6 Steps to Reform Health Care Now: Kennedy

Plan charges employers who don't insure, has gov't option

(NEWSER) - Senate Democrats outlined a revised health care bill last night that lops $400 billion off the price tag of an earlier trillion-dollar proposal. The plan trims costs, the AP reports, by including a government-run insurance option to compete with private insurers and charging employers $750 annually for each employee not offered insurance through his job. The proceeds would be used to subsidize those who can't afford coverage. More»

Sen. offers 5 key elements of coming legislation

(NEWSER) - The US health-care system that “shortchanges millions of Americans” is “about to change,” writes Ted Kennedy in the Boston Globe. The senator lays out five key elements of legislation he’s working on with “colleagues on both sides of the aisle”:

1. Americans will have “better choices for health insurance” as legislation creates contact “gateways” that will help people decide what coverage is best, including current plans or “new, more affordable options.”

Kennedy leads meetings with industry

(NEWSER) - A series of unprecedented back-room meetings among the biggest players in health care is close to a consensus: Any new legislation will require that every American have insurance, the New York Times reports. The next part, of course, is trickier: figuring out how to enforce it, how to make it affordable, and whether to put the onus on employers. One idea floated: a tax penalty on individuals who choose to go without even if they can afford it. More»

Obama nominee pledges bipartisan effort despite controversial plan

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama’s pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services promised today a bipartisan effort to reform health care, the New York Times reports. “When it comes to health care, we really are in it together,” Tom Daschle said during Senate confirmation hearings, where chairman Ted Kennedy praised the former South Dakota Democratic senator as “just the person for the job.” More»

Coverage will extend to small fraction of state's 600K uninsured

(NEWSER) - Oregonians are flocking to sign up for a state-sponsored lottery with a high-stakes prize: health insurance. The state will begin drawing names this week to award health insurance plans to uninsured residents, the AP reports. More than 83,000 have signed up since January to have a shot at about 3,000 openings. More»