Health Care Problem? Check the American Psyche
Opinion by Anna Bernasek, NY Times, 12/31/06
The economic arguments for an American health care system are surprisingly strong, yet most Americans don't believe the promises can be delivered. "But that raises questions about how well Americans understand the system they have, and what the alternatives are," writes the author. Bernasek believes that eventually Americans will understand their own self-interest in single-payer health care reform..... See Article

CA: HEALTH CARE: LOOKING FOR ANSWERS
Governor's Task: Deft Political Negotiations for Universal Care
SF Chronicle, 12/31/06
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's ambitious goal of bringing universal health care to California without raising taxes has drawn much skepticism from health care experts and political observers. Deft negotiating skills will be needed to pull it off..... See Article

CT: Flaws Seen In Health Plan: Rell Lauded For Effort, But Some Question Co-Pays, Coverage
The Hartford Courant, 12/29/06
Despite asserted errors in her economic projections, health care advocates see Gov. Rell’s proposal as a positive sign that the heat is high enough that political leaders feel compelled to respond..... See Article

CT: We Can Insure Everyone Without Breaking the State Bank
OpEd by Gov. M. Jodi Rell in The Hartford Courant, 12/29/06
The Connecticut governor says the state can insure everyone without incurring an enormous budget deficit like Massachusetts and without a tax hike. She proposes how to do it..... See Article

NJ: Health Care Report Cites Dire Need for Reforms
NorthJersey.com, 12/17/06
A report titled, "2006 New Jersey Health Care Almanac," commissioned by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state's largest insurer, Horizon and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation describes a health care system characterized by inefficient and inequitable distribution of health resources throughout the state..... See Article

MI: Three-part Agenda Needed for Recovery: Health Care Costs, Diverse Economy, Worker Training Should be Priorities
Detroit News, 12/15/06
Michigan AFL-CIO president Mark Gaffney writes,“The federal government will not take up universal health care, therefore the state must..... See Article

Health Plan Aims to Cut Costs, Insure All
LA Times, 12/14/06
The plan by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon came a month after the health insurance industry offered its comprehensive proposal as politicians and the business community show new willingness to tackle a subject that has been off-limits since the mid-1990s collapse of President Clinton's sweeping healthcare reform package..... See Article

MN: Health Care Panel Studying Utah Model: State has Cut Costs of Medical Billing
Pioneer Press, 12/14/06
Utah’s health insurance costs have remained flat for over a decade. Part of the explanation is the state’s system to merge insurance billing codes of various insurers into a common system of medical billing. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is in Utah studying how Utah’s experience may apply to his own state..... See Article

Wyden: I've Got a Plan for Universal Health Care Coverage
AP, 12/13/06
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden has new universal health care legislation called “The Healthy Americans Act” that would cover all Americans with portable health care and include an individual mandate component..... See Article

WI: Health Care is Focus for Faith Groups
Capital Times, 12/13/06
Faith groups across Wisconcin are focusing on universal health care as a focus for action over the coming year. One of these is the Madison-Area Urban Ministry, an interfaith social justice group supported by 98 local faith organizations that include Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Unitarian, Baha'i and other traditions. The Wisconsin Council of Churches is launching a statewide education effort next year on universal health care, including training for members of congregations in leading study groups..... See Article

ME: Dirigo Panel Backs Maine 'Sin Tax’
New Brunswick Times Record, 12/12/06
A special commission examining alternative ways to raise funding for the Maine’s Dirigo Health Plan is preparing recommendations regarding taxes on commodities such as tobacco and junk food as a substitute for at least a portion of the current “savings offset payment” that currently funds Dirigo Health by recouping savings generated by the program.... See Article

PA: Rendell to Push Health Coverage: He Plans a Major Initiative to Insure More People and to Make Care More Efficient
Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/12/06
Gov. Rendell next month will unveil a plan to greatly expand health-care coverage for the uninsured while attempting to rein in spiraling health-care costs, a move he said was sure to produce ‘widespread squawking.’.... See Article

NJ: Health Insurance for All Is Considered in New Jersey
NYTimes, 12/11/06
A group of New Jersey legislators is preparing a plan to provide health insurance coverage to all state residents, including 1.2 million who are uninsured. The legislative group has been studying the experience of Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont with the goal of introducing a bill in March 2007...... See Article

NJ: State Seeks Overhaul of Health Care: Reforms Would Mandate Medical Insurance for All
Star Leger, 12/10/06
The state legislature is preparing a universal health coverage bill featuring a Massachusetts-style individual mandate. Governor Corzine indicates that health care reform is the next issue he wishes to take on “right after property taxes.”..... See Article

OR: Senate Panel Okays Draft of Universal Health Care Plan
AP Wire, 12/10/06
A Senate commission approved tentative plans for a universal health care plan for Oregon that it will ask the 2007 Legislature to approve..... See Article

NM: Health Plan a Better Choice
Opinion in the Albuquerque Journal, 12/10/06
The Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign, which developed this plan [for health insurance coverage for all New Mexican citizens], continues to grow: it now consists of 126 diverse organizations, representing thousands of New Mexicans. In addition, hundreds more individuals, business owners and physicians support the Campaign...... See Article

IL: A New Plan to Insure All: Proposal Would Require Illinoisans to Get Health Coverage
Chicago Tribune, 12/9/06
A state task force created by Illinois’ Health Care Justice Act has reached agreement on a groundbreaking proposal that calls for a series of complicated reforms estimated to cost from $3 billion to $5 billion that would expand public medical programs, overhaul private insurance, and guarantee the availability of medical coverage to all Illinois residents – including 1.5 million who are currently uninsured..... See Article

IL: Panel Pushes $3 Billion Health Care Plan to Lawmakers
State Journal-Register, 12/08/06
The state’s Adequate Health Care Task Force task force adopted final recommendations on how to provide medical coverage to all uninsured Illinoisans, but political hurdles lie ahead before a plan can be enacted into law. House Speaker Madigan stated that he views expansion of health coverage as essentially a “budgetary issue.” Governor Blagojevich, who is committed in principle to achieving affordable coverage for all Illinoisans, is crafting his own proposal..... See Article

CA: New Head of Senate Health Eyes Key Elements of 2007 Health Care Package
Capitol Weekly, 12/7/06
Sen. Sheila Kuehl, who authored the universal-health-care bill that Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed last year, is the new chairwoman of the Senate Health Committee... In this interview, Sen. Kuehl explains her legislative agenda for 2007 and why the challenge "... is not to undo what we already have, or allow the administration to succeed in getting through any sham reforms"..... See Article

CT: Survey: More Aren't Insured: Number In State Up 26,000 Amid Calls For Reform
Hartford Courant, 12/5/06
Amid growing calls for universal health care, …[the state Office of Health Care Access] released a survey Monday that says nearly 223,000 Connecticut residents did not have health insurance when surveyed this past summer - 26,000 more than in 2004..... See Article

CT: Activists Gear Up To Pass Universal Health
Health Care Online Journalism Project, 12/5/06
State universal health care organizers have focused for the past year on building support groups among clergy, small business, unions and black and Latino organizations with a goal toward passing legislation in the 2007 session..... See Article

WI: Health Costs a Key Issue for Farmers: Group Strives to Combat Soaring Prices, Inadequate Coverage
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12/3/06
The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, the largest farm organization in the state, launched a push for health care reform in 2007, identifying the absence of affordable health coverage as state farmers’ number one concern. In a recent survey, the Federation found that 14% of Wisconsin farmers had no health insurance and that 17% of state farmers had only catastrophic coverage..... See Article

AL: Health Care Costs Outpace Income
Birmingham News, 12/3/06
From 2000 to 2006, the annual median earning of an Alabama worker increased by $2,831, or 13.1 percent, according to the consumer organization Families USA, which advocates for affordable health care. During that same period, health insurance premiums for families rose $5,054, or 80.7 percent. That's a net loss of $2,223..... See Article

CA: Can S.F.'s Health Plan Deliver? Even Advocates Wonder if There's Enough Money and Question Some of Its Features.
San Francisco Chronicle, 12/3/06
Some proponents of San Francisco’s plan to provide comprehensive coverage to all of the City’s uninsured population are asking whether the plan address health cost containment sufficiently to keep it financially viable...... See Article

LA: Panel Debates Health Care: Case Argued for Dumping State Hospitals
Baton Rouge Advocate, 11/30/06
A panel discussion on health-care reform in Louisiana became something of a debate on the merits of continuing the charity hospital system run by the LSU Health Sciences Division, complete with charges that the competing causes of replacing or rebuilding the system may have more to do with politics than medicine..... See Article

Dr. Ken Thorpe Joins America’s Agenda Team
America’s Agenda Press Release, 11/27/06
America’s Agenda, founded in 2004 to support state-by-state universal health care campaigns, announced today that Ken Thorpe, PhD, one of the nation’s leading health care economists and policy analysts, will join the America’s Agenda team..... See Article

IL: Blagojevich Promised, Now He Has to Deliver
Belleville News Democrat, 11/19/06
The Blagojevich camp has explained that doesn't mean a single government-run health system that gives out free care. It likely means expanding health care programs first created for the poor so that more people can join by paying premiums that will offset the cost..... See Article

Voters Reward State Leaders Who Stand Up for Universal Health Care Reform
America’s Agenda News Brief, 11/17/06
After the setbacks suffered by presidents Harry Truman through Bill Clinton following their foiled efforts to enact national health care legislation, the conventional wisdom arose that health care reform was a “third rail” of American politics. The 2006 midterm election demonstrates that’s not necessarily true, anymore..... See Article

MA: Health Plan Czar: State Cuts Could Imperil Success
Boston Globe, 11/16/06
Budget cuts already imperiling Massachusetts 2006 health care reform: Healthcare reform chief Jon Kingsdale said spending cuts enacted last week by Governor Mitt Romney eliminated funding needed to educate the public and businesses about the landmark law, potentially jeopardizing its success.... See Article

Health Care Hopes Grow: Universal Coverage Gains Momentum As Forces Shift
Hartford Courant, 11/16/06
The Democratic Party’s capture of congressional majorities and an insurance industry trade group AHIP’s release of a plan to achieve universal coverage are viewed by some as promising signs that the goal of health coverage for all Americans is nearing realization.... See Article

CA: Restaurant Group Sues Over Health Plan
NY Times, 11/14/06
A culinary trade group with more than 800 members in San Francisco, has filed a lawsuit against the city to block implementation of an ordinance approved earlier this year that requires businesses with 20 or more employees to contribute to the cost of workers' health care.... See Article

Health Insurance Industry Urges Expansion of Coverage
NY Times, 11/13/06
The health insurance industry proposed an expansion of Medicaid and new tax breaks on Monday with the goal of guaranteeing coverage for all children in three years and for virtually all adults within 10 years.... See Article

Insurers' Plan Aims to Cover Uninsured
Washington Post, 11/13/06
Health insurance companies [represented by AHIP] proposed a $300 billion plan Monday aimed at getting coverage for all uninsured children in three years and for most adults within 10 years.... See Article

VT: Voters Say Health Care Costs One of Big Worries
Rutland Herald, 11/12/06
Statewide exit polls mirrored national anger over President Bush's war policies. But a survey of 100 Vermont voters in seven major cities and towns revealed a large number of locals also have continued concerns about high medical bills, even after the Legislature adopted a law last spring to help the uninsured.... See Article

CA: Restaurant Lobby Fights Health Plan
San Francisco Chronicle, 11/10/06
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association is challenging San Francisco's plan to provide health coverage to the city's uninsured residents, saying federal law prohibits local governments from requiring employers to pay for health insurance.... See Article

Healthcare Crisis Countdown
Christian Science Monitor, 11/6/06
Polls find at least 60 percent of Americans want public financing of the $2 trillion healthcare system... Yet chances are slim that Americans will go for a far less expensive "single payer" health system, as in Canada, Britain, or Australia, anytime soon... Many Americans are cynical about government, distrusting its ability to provide a competent healthcare system. They prefer a market-based system with a high degree of individual choice.... See Article

N.Y. Hopefuls Talk Universal Health Care: Democratic Candidates Including Spitzer Emboldened to Speak Out in Favour
Globe and Mail, 11/3/06
... with the Democrats on the brink of huge gains in Tuesday's midterm elections, several candidates in New York State have felt sufficiently emboldened to speak in favour of a policy that still haunts their party's past..... See Article

LA: Cost Estimate for N.O.-area Health Plan Balloons: State Forecast Inflates 43% in One Month
The New Orleans Times-Picaune, 11/3/06
The [new] numbers were unveiled to a [state] legislative committee... The redesign plan aims to cover at least 80 percent of the estimated 127,000 people in the New Orleans area who lack insurance, and also would expand Medicaid coverage statewide to children, pregnant women, the disabled and people with serious mental illness..... See Article

OR: Plan Would Make Oregon First State with Universal Health Care
Statesman Journal, 11/1/06
A Senate commission has approved, in principle, a bill that would make Oregon the first state to provide universal health care with a system to contain costs..... See Article

CA: Universal Health Care '07 Priority for Schwarzenegger
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 10/30/06
With his re-election apparently all but certain, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is turning his attention to what he says will be the major focus of the start of his second term: health care... with advisors drawn from conservative Republican ranks as well as veteran Democratic advisors, there is considerable debate about what approach Schwarzenegger may take..... See Article

OR: Plan Maps Universal Health Care:
Legislature - A state commission will write a bill based on public and private money for the next session
The Sunday Oregonian, 10/28/06
A Senate commission has approved, in principle, an overhaul of Oregon's health care system. The commission will draft a bill in the next few weeks for the 2007 Legislature.... See Article

LA: N.O.’s Health Care Costs Could Triple: Universal Proposal Costly
WBRZ News 2, 10/27/06
Federal HHS Secretary has offered federal assistance to bring universal health insurance in greater New Orleans and an end to the state’s two-tiered health-care system which relies on the charity hospitals for uninsured care. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco has proposed a “concept plan” to achieve this goal, but LSU officials are concerned about the effects the overhaul of the New Orleans’ health care system could have on LSU charity hospitals..... See Article

VT: Bring Them On
Rutland Herald editorial, 10/27/06
Making Vermont a good place to live is a way to keep people here and also to attract new workers… A health care system [like Catamount Health] that is predictable, rational and cost-efficient might well draw lots of people looking for a good place to start businesses, raise families and enjoy life..... See Article

CA: CAMPAIGN 2006: Governor’s Race.
San Francisco Chronicle, 10/26/06

Health care a key issue for voters -- but candidates not talking it up...
See Article

America’s Health Insurance Plans to Announce Proposal to Provide Health Care Coverage to All Uninsured Residents
Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 10/26/06
America’s Health Insurance Plans on Wednesday said it will announce a plan next month to provide health care coverage to all uninsured U.S. residents, CQ Today reports..... See Article

Hospitals Try Free Basic Care for Uninsured
New York Times, 10/25/06
Reaching out to uninsured patients, especially those with chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure or asthma, is a recent tactic of ‘a handful of visionary hospital systems around the country,’ said Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, a foundation in New York that concentrates on health care. These institutions are searching for ways to fend off disease and large debts by bringing uninsured visitors into continuing basic care..... See Article

LA: Health Care Reform Doomed
Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, 10/25/06
If Louisiana moves away from its charity hospital-based system and toward a government-subsidized insurance plan, [HHS Secretary] Leavitt says he would make more money available to get the state through the transition [to a universal health insurance system for New Orleans]. How much he will spring for and what strings he would place on the money will determine how much long-awaited health care reform will become reality.... See Article

LA: Louisiana Gov. Blanco Says New Day In Health Care
Text of Gov. Blanco’s remarks to the Louisiana Health Care Redesign Collaborative, 10/20/06
"We´re going to start right here, right now, in New Orleans. Today I´m leading our state down a clear path towards universal health insurance coverage. Our goal must be universal access for all of Louisiana.”... See Article

Health Care Just like Your Congressman’s
ABC News, 10/19/06
Roughly 8 million federal employees and their families, from postal workers to the president, are covered by insurance that is flexible, affordable and transportable from government job to government job.
The plan is so good that some, including [Maine Congressman Tom] Allen, believe it should be expanded. ‘We can make the federal system a model for how we deal with the small-business community,’ Allen said.... See Article

LA: Universal Coverage Worth a Try, Blanco Says
Advocate Capitol News Bureau, 10/18/06
The state is willing to experiment with universal health insurance as it moves to rebuild a health-care system for the poor and uninsured 'wiped out' by Hurricane Katrina, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said..... See Article

Consumer Unease with U.S. Health Care Grows
USA Today, 10/16/06
…poll found a growing unease in America about the rising cost of health care, confusion about the causes, and a desire for major reform. But it also found a distaste for giving anything up to achieve sweeping changes. An overwhelming 80% of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the total tab the nation spends on health care.... See Article

ABC News/USA TODAY/Kaiser Family Foundation health care poll .... Available Online

Universal Care Appeals to USA Grows
USA Today, 10/16/06
Fifty-six percent of adults said they would prefer a universal health care system to the current US health care system .... See Article

CA: Governor and Rival both Oppose Bill for Universal Health: Despite Candidates' Stance, Issue is Key for Many Voters
San Fracisco Chronicle, 8/30/06
Neither of the two major party candidates for California governor supports a single-payer universal health care bill, SB 840, pending in the State Legislature. Each candidate has a different rationale for his opposition.... See Article

CA: Assembly Approves Universal Health Care: Passage of Bill Seen as Election-year Test for Schwarzenegger
San Francisco Chronicle, 8/29/06
The Democratic-controlled Legislature is on the verge of sending Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a bill that would create a state-run universal health care system, testing him on an issue that voters rate as one of their top concerns in this election year.... See Article

California Assembly Passes Bill to Provide Universal Health Care
San Jose Mercury News, 8/28/06
The Assembly narrowly approved a bill Monday that would provide health insurance to all residents, a move that would make California the only state to offer government-operated universal health care... The bill must be approved by the state Senate before it heads to the governor's desk... where it is expected Gov. Schwarzeneggger will veto it..... See Article

Obesity, Chronic Disease Drive Medicare Costs Up
USA Today, 8/22/06
"What this study tells us is that we need to aggressively put in place interventions to deal with obesity and chronic disease prevalence among the elderly to control spending," said Thorpe, chairman of the Department of Health Policy Management at Emory Universit [and an America's Agenda strategic partner]. In 1987, 11.7% of the Medicare population was considered obese. That number grew to 22.5% of Medicare enrollees by 2002...In the past, most efforts to slow Medicare spending growth focused on cutting payments to hospitals, physicians and other health care providers...These new research findings suggest policymakers should direct their attention toward programs that encourage healthier lifestyles among seniors and those nearing retirement..... See Article

VT: A Step Forward on Health Care
Commentary in Rutland Herald, 8/17/06
Virtually overnight, Vermont became a national leader on health care reform when it created the Catamount Health Plan to provide affordable, comprehensive health care to the uninsured, to individuals with catastrophic coverage only, and to Vermonters who unexpectedly lose their insurance.... See Article

Survey: Most Want Health Care Overhaul
CBS News, 8/17/06
Half of middle- and lower-income Americans have serious problems paying their medical bills, and more than three-fourths say the system is in need of a major overhaul.... See Article

CA: Salinas Throws Support Behind Universal Health Care
Monterey County Herald, 8/17/06
The Salinas City Council voted 6-0 this week to support the California Health Insurance Reliability Act, a state Senate bill to provide universal health care for California residents. The Act, proposed by Sheila James Kuehl, D-Los Angeles, would invest federal, state and local money already spent on health care, along with low premium rates by employees and employers, into a state fund overseen by an elected commissioner.... See Article

MN: Hatch Hopeful for Health Care Reform
The Minnesota Daily, 8/16/06
Attorney General Mike Hatch, the DFL-endorsed gubernatorial candidate, explained why he thinks universal health care in Minnesota is possible and how he would achieve it if he were elected..... See Article

Companies Explore Overseas Healthcare: To Cut Its Insurance Costs, a US Papermaker Plans to Let Workers Seek Medical Care Abroad in 2007
Christian Science Monitor, 8/16/06
With US health insurance costs soaring, cash-squeezed companies… and poor states such as West Virginia are considering affordable plans that may require their employees to travel to India, Thailand, or Indonesia.... See Article

CA: San Francisco's Universal Health Care Program Becomes Law
KCBS, 8/7/06
Mayor Gavin Newsom, in signing the legislation said, “We've obviously, I think, changed the dialog in the state.".... See Article

NJ: Corzine Wants Near ‘Universal' Health Care
The Press of Atlantic City, 8/4/06
“We're certainly going to work on providing something that approaches universal health care,” the governor said. He described the state's current system, in which uninsured residents rely on costly emergency-room care, as “a horrible system, very inefficient.”.... See Article

N.J. Moving Toward Universal Health Care?
Courier Post, 8/4/06
Gov. Corzine announced New Jersey will consider adopting a program that "approaches universal health care.”.... See Article

Health Care for All?
Catholic Online, 8/2/06
The church teaches that health care is a respect-life issue. In his 1963 encyclical Pacem in Terris, Pope John XXIII called health care a basic human rights that stems directly from the right to life itself.... See Article

Universal Health Care Within Reach
Sen. Russ Feingold article in Tom Paine.Common Sense, 8/2/06
Senator Feingold’s bill would authorize funding to launch pilot programs in a few states that would help those states reach full coverage..... See Article

Kerry Proposal Calls for Insurance for All by 2012: He Chides Democrats and Republicans for Not Doing Enough
Boston Globe, 8/1/06
Senator John F. Kerry yesterday proposed a federal requirement that all Americans have health insurance by 2012, and scolded Republicans -- and his fellow Democrats -- for not taking bold stands to guarantee universal access to healthcare.... See Article

NM: State Panel to Study Universal Health Care
Santa Fe New Mexican, 7/21/06
Earlier this year, the governor [Bill Richardson] vetoed a bill that would have funded a study of universal health care. But Thursday the governor said a study, paid for by a combination of state and federal money, will indeed happen soon. A 21-member task force has been charged with hiring a national consultant, reviewing health-coverage models and filing a report in time to prepare a bill for the 2008 legislative session..... See Article

NM: Governor Richardson Takes Action to Close Uninsured Gap in New Mexico
News Release from NM Governor Bill Richardson, 7/20/06
"Today we are making another huge step forward," said Governor Richardson. "These are immediate steps and longer term solutions to cover the nearly 400,000 New Mexicans who currently do not have health insurance. Uninsured New Mexicans are at tremendous risk and the effect of uncompensated care on our health care system is profound. We can't wait for the federal government to solve this issue, we have to act now." .... See Article

MA: Health Care Plan Assigned To Constitutional Convention Committee
State House News, 7/12/06
The Legislature dealt a huge blow today to thousands of citizen activists pushing for a constitutional amendment that would make access to affordable health insurance a right by rerouting the petition to a “study” committee. The legislators’ action effectively blocks the amendment from appearing on the ballot this November..... See Article

CA: Newsom and Ammiano Unite on San Francisco Universal Health Care
SF Sentinel, 7/12/06
The two chief architects of workable universal health care, SF Supervisor Tom Ammiano and Mayor Gavin Newsom, reached an agreement yesterday that will make the unique San Francisco program launch a certainty next July.... See Article

MA: Poll Shows Support for Healthcare Amendment
Backers Renew their Push Ahead of Convention
Boston Globe, 7/11/06
...a new poll shows overwhelming support for the measure in advance of tomorrow's constitutional convention. Seventy six percent of surveyed Massachusetts voters said they supported an amendment to the state constitution that would ensure every resident had access to affordable, comprehensive, equitably funded health coverage...... See Article

States Doing It Themselves, Covering Uninsured: Lack of Federal Action has More Working to Reform Health Care
Dallas Morning News, 7/9/06
The Vermont experience reflects a growing national trend, said health care analyst Laura Tobler of the National Conference of State Legislatures: "States are moving ahead with reform because there is no momentum at the national level."..... See Article

MA: Health Promise
MetroWest Daily News editorial, 7/9/06
The Massachusetts health care reform law passed this spring represented an historic commitment to achieving universal health care, but it wasn’t the first time the state has made such a commitment. An earlier commitment made when Michael Dukakis was governor in 1988 was undermined under his successor. “One way to make sure the state keeps its promise this time is to add the Health Care Amendment to the state constitution"..... See Article

MA: Make Health Care Part of Constitution
OpEd: The Standard Times, 7/7/06
On Wednesday, the Legislature will have the opportunity to make a permanent commitment to the core principles honored in this year's reform by voting to put the health care amendment before the voters in November.... See Article

CA: San Francisco May Get Universal Health Care
USA Today, 7/7/06
This is a case of filling a vacuum at the federal level," says Stephen Shortell, dean of the school of public health at the University of California-Berkeley. "We haven't bitten that bullet yet. So we're going to see more innovation in states and municipalities.... See Article

CA: Newsom Begins Universal Health Care Access without Ammiano Funding Legislation: Frustrated Supervisors Urge Merger of Ammiano and Newsom Plans into Single Legislation
San Francisco Sentinel, 7/6/06
[Mayor] Newsom supports required employer contributions, come to be known as 'the mandate.' Newsom has not signed on to specific employer requirements of Ammiano's Worker Healthcare Security Act (WHSA)…'I believe from a health policy point of view that the Health Access Plan cannot successfully go forward without the legislation that Supervisor Ammiano is carrying, as well,’ Dr. Mitch Katz told a committee of the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.... See Article

CA: Health Proposal May Pay Off Big: Newsom's Career Would Get a Shot in the Arm if He Prevails
San Francisco Chronicle, 7/2/06
Adoption of one of either Mayor Newsome or City Supervisor Amiano’s version of a San Francisco universal health care program, industry experts say, has the potential to become a model across the country. It also carries a big political payoff for Newsom, an ambitious Democrat who is expected to run for governor or Senate someday.... See Article

Mass. Proposes Exemptions to Healthcare Law: Critics Say Measure Won't Make Firms Pay Fair Share
Boston Globe, 7/1/06
Yesterday, the Romney Administration proposed to exempt businesses from the $295-per-employee annual fee required by the state health care reform law enacted this spring if 25 percent of their workers sign up for a company's insurance plan or the company pays one-third of the premiums for an individual's coverage.... See Article

Universal Health Coverage as Used in France, Belgium can Work Here
Opinion: New America Foundation Director Stephen Hill in San Jose Mercury News, 6/30/06
Many proponents, as well as opponents, of health care reform equate universal coverage with a Canadian-style, government-run, single-payer system. But a survey of successful health care systems around the world shows this is an incorrect assumption.... See Article

MA: Expanded Health Care Law Kicks In
Boston Herald, 6/30/06
As many as 40,000 children who either lack health insurance or receive just basic coverage will become eligible for subsidized insurance tomorrow [July 31], when Massachusetts implements the first changes under its universal health insurance law … Another 600,000 adults who already receive MassHealth, the state Medicaid plan, will have their benefits expanded tomorrow to include dental care, chiropractic services, orthotic shoes and eyeglasses.... See Article

CA: San Mateo County Weighs Health Care for Uninsured: Study Will Examine Proposal's Structural, Financial Aspects
Oakland Tribune, 6/30/06
San Mateo County will explore universal health care for its 80,000 uninsured residents, joining similar efforts under way in San Francisco and Oakland.... See Article

IL: Gov's All Kids Insurance Program Debuts Saturday
Chicago Sun-Times, 6/30/06
Illinois is the first state in the nation to promise health insurance coverage for all children. Officials hope All Kids will reach about 250,000 kids who now go without and expect about 50,000 to sign up in the first year…Health-care providers and community groups say people largely have embraced All Kids, and they've worked hard to reach people through statewide tours, community meetings at shopping malls and YMCAs and other outreach efforts.... See Article

CA: Referendum Could Deny Health Care for Uninsured San Franciscans
Beyond Chron (online alternative daily), 6/29/06
Will the Mayor ultimately support the Ammiano-Burton plan, or force the Board [SF Board of Supervisors] to override his veto? The Mayor’s stance could decide whether San Francisco’s dream for achieving universal health care will be subject to a Committee on Jobs-funded referendum on the November 2007 ballot... The universal health care debate goes to the heart of Gavin Newsom’s political identity.... See Article

CT: DeStefano Slams Wal-Mart
Hartford Courant, 6/26/06
Contenders for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination have both presented plans for universal health care in the state. What differs is the mechanism for financing. DeStefano would close corporate tax loopholes, while Malloy would increase the cigarette tax.... See Article

CA: Dellums Considering Health Care Options
SF Chronicle, 6/26/06
The newly-elected Oakland mayor evaluates options for providing universal health care, acknowledging that the resources and scope of the problem in Oakland are quite different from across the Bay in San Francisco, where leaders are finalizing plans for city-wide universal health care..... See Article

CA: Tensions Run High as Negotiations on Universal Health Care Access Funding Continue
SF Sentinel, 6/26/06
According to SF Supervisor Tom Ammiano, author of the city’s universal health care bill that has already won a veto-proof majority on the SF Board of Supervisors, negotiations with business owners on mandated health care coverage for part-time workers will continue through July. Despite the strong Board backing for the bill, Ammiano wants to win the broadest possible backing among stakeholders in order to minimize tension later in the process..... See Article

States Make Own Plans for Health Insurance: Without Federal Guidance, Legislatures Try Different Fixes for a National Problem
LA Times, 6/26/06
States like Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine are moving ahead to adopt universal health care reform plans because there is no momentum at the national level. Their legislative initiatives are the front line of a national trend among the states..... See Article

CA: San Francisco's Latest Innovation: Universal Health Care
Time, 6/23/06
With an ambitious new plan, the city hopes to provide a nationwide model that grants health access to all..... See Article

CA: San Francisco's Mayor Institutes a Universal Health Care Program
NY Sun, 6/23/06
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said, "This city is going to be the first city in America with universal health access.... I look forward to being an envy of the rest of the nation".... See Article

MA: Mandatory Health Coverage Bill Likely to Pass, Official
MetroWest Daily News, 6/22/06
Barbara Roop, Co-chair of the campaign to adopt a universal health care amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution is confident that, if a Constitutional Convention vote is held as scheduled on July 12, the amendment will be approved and go to a November public referendum ballot.... See Article

CA: S.F. Unveils Universal Health Care Plan: All Adult City Residents Eligible
Monterey Herald, 6/21/06
City officials unveiled a plan Tuesday to make San Francisco the first in the nation to provide health care to all its residents through contributions from the municipal government and private employers.... See Article

CA: SF Mayor Announces Universal Health Care Plan For City's Residents
KTVU, 6/21/06
Tuesday morning, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced a plan to provide healthcare for the city's estimated 82,000 uninsured residents.... See Article

FL: Lack of Insurance a 'Crisis': Construction Trades have Highest Uninsured Numbers, Study Says
Tallahassee Democrat, 6/14/06
About 42 percent of the workers in Florida's construction industry do not have health insurance, the highest percentage of any employment sector in the state.... See Article

HEALTH-CARE COSTS...AMA: Buy Insurance or Face Tax Penalty
Chicago Tribune, 6/14/06
The American Medical Association’s governing House of Delegates has voted to back a tax penalty for individuals and families who make enough to buy medical coverage but choose not to. This vote comes on the heels of a new Massachusetts law that mandates individuals to purchase coverage and comes as state and federal lawmakers are weighing similar legislation in statehouses across the country. In the past, the Republican-leaning AMA has shied away from government mandates as a way to provide health insurance coverage for more Americans.... See Article

VT: Keep a Close Eye on Health Care Reform
Burlington Free Press, 6/13/06
As hard as it was to get health care reform passed into law, the truly difficult job of ensuring the plan works at a price tag Vermonters can afford only now gets under way.... See Article

MA: Health Law Uncertainties
Boston Globe editorial, 6/10/06
Members of the Massachusetts public and members of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector, the public authority that will devise the new insurance regulations to implement the state’s health care reform law, seem to have one thing in common: no one knows how the new law will effect them.... See Article

UAW Chief: Problems More Serious Than Ever
CNN, 6/12/06
Gettelfinger called for reform of U.S. health-care policy. The current system imposed an unfair burden on the traditional Big Three auto makers and their aging workforce compared with their Asian and European rivals, he said...Gettelfinger said the burden of rising U.S. health-care costs could not be fixed in negotiations with a single employer.... See Article

UAW Facing Tough Choices, Leader Warns
NY Times, 6/11/06
UAW Pres. Gettelfinger "acknowledged that the union's health care benefits helped create a ballooning health cost crisis that had become 'unsustainable.'" Gettlefinger said, "The kind of challenges we face aren't the kind that can be ridden out. They're structural challenges and they require new and farsighted solutions".... See Article

PA: Health Care Rally Draws Crowd; Demonstrators Seek Universal Health Care
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6/8/06
At a downtown Pittsburgh rally yesterday supporters of universal health care said the nation should extend the kind of coverage offered under Medicare to all U.S. residents. The event, sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare, was affiliated with Healthcare-NOW! .... See Article

Americans Want Universal Health Care, Study Says
WHIO-TV, 6/8/06
Americans want guaranteed health care coverage for everyone, according to the Citizens’ Health Care Working Group, a committee appointed by Congress to look into the issue. The committee was created by US Senators Ron Wyden and Orrin Hatch, who were tired of years of gridlock on the issue.... See Article

CT: In Governor's Race, Duel Over Health Care
Hartford Courant, 6/7/06
The issue of universal health care is emerging as a critical battleground for Democratic gubernatorial rivals Dannel Malloy and John DeStefano with their August primary showdown just two months away.... See Article

IL: Gill Pushes for Universal Health Care
News Gazette, 6/7/06
David Gilla Democrat running for Congress in Illinois’ 12 Congressional District, was in Washington today to support the launch of a congressional caucus promoting the adoption of the United States National Health Insurance Act – a House bill that would implement a taxpayer-supported, privately delivered health care system available to everybody.... See Article

IN: Senate Democrats Seek Universal Health Care Plan
WCPO, 5/31/06
Democrats in the Indiana Senate are proposing a ... plan to provide all Hoosiers health care by 2008....Republican Governor Daniels says health care for the uninsured is a priority and he's willing to work with Democrats.... See Article

IN: Senate Democrats seek universal health care plan
Fort Wayne Times-Sentinel, 5/31/06
Senate Democrats said Wednesday they want all Indiana residents to have health care by 2008, proposing what they called a "skeleton" of a plan to make that a reality.... See Article

Study: Canadians healthier than Americans
USA Today, 5/30/06
Canadians can be added to the list of foreigners who are healthier than Americans, according to Harvard Medical School researchers. Their study, published in the Journal of Public Health, comes less than a month after other researchers found that middle-aged, white Americans are much sicker than their counterparts in England, despite the fact that US per capita health expenditures are nearly twice as high.... See Article

States Take a New Look at Health Reform
Wall Street Journal, 5/27/06
Since the passage of Massachusetts’ health care reform, other states have been emboldened to pass health care reforms of their own. Last week, Vermont passed a far-reaching reform law that will provide access to comprehensive health insurance coverage for all of the state’s uninsured population. Low-income families who are not eligible for Medicaid will receive substantial state subsidies to make health insurance affordable to them.... See Article

VT: Health Care Reform Initiative Becomes Law
Rutland Herald, 5/25/06
Many who crafted Vermont's law believe it goes farther than the headline-grabbing initiative passed in Massachusetts earlier this spring because the law specifies what benefits must be included in the new Catamount Health insurance and mandates that co-payments and deductibles remain low.... See Article

Vermont signs Ambitious Health-Insurance Law

ABC News, 5/25/06
Vermont's governor signed a bill on Thursday that would make the state the second in the nation with near-universal health-care insurance by extending coverage to as much as 96 percent of its residents by 2010.... See Article

Vermont Second State to Move Toward Universal Care
Reuters, 5/25/06
“...supporters of the [Vermont] measures and national observers say that the new law, signed in an auditorium at the state's second-largest hospital, goes much further than the plan enacted earlier this spring in Massachusetts to much fanfare. “‘What this does is develop a state-of-the-art health care delivery model, and no other state has done this,’ said Kenneth Thorpe...‘This is potentially a national model.’"..... See Article

VT: Governor to Sign Health Care Bill Today
Barrie-Montpellier Times Argus, 5/25/06
On the day he is to sign Vermont’s historic health care reform, Republican Governor Jim Douglas attracts criticism from business eaders who say he gave away too much. Among them is the Vermont Chamber of Commerce’s Duane Marsh, who complained that the state’s new Catamount Health offers a health insurance plan to the uninsured which is better than that enjoyed by the vast majority of those on the chamber's insurance program for small businesses..... See Article

ME: Lawmakers Reject Dirigo Reforms
Portland Press Herald, 5/25/06
Maine legislators voted down two bills to reform Dirigo Health. One bill would have given the Dirigo Agency the authority to self-insure. The other would have reduced the amount of Dirigo-generated savings that insurers are required to pay back to the state. Governor Baldacci said he will appoint a commission to study the financing and structure of Dirigo Health and charge it with reporting back by January 2007.... See Article

Army Soldiers Would Rather Risk Lives than Lose Health Insurance: Financial security behind many re-enlistments
Los Angeles Times, 5/24/06
For many military men and women considering return to civilian life, "the danger of losing his family's health insurance was more real and immediate than the danger of dying in combat.".... See Article

MA: Healthcare Reform Isn't a Done Deal ... Until They Say It Is: Employers, Insurers, Caregivers to Fight for Input Into How Plan Will Work
Boston Globe, 5/24/06
Lobbying of health administrators in the executive branch of the Massachusetts government is going on at a frenzied pace. Massachusetts’ health care reform legislation provides for general reforms, but impact of those reforms will depend on detailed rules that have yet to be written by state administrators.... See Article

U.S. Isn't 'Protecting' its Infants
Knight Ridder Tribune, 5/23/06
According to a new report, of the 33 most industrialized countries, the United States had higher infant morality rates (number of babies per thousand to die in the first month after birth) than all but one: Latvia, which is one of the most underdeveloped nations in Europe. This despite cutting age technology available in the US. The reason for this shameful record: lack of good education and lack of insurance coverage.... See Article

Young Adults Lacking Health Insurance
AP business Wire, 5/23/06
Young adults between the ages of 19 and 29 are the largest and fastest growing segment of the U.S. population lacking health insurance, according to a recent report of the Commonwealth Fund.... See Article

Vermont for Health
Boston Globe Editorial, 5/21/06
With the federal government deadlocked, Massachusetts and now Vermont have shown that states possess the imagination and the political ability to create solutions to the problem of the uninsured… The states are the laboratories of democracy, as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said, and the test tubes are bubbling.... See Article

AMERICA'S AGENDA DRIVING FORCE BEHIND VERMONT HEALTH CARE VICTORY
America's Agenda news Release, 5/17/06
Fresh on the heels of a health reform breakthrough in Massachusetts is a historic victory last week in Vermont: Republican Governor Jim Douglas finally relented to public pressure and agreed to sign the Health Care Affordability Act... See Article

High HMO Deductibles Gaining Fans: New Healthcare Law Expected to Broaden Insurance Options
Boston Globe, 5/17/06
Health Insurance Trojan Horse: The Massachusetts 2006 health care reform law makes it easier for health insurers to create high deductible health plans, if they are offered in conjunction with the kind of health savings accounts being promoted by the Bush administration.... See Article

VT: For the Uninsured, Catamount May be the Remedy
Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, 5/14/06
Vermont’s new health care reform law has the possibility of being a real model for the national debate.... See Article

VT: Health care cure at hand?
Burlington Free Press, 5/12/06
The health care reform bill passed by Vermont offers comprehensive coverage at a very low premium to all the uninsured in the state, but those who currently pay the high price of commercial health insurance cannot participate. But for them, the new law launches a series of cost-containment measures expect to reduce the staggering increases in Vermont’s private health insurance premiums.... See Article

MI: Granholm Proposes Health Care Coverage
Detroit News, 5/11/06
Gov. Jennifer Granholm unveiled a universal health care plan for Michigan Thursday designed to cover all 1.1 million state residents who are currently uninsured.... See Article

UFCW Applauds Vermont's Groundbreaking Universal Health Care Bill
Press Release, 5/11/06
The law is the most far-reaching health care reform law enacted by any state in nearly thirty years. And it's a groundbreaking victory for the people of Vermont, who, like many Americans -- including 46 million uninsured -- are worried about the costs, availability, and quality of health care.... See Article

MI: Governor Pushing for Universal Health Care Coverage
WLNS-TV, Channel 6 News, 5/11/06
Governor Jennifer Granholm is giving more details on her universal insurance program, a plan she initially announced earlier this year.... See Article

Hepatitis Risk for East Asians in New York
New York Times, 5/10/06
One person in seven east Asian immigrants in New York City carries the hepatitis B virus, which puts them at far greater risk than other Americans for deadly diseases like liver cancer and cirrhosis. With proper screening and treatment, the disease can be controlled, if not cured. But three-quarters of the east Asian New Yorkers in a new research study had no health insurance, and even those who did had trouble getting coverage for screening.... See Article

MA: Some Still Push for Amendment on Health Care
MetroWest Daily News, 5/10/06
"We believe the constitutional amendment is more important now than ever in order to lock in the level of coverage created by these reforms and ensure their full promise is achieved," said campaign co-chair Barbara Roop.... See Article

VT: Health Reform Deal Reached; As Many 25,000 Would be Insured
Boston Globe, 5/9/06
The bill will extend comprehensive insurance coverage to as much as 96 percent of the population by 2010. House Speaker Gaye Symington states, "It isn't just insurance. It's quality insurance. And it's health care, not just insurance.".... See Article

VT: Compromise Reached on Health Care Reform
Boston Globe, 5/9/06
The agreement means that the new Catamount Health initiative will be sold by private insurance companies but could become a public program in two years if it doesn't work as intended.... See Article

Vt. Politicians Agree on Health Care Bill
Seattle Post Intelligencer, 5/9/06
Catamount Health is the most far-reaching health care reform passed by any state in decades — even more far-reaching than the universal health care plan approved in Massachusetts earlier this spring.... See Article

VT: Lawmakers, Governor Reach Deal on Health Care; Adjournment Pushed Back till Wednesday
Burlington Free Press, 5/9/06
Legislative Democrats and Gov. Jim Douglas settled differences on health care reform this afternoon... The agreement calls for private insurers to have two years to try to offer Catamount...but if the private insurers chose not to, the legislation says they could be required to do so.... See Article

VT: Health Care Comes Down to the Wire
Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, 5/9/06
The House likely decides today whether to send the Legislature's health care reform measure to Gov. James Douglas, who has vowed not to let the current bill become law....See Article

VT: The Final Card
Rutland Herald, 5/9/06
The Legislature has passed a pioneering bill that would take giant steps toward providing all Vermonters with health care, but because of one provision Gov. James Douglas is likely to veto the bill in its present form....See Article

VT: Parker: Douglas' Stance 'Shameful'
Bennington Banner, 5/9/06
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Scudder Parker criticized Gov. James Douglas' threatened veto of health care legislation Monday, accusing the governor of a ‘failure of leadership'....See Article

MA: Lawmakers Postpone Constitutional Convention until July
Boston Globe, 5/9/06
Lawmakers will wait until July to consider several proposed constitutional amendments, including making health care access a right...See Article

VT: Flanagan Returns, Casts Vote for Health Care Reform
Burlington Free Press, 5/6/06
State Senator Edward Flanagan made a triumphant return to the Legislature after an arduous recovery from a near fatal car crash. Friday morning, he told his colleagues that his experience illustrates the value of good health care. In the late after afternoon, he returned to the statehouse to cast an emphatic "yes" vote for a groundbreaking health care reform bill that Governor Douglas has threatened to veto. See Article

MA: CONSTITUIONAL CONVENTION: Activists Rally for Health Care Amendment
State House News Service, 5/5/06
An amendment to the constitution that would require state policymakers to hold fast to many of the principles espoused in the big-ticket bill: affordable, accessible health insurance for all. Supporters will rally is scheduled for May 9, the day before vote... See Article

VT: Senate Passes Health Reform; Douglas: 'I will not'
The Boston Globe, 5/5/06
The Vermont Senate passed a health reform measure Friday despite Gov. Jim Douglas' declaration that it was unacceptable and would not become law.... See Article

Our Sick Society
Paul Krugman in the NY Times, 5/5/06
International comparisons show that the United States has achieved a sort of inverse miracle: we spend much more per person on health care than any other nation, yet we have lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality than Canada, Japan and most of Europe.... See Article

Rising Health Care Costs Leave More Americans Uninsured
Voice of America, 5/4/06
As the wealthiest nation on earth with the most advanced medical technology, the United States ought to serve as a global model for health care delivery. But this is not the case.... See Article and Listen to Radio

VT: FINAL NEGOTIATIONS FOR VERMONT UNIVERSAL CARE HEALTH REFORM LEGISLATION NEAR CONCLUSION
America's Agenda News Brief, 5/4/06
The universal health coverage bill that passed the Vermont House and Senate last month has been the subject of intense negotiations over the past several weeks in an effort to reconcile House and Senate versions and to make adjustments that might increase the chance of getting the bill signed by conservative Republican Governor Jim Douglas.... See Article

MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE TO VOTE ON UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE AMENDMENT TO STATE CONSTITUTION
America's Agenda News Brief, 5/4/06
Next Wednesday, May 10th, the members of both houses of the Massachusetts legislature will convene as the state’s Constitutional Convention or “ConCon” for a scheduled vote on an amendment to the state constitution that will guarantee the right of every state resident to affordable, comprehensive health care coverage.... See Article

VT: Officials Say Work on Health Complete
Rutland Herald, 5/4/06
With a fall election bearing down on everyone in the Statehouse, both the Governor’s reps and lawmakers say they are closer to an agreement on a massive state health care reform than they have been during the past two years... See Article

VT: Lawmakers Agree on Health Reform
Burlington Free Press, 5/4/06
Vermont legislative conference committee has completed agreement on a comprehensive reform of the state’s health care, but the Governor wants 36 more hours to negotiate its provisions with lawmakers... See Article

VT: House and Senate Conferees Reach Agreement on the 2006 Health Care Affordability Act
Vermont Legislature Press Release, 5/4/06
Bill reins in health care costs by offering affordable coverage to uninsured Vermonters and establishing an outstanding chronic care system... See Article

VT: Health Reform Plan Near Approval, Douglas Veto Possible
Barrie-Montpelier Times Argus, 5/3/06
The final version of the Legislature's health care reform bill may be signed by members of the House and Senate as early as today…It remains to be seen if the changes in the legislation go far enough to satisfy the administration of Gov. James Douglas and avoid a veto... See Article

Oregon Medical Association Passes Resolution on Universal Health Care
The Olympian, 5/1/06
The Oregon Medical Association has passed a symbolic resolution declaring that access to universal health care for all state residents is its number-one priority.... See Article

Death By Insurance
Paul Krugman for the NY Times, 5/1/06
For lower-income working Americans, lack of health insurance is quickly becoming the new normal... See Article

VT: Clergy Support Legislature's Health Plan
Burlington Free Press, 4/28/06
Vermont religious leaders unite in support of universal health care legislation that has passed the senate and house as new poll shows that 81% of Vermonters want the Governor to sign it into law... See Article

VT: Douglas Has New Health Proposal
Barre Montpellier Times-Argus, 4/25/06
Under threat of another veto from conservative Vermont Governor James Douglas, state legislators and the Governor are considering an alternative method of providing Catamount Health– the core of a universal health care bill passed by both houses of the state legislature. The current bill would contract administration of Catamount Health to a single insurer. The alternative, proposed to inshead off a threatened veto, would require every insurer operating in Vermont to carry the Catamount Plan.... See Article

VT: Health Care Gulf Looks Unbridgeable
Barre Montpellier Times-Argus, 4/20/06
The Vermont legislature has made the most far-reaching effort in the state’s history to bridge the ideological gap between extreme conservatism of Governor James Douglas and Vermont single-payer progressives in crafting universal health care legislation that can contain rising health care costs and get enacted before the state’s crisis deepens.... See Article

VT: Senate Votes Out Health Reform
Burlington Free Press, 4/15/06
The Senate gave final approval Friday to a health-care reform bill that will provide universal coverage within three years and place Vermont at the forefront of controlling health-care costs.... See Article

VT: Looking for health-care compromise
Burlington Free Press, 4/14/06
Many groups see something to like in the bill, even while sharing some of the worries the administration has voiced.... See Article

VT: Senate Committee Passes Health Reform Bill
Barre Montpellier Times-Argus, 4/11/06
The Vermont Senate Health Care Committee passed its version of a health care reform bill Monday, setting the stage for an eventual compromise or collision with Gov. James Douglas.... See Article

MA: Health Care Amendment Sponsors Call It the“Constitutional Anchor"
State House News Service, 4/11/06
The Health Care Constitutional Amendment would, in the words of one Methodist bishop, “solidify and assure health care as a common value in the Commonwealth for all time.... See Article

VT: Senate Committee OKs Health Bill
Rutland Herald, 4/11/06
A key Senate committee passed its version of a health care reform bill Monday, setting the stage for an eventual compromise or collision with Gov. James Douglas over the issue.... See Article

NY: Groups Push for Universal Health Care in NY: Organizations Want Insurance Options Explored
NYNT-TV, 4/10/03
With the budget almost out of the way state lawmakers are being urged to pay attention to another chronic problem in New York: uninsured medical costs…Advocates say we're already spending enough money to cover everyone—we're just not spending it properly.... See Video and Read Story

VT: Douglas to Yield on Health Reform
Rutland Herald, 4/7/06
Gov. James Douglas said Thursday he would compromise with Democrats on health care reform by agreeing to raise taxes, even though it took him out of his 'comfort zone.'... See Article

MA: Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on Massachusetts Health Care Reform
4/6/06
States are passing groundbreaking and precedent-setting laws. But we hope this is one precedent no other state will follow...