universal healthcare

> Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has vowed to establish a universal healthcare system if elected president. Article

> Arkansas state officials are attempting to build the state's first trauma network, but aren't sure how they'll pay for it. Article

> Physician rating site HealthGrades …

Hoping to generate support for health reform, an organization affiliated with the AFL-CIO has launched a site collecting consumer stories of frustration with the healthcare system. The site, which is published by Working America, is part of a larger effort by labor to advocate for universal healthcare. Article

Facing loud complaints from citizens whose health coverage doesn't measure up, Massachusetts state officials are looking at dropping a core rule defining on what coverage qualifies under its new insurance mandate. Officials are now proposing that the state allow health plans that have lifetime payout caps to qualify for the mandate. Right now, plans don't meet the law's requirements if a lifetime cap is in place. However, the officials still intend to leave in place other benefit …

While it's all well and good that Massachusetts has negotiated a low monthly premium for its new bare-bones health plan, the initial numbers publicized by state officials are deceptive, according to the nonprofit Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR). The group, which describes itself as nonpartisan, says that the low monthly premiums touted by state officials seriously understate the actual costs patients will face.

While the state's basic plan comes in at a modest …

After negotiations with the state's health insurance plans, Massachusetts government leaders say that buying in to new basic health coverage products could now cost as little as $175 per month. The bare-bones plans, which were created as an affordable offering for the uninsured, would include such necessities as outpatient care, ED visits and prescription drugs. Now, a state panel overseeing the law's implementation will vote this month on whether to approve offerings by seven health …

Well, you've got to admit that they're not going for half-measures. In a move that exceeds the ambition of many states, Democratic leaders and state Governor Chris Gregoire committed this week to bringing universal healthcare to the state within five years. Their methods will include cutting down on emergency department overuse, improving use of technology, reducing costs and expanding the state-subsidized plan which helps to cover working poor residents. By implementing these strategies, …

Angering those who don't support its backbone--a doubled tobacco tax--Maryland lawmakers are going ahead with their proposal to cover more of the state's roughly 780,000 uninsured. The plan, which would double the state's tobacco tax to $2, would cover low income workers and subsidize small business coverage. The idea would be to bring far more poor residents into coverage plans, …

Add Pennsylvania to the growing list of states considering mandatory health insurance, as Gov. Ed Rendell on Wednesday unveiled a proposal to cover an estimated 800,000 uninsured adults, Financial Times reports. Rendell, a Democrat just sworn in to his second term, wants a 3 percent "fair share" tax on companies that do not provide insurance to their Pennsylvania employees, and also seeks a hike in the state's tobacco taxes to pay for the coverage. The state also would receive …

Healthcare was on the minds of politicians this week. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed his …

It's 2007, and universal healthcare is in the air. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) has called for the federal government to follow Massachusetts' example and extend healthcare to all Americans. Kennedy recently assumed the role of chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which deals with a number of health-related issues. In his first day on the job, Kennedy called in …