The US Senate convened today -- the day before Christmas -- and passed the Senate's version of the famed health insurance reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This bill will move into conference committee with the House of Representatives' version of the bill in January, before finall passage (Previous discussion of this week's Senate events here). It is not a common occurrence to meet the day before Christmas. The last time the Senate held a roll call on Christmas Eve was in the year 1895, when Senators lifted a ban on government officers who had joined the Confederacy from serving in the post-Civil War military. Below are other interesting facts about the Senate. more ›

Although it was highly anticlimactic and awfully frustrating for all parties involved, this week signified a historic move on the health care reform bill. So what exactly happened? Well, the US Senate voted 60-40 -- not in favor of passing a specific bill --- but in favor of ending debate and stopping further filibustering on a specific set of amendments to the health care reform bill known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [full bill and amendments can be found here (.pdf)] more ›

UPDATE: Chris Bowers at Open Left has a much more detailed breakdown of the Baucus plan. It's far, far worse than implied yesterday. And if you care about this sort of thing, it also looks like Max let an insurance industry shill write the whole thing, and made sure that those overtly part of the insurance sector read the bill before the White House. more ›

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives (D-CA) has been a strong supporter of the Public Option as a critical piece of President Obama's health care reform proposal. For more information on the public option, check out this video and chart. This past week, many politicians are weakening their stances on the public option as a result of pressure from special interests. But Speaker Pelosi marked a line in the sand at an event this week. Check out this video of some of her remarks. more ›

Really. President Obama's healthcare reform proposal ranks highly among least understood policy proposals in current politics. What follows is a concise and easy to understand explanation of the popular but often muddled "public option" that is contained in national legislation and that forms the centerpiece of President Obama's proposal. This one is great for cocktail parties and local bars, because it's so easy to explain. more ›

Chris Lehane, Democratic strategist, and Republican Jim Brulte, former California legislator, sat side by side on stage at the California Endowment last week, exchanging light-hearted jabs and witty banter. The two seemed cordial enough during the event for which they were both panelists, entitled, "The Change We Need: Can Either Presidential Candidate Reform Health Care?" more ›

As I enter week three of my cold, sneezing all over the computer and coughing (cautiously, away from the screen) there could be no more timely event than one discussing health care. Can I go in to see my doctor? Can I even get through the 10-minute wait on hold to talk to someone in my doctor's office? How might the health care policies of next president effect this situation? more ›