WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats are mounting an aggressive effort to gain political credit for passage of the U.S. healthcare overhaul and put Republicans on the defensive ahead of November elections. A $5 million TV and radio advertising campaign is being waged by several groups that back President Barack Obama in some 35 congressional districts to thank lawmakers who voted for ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A sweeping healthcare overhaul cleared its first hurdle in the House of Representatives on Sunday when Democrats approved a rule setting the terms of the debate. The procedural vote was a critical test of support for legislation to overhaul the $2.5 trillion healthcare system, which is President Barack Obama's top domestic priority. A vote on the ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives will vote next week on repealing the antitrust exemption for health insurers, but Democrats remained uncertain on Tuesday on how to proceed on a broader healthcare overhaul. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a Tuesday meeting reached no decisions on the sweeping healthcare legislation that has been in limbo ...

HEALTH-CARE MILESTONE

One close vote in the House, one giant leap for health-care reform. After weeks of give-and-take, the House of Representatives on Nov. 7 managed to push through a bill by the tiny margin of 220 to 215. One Republican, Joseph Cao of Louisiana, voted in favor, while 39 Democrats turned thumbs-down. No sooner was the bill passed than ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A fight over abortion could complicate Senate action on a sweeping U.S. healthcare reform bill as some moderate Democrats on Monday voiced support for a strict ban on using federal funds to pay for the procedure. Senator Ben Nelson, a moderate Democrat, said he supports abortion language similar to a bill passed by the House of Representatives ...

The House has opened debate on President Barack Obama's landmark health care overhaul that would extend insurance to tens of millions of Americans and enact dramatic changes to the country's medical system. In the opening moments of debate, Democrats hailed the legislation as an advance for ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled a sweeping healthcare overhaul on Thursday that would transform the insurance market, create a government-run insurance plan and levy new taxes on the rich. Weeks of closed-door negotiations to merge three House healthcare plans produced a 1,990-page bill that would cost a net $894 billion over 10 years ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives have nearly finished a sweeping healthcare reform bill that would include a government-run insurance option and hope to unveil it on Thursday. After weeks of negotiations to merge three pending health bills, Democratic leaders plan to make their final decisions in a Wednesday meeting and move the measure to the House ...

The Democratic speaker of the US House of Representatives vowed Thursday that lawmakers would approve a health care overhaul bill that includes a controversial government-run "public option" insurance plan. The measure, fiercely opposed by minority Republicans, would compete with private insurance companies. "We don't intend to go to the floor without a public option in that bill," Nancy Pelosi ...

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday condemned the wild "scare tactics" peddled by foes of his healthcare reform plan in a passionate defense of his signature domestic priority. Obama thrust himself into the fierce public debate over his plans to bring health coverage in reach of all Americans in a campaign-style town hall meeting in New Hampshire meant to mobilize ...