ObamaCare Opposition Drops

Andrew Sullivan: Catholic health care compromise 'a trap'

(NEWSER) - Lefties and righties alike ripped President Obama for allowing his new health care rule to affect Catholic organizations. But his compromise is drawing ardent conservatives into a culture war they're bound to lose, argues Andrew Sullivan in The Daily Beast : "If this was a trap, the religious right walked right into it." Some conservative Catholics and Republicans are rejecting Obama's compromise, which shifts coverage for contraception, sterilization, and morning-after pills to insurance companies. But are these critics in sync with Catholics—and America? More»

More than half say he relates to average Americans

(NEWSER) - No-Drama Obama may be lying low these days, but most Americans say he relates to their problems best. A new Pew Research/Washington Post poll of 1,006 adults gives President Obama good marks on the empathy scale, Politico reports:

• 55% say he relates to the needs of average people fairly or very well. Not bad, next to 39% for Mitt Romney and 36% for Newt Gingrich.

Fraud-fighters finding it hard to stay ahead of shell companies

(NEWSER) - Fraudsters using complicated networks of ghost companies are sucking hundreds of millions of dollars out of Medicare every year and it's a bit like taking candy from a baby, a Reuters investigation finds. The probe—which officials say will likely lead to a criminal investigation of the firms involved—found that the "companies" of many Medicare providers are registered to nonexistent addresses, or the addresses of abandoned buildings. The thieves use stolen doctor and patient data to bill Medicare for as much money as possible in a short time. More»

GOP didn't try to 'end Medicare,' says site; left-leaning bloggers disagree

(NEWSER) - The biggest lie coming out of Washington this year was Democrats' assertion that "Republicans voted to end Medicare," PolitiFact says. Paul Ryan's proposal wouldn't have changed anything for people already 55 and older, and it would only have altered—not ended—Medicare for others, says the non-partisan fact-checking website. It points to "nine separate fact-checks" invalidating the Democrats' claim. Simply replacing "end Medicare" with "privatize Medicare" would have been a big improvement, the site suggests. More»

Proposal would let them determine 'essential benefits'

(NEWSER) - In a potentially big shift, the White House is poised to give states much more flexibility on how to implement a key part of health care reform. Under a proposal outlined by health chief Kathleen Sebelius, the federal government would largely let states determine what "essential health benefits" would be offered to residents and businesses come 2014. The New York Times calls it a "major surprise," and NPR says it "may or may not be a punt." More»