***UPDATED BELOW*** If Democrats didn’t have all the incentive they needed to pass health care reform already, then conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh may have provided the final push they needed by vowing to flee the country if the reform bill is passed. Responding to a caller who asked him where he would go for health care if Congress enacts reform, Limbaugh replied, Read More…

In Campaign-Like Appearance, Obama Takes Aim at Insurance Companies By BRADLEY BLACKBURN At a campaign-like rally in Pennsylvania today, a combative President Obama criticized insurance companies, pushed members of his own party, and called for the public’s support in a final push for health care reform legislation before Congress. The White House has said it hopes to have a health care bill signed into law by March 18, but even with the president’s full support, passage of the bill is far from certain. Read More…

WASHINGTON — President Obama pressed Congress on Saturday to “finish its work” on health care, dismissing criticism from Republicans as he sought to build a case that the legislation would be friendly to families and small businesses. As the administration works to win over skeptical Democrats in Washington, Mr. Obama is taking his health care message to Philadelphia and St. Louis this week, the latest steps in a forceful campaign designed to demystify the complicated health care measure. Read More…

By Peter Orszag and Nancy-Ann DeParle Health-insurance reform offers many benefits, such as common-sense rules of the road and basic consumer protections to keep insurance companies honest and prevent them from denying coverage to anyone because of a preexisting medical condition. But some critics complain that the administration has slipped in its commitment to fiscal responsibility in health reform. Read More…

by Xinhua Writers Wang Fengfeng, Wang Wei U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks about moving forward into the final stage of the health insurance reform debate at the East Room of the White House in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, March 3, 2010. Obama urged on Wednesday the Congress to move swiftly toward votes on the legislation. (Xinhua/Zhang Jun) WASHINGTON, March 3 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Barack Obama made a last-ditch effort on health insurance reform on Wednesday when unveiling a revised version of his proposal. Urging the Congress to vote on the bill in the...

By William Branigin and Michael D. Shear President Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to “finish its work” on health-care reform legislation and indicated support for a Democratic legislative strategy that includes a politically risky procedure known as reconciliation. In a speech at the White House, Obama told an audience of medical professionals that Congress “owes the American people a final vote on health-care reform.” Read More…

Washington (CNN) — With the health care summit showing no sign of getting either side to budge, lawmakers are staking out positions in the battle many believe is imminent: a presidential effort to push legislation through without Republican support. On the political talk shows Sunday, Democratic and GOP leaders fought over budget reconciliation, the parliamentary procedure that could allow a vote in the Senate and circumvent a GOP filibuster. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, told CNN’s “State of the Union” that he and other lawmakers “do not think...

By SCOTT WHIPPLE According to a report released Thursday by a nonprofit consumer group, failure to enact health care reform this year will lead in the next decade to about 1,700 premature deaths of people between 25 and 64 years old in Connecticut. Ron Pollack, executive director of Washington, DC-based Families USA, said 2,100 people have died prematurely between 1995 and 2009 because of a lack of health insurance. Read More…

Two days after the White House hosted an inconclusive summit on healthcare reform, President Barack Obama has urged Americans to find common ground. In his weekly radio address, Mr Obama said tens of millions of Americans could not afford to wait another generation for change. He said it was time to move past the bickering and game-playing which was blocking progress on reform. The White House said he would announce “the way forward” next week. Read More…

WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) – Here are some of the remarks made by President Barack Obama and U.S. congressional leaders at the White House healthcare summit on Thursday. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA “What I’m hoping to accomplish today is for everybody to focus not just on where we differ, but focus on where we agree.” “And then let’s talk about some areas where we disagree and see if we can bridge those gaps. I don’t know that those gaps can be bridged.” REPUBLICAN SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN “Both of us … promised ‘change in Washington.’…...