By AVERY JOHNSON Although insurers generally oppose the Democrats’ health-care bill, an overhaul would give the industry a chance to boost its diminishing rolls with an influx of young customers who tend to be healthy and profitable to cover. The legislation, which Congress will vote on soon, is designed to get millions of young people to buy health insurance, using a mixture of subsidies to make coverage more affordable and penalties for people who remain uninsured. The industry has stepped up efforts in recent years to get those people covered, but so far its free-market approach has met...

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — President Obama, declaring that “every argument has been made” on his health care overhaul, sought to seal the deal with Congress and the American people on Monday by focusing on a single patient: a self-employed cleaning woman who had dropped her costly insurance plan, only to discover she had leukemia. Read More…

The White House and Democratic leaders, who express certainty that the House will approve a Senate-passed health care bill, insist the widely-reviled bill won’t become law even though President Obama must sign it into law before changes demanded by House lawmakers can be made. The health care overhaul facing the House this week is being called the biggest faith-based vote ever considered by Congress. That’s because the White House and Democratic leaders, who express certainty that the House will approve a Senate-passed health care bill, insist the widely-reviled bill won’t become...

Janet Hook,Noam N. Levey, Los Angeles Times President Obama agreed Friday to postpone a high-profile trip to Asia, signaling his commitment to swift action on his signature health care bill as Democrats in Congress prepared for action next week and expanded the bill’s scope to include a popular student aid initiative. The president’s change of travel plans, which will move his departure overseas from March 18 to March 21, will enable him to remain active in pushing uneasy Democrats toward final approval of his signature domestic policy initiative. Read More…

By Carl Cameron The health care reform bill passed by the Senate on Christmas Eve appears to be dead on arrival in the House, as six anti-abortion Democrats intend to join the ranks of lawmakers who plan to vote against the legislation, Fox News has confirmed. The health care reform bill passed by the Senate on Christmas Eve appears to be dead on arrival in the House, as six anti-abortion Democrats intend to join the ranks of lawmakers who plan to vote against the legislation, Fox News has confirmed. Six new no votes would be enough to kill the Senate bill, and several more fence-sitting lawmakers...

***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...