A draft of a draft of a draft…

Check out Ezra Klein’s article in the Washington Post about the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s (HELP, headed by Ted Kennedy) draft of a draft of the legislation they are hoping to put forward starting in the next couple weeks. Looks like Kennedy is going to try to push hard for the public side of the debate.

Sonia Sotomayor and abortion

Emily Douglas wrote an interesting piece for the RH Reality Check blog yesterday. She outlines the unknown that is Sotomayor’s position on abortion. Sotomayor has never ruled explicitly on abortion in a court, or come out publicly on one side or the other. She is expected to be asked about Roe v. Wade during senate hearings.

More talk about this issue:

Charlie Savage’s article in the New York Times: here

And a response, by Julie Hollar from RH Reality Check: here

The Daily Women’s Health Policy Report offers up this report based on attempts by the White House to calm the waters around Sotomayor and abortion.

Also, a National Public Radio piece here with our very own Chuck Schumer.

What do you think?

The problems with ratings

Philip Diamond outlines the social justice and economic issues with gender ratings in the health insurance market.

“A report released in September 2008 by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) found that women in California under 55 years old paid up to 39% more than men for the same health coverage…gender rating hurts women.”

Health Care for America Now Lobby Day!

Check it out! Find out more and join the effort.

Children and health reform

The Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation published a report (with huge pictures of really cute kids) about the 9 million children without health insurance in this country. They make the case for affordable, accessible, comprehensive, and continuous coverage for children and their families.

An excerpt from the summary by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:

“Based on the research and the experience gained over decades of efforts to cover children, this report provides a blueprint of what children and families need from health reform, including an overview of where the remaining gaps are for children’s coverage and recommendations on the key challenges that must be addressed in order to complete the puzzle.”

Obama says it: now or never

USA Today posted a short story about President Barack Obama’s plea to congress and constituents for support of a health care overhaul. The President stated that “If we don’t get it done this year, we’re not going to get it done”.