.

Key Committee Wraps Up Debate on Health Reform

After more than a week of debate, the Senate Finance Committee wrapped up its consideration of a landmark health care reform bill in the wee hours Friday morning. Committee members worked past 2 a.m. debating the last of 564 amendments to Chairman Max Baucus' legislation.

Baucus Says Health Reform Bill Has Enough Votes to Pass, Despite Criticisms

Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee said Thursday that chairman Max Baucus' health care reform bill is "riddled" with new taxes on the middle class, violating President Obama's campaign pledge. The accusations came as the committee entered its seventh day of debating the bill, the panel's longest deliberation in 15 years.

Senate Finance Committe Rejects Public Insurance Option

In the latest political showdown over health care, the Senate Finance Committee voted Tuesday to reject an amendment by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., to add a public insurance option to the panel's health care reform bill. NewsHour health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser reports.

Medicare Set for Big Cuts Under Overhaul Plans

Depending on which, if any, health care reform plan passes through Congress, Medicare faces cuts as high as $500 billion. Gwen Ifill reports on what the cuts might entail.

Economists Find Mixed Results on Tort Reform

The Obama administration will spend $25 million on new research to reduce malpractice lawsuits. But economists have found mixed results on whether tort reform efforts save money.

Baucus Bill Stays on Center Stage in Reform Debate

This week, the Senate Finance Committee took up its long-awaited health care reform bill. Chairman Max Baucus faced is first rebellion from Democrats over a dealthe White House had made with pharmaceutical manufacturers this summer. The Senators also debated cuts to Medicare. NewsHour health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser gives an update on the week's news from Capitol Hill.

Democrats Revolt Over $80 Billion Pharmaceutical Deal

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus faced the first major fight over his health care legislation Tuesday, as fellow Democrats challenged the $80 billion deal that he and the White House struck with drug makers to help pay for health reform.

Lawmakers Debate Affordability Issue in Reform Bill

The Senate Finance Committee began work on its long-awaited health care reform bill Tuesday. Health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser reports on the days events on Capitol Hill, then Susan Dentzer, editor of the journal Health Affairs, takes a closer look at the affordability of health insurance under the Baucus plan.

Baucus Aims to Increase Affordability in Senate Health Care Plan

After nearly a week of criticism from fellow Democrats, Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus unveiled changes to his proposed health reform plan aimed at making insurance more affordable for lower- and middle-income workers.

An Individual Mandate: Is it Necessary, Is it a Tax?

All of the health care reform plans emerging from the House, Senate and White House share one key feature: An individual mandate that would require all Americans to purchase health insurance, in some instances with government help. Those who choose not to be covered would pay a penalty fee. Two analysts debate whether an individual mandate is necessary and whether the requirement amounts to a new tax.