How Do I
Health Care Reform
The debate over health care reform in the United States is raging, stretching the envelope of acceptable political discourse. What are the pros and what are the cons? Find out what official sources, analysts, and proponents and opponents of health care reform have to say.
The New Health Care Law
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HealthReform.gov
This is the official U.S. Government Web site managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. -
Christian Science Monitor: Health care reform bill 101: what the bill means to you
"President Obama is set to sign the health care reform bill into law this week. But what is in it? What does it mean to you? The Monitor explains the bill in plain English." -
Congressional Budget Office: Health
This page of the Congressional Budget Office's website has information on health care spending and analysis of what President Obama's proposal would mean for the Federal deficit. -
GOP.gov: Healthcare
Here is where you'll find information from the GOP on the new healthcare bill, including arguments and alternatives to the bill. -
HR 3590: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
This is the full text of the bill which President Obama signed into law on 3/23/2010. -
HR 4872: Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010
This is where you'll find the full text of the bill which would amend certain aspects of the Health Care Reform bill. -
New York Times: How the Health Care Overhaul Could Affect You
Choose whether you are insured or uninsured and from whom you get your insurance to see what the new law means for you. -
Washington Post: What does the health-care law mean to me?
Offers an online tool that estimates what it could mean for your health coverage and taxes based on your income, family size and current insurance status. -
Whitehouse.gov: Putting Americans in Control of their Health Care
This site has information from the White House on the recently signed health care bill, including what it will mean for you and Republican initiatives included in the proposal.
Return to the topPittsburgh Region
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Allegheny County Directory of Medical Services for the Uninsured and Underinsured
Updated March 2010, this is a directory of local health centers and clinics that serve people with minimal or no health insurance.
In the News
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New York Times: Obama’s Health Care Speech to Congress
The prepared text of President Obama’s speech to Congress on the need to overhaul health care in the United States, as released by the White House on Sept. 9, 2009. -
ABC News: Text of the Republican response to the President's address
Full text of the Republican rebuttal delivered by Rep. Charles Boustany of Louisiana. -
Politico.com: CBO Deals New Blow to Health Plan
This article discusses the news from Congressional Budget Office analysts that President Obama's proposed bill will save only $2 billion over the next ten years. -
Politico.com: CBO Deals Another Blow to House Health Plan
The Congressional Budget Office reveals that the bill will create a $239 billion deficit over the next 10 years. -
Gallup Poll: Healthcare System & Responsibility of Government
Is it the responsibility of the government to provide health care for all? What health care approach is the best? What are the biggest issues in health care today? Look at current and past responses to these Gallup poll questions. -
The Hill: AMA Defends Support of Healthcare Bill
Despite the American Medical Association's endorsement of the healthcare bill, many physicians are in opposition. This article discusses the problems that many doctors believe are still present in the proposal, and also covers the $240 billion in Medicaid payments that doctors would receive if President Obama's bill is passed. -
NPR Special Series: Prescriptions for Change
This is where you'll find recent NPR reports on the issues surrounding healthcare reform.
Advocacy
Information from organizations advocating both for and against President Obama's health care reform proposals.
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HealthReform.gov
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services manages this website. Official information, press releases, and the latest reports can be found here. -
WhiteHouse.gov: Health Insurance Reform Reality Check
The White House's site dedicated to the HR 3200. Find out some facts from the White House on the proposed health care reform bill. -
America's Health Insurance Plans: Coverage
This bi-partisan grassroots campaign from America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) supports policy proposals that would build on the current employer-based system of health care, provide help to working families and small businesses, and guarantee health care coverage for everyone. Their website includes polling data, reports from organizations such as AHIP and the RAND Corporation, and a blog that is updated daily with information about health care reform. -
The American Medical Association: Affordable Care Act
This collection of resources will help you navigate the ins and outs of the Affordable Care Act. -
FactCheck.org: Seven Falsehoods About Health Care
Seven falsehoods about the healthcare reform bill are debunked by Factcheck.org, a nonpartisan and nonprofit website dedicated to being a "consumer advocate for voters". -
Prescription for Change
Consumer Reports Health hosts this website calling for healthcare reform. The advocacy efforts of this site focus on stories from individuals and opinions on the latest reform proposals. -
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Health Care Toolkit
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce provides information on the proposed health care reforms and what the changes mean for businesses.
Health Care Around the World
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10 Myths About Canadian Health Care, Busted
The organization Physicians for a National Health Program lists ten common perceptions of Canada's National Health Care system, with arguments against them. -
The Brutal Truth About America's Healthcare
Great Britain's The Independent reports on U.S. Health Care reform, and compares the current U.S. health care system to Great Britain's National Health Service. -
Cato Institute Policy Analysis: The Grass is Not Always Greener: A Look at National Health Care Systems Around the World
This report looks at problems countries around the world face with their health care systems. -
Frontline: Sick Around the World: Health Care Systems-The Four Basic Models
This excerpt from PBS Frontline correspondent T.R. Reid's book The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Healthcare examines the four prevailing models of health care that are used throughout the world.) -
Gallup: Americans, Canadians, Britons Similarly Rate Their Healthcare Systems
In 2005 Gallup polled people in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain to find out opinions on the state of health care in each country. Find the results of that survey here. -
The World Health Report 2008: Primary Health Care: Now More Than Ever
The World Health Organization (WHO) discusses the problems health care systems throughout the world are facing, and provides recommendations for a primary health care system. -
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Sunday Forum: The French and Dutch do health care right
The Dutch and the French organize their health care differently. In the Netherlands, people buy health insurance from competing private carriers; in France, people get basic insurance from nonprofit sickness funds that effectively operate as extensions of the state, then have the option to purchase supplemental insurance on their own.
Selected Books & DVDs
In the televised new on health care, there's little room for content. Get the information at the heart of the debate here!
Uncle Sam's shame : inside our broken Veterans Administration
Read the story of the former Veteran's Affairs physician experience in the broken VA system, what needs to be done to fix it, and why socialized medicine isn't the answer.
Does the United States need a national health insurance policy?
Read short essays on the major points of the issue, including the voices for market based plans, a national health insurance policy, and how to go about saving money.
Medicine : opposing viewpoints
Learn the arguments for and against reforming medical malpractice litigation and the potential impact of universal health care.
Overtreated : why too much medicine is making us sicker and poorer
Journalist Shannon Brownlee shows us how any attempt to rein in the high cost is called out as "rationing", why our care is hugely expensive and how we can cover the uninsured.
America's health care crisis solved : money-saving solutions, coverage for everyone
An in-depth look at Fair Care health financing and why Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are one of the most effective devices for controlling health care spending.
Why our health matters : a vision of medicine that can transform our future
Natural health care guru Dr. Andrew Weil weighs in on the health care debate. He examines the current high cost of health care, and offers ideas for providing all Americans with affordable coverage.
The healing of America : a global quest for better, cheaper, and fairer health care
This book looks at healthcare systems in other countries, and asks why the United States is the only first world country without a system of universal health care. The author admits that universal healthcare systems are not without their problems, but ultimately calls for reform of the American system.
Healthcare, guaranteed : a simple, secure solution for America
The ever-rising price of healthcare is at the center of the healthcare reform debate. This book offers suggestions on how government can get involved, while still allowing for individual choice in care.
Examines evident shortcomings in the American heath care system by which the needs of insured individuals are not being met, often ending in personal ruin.
Frontlilne correspondent T.R. Reid examines first-hand the health care systems of other advanced capitalist democracies, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and Taiwan, to see what tried and tested ideas might help reform the United States' broken health care system.
