From: L.A. Times - Health
Pharmaceutical companies will offer drug discounts for seniors over
the next decade in a deal worked out with lawmakers and the White
House. U.S. drug makers agreed Saturday to shell out 80 billion
over the next 10 years to lower the cost of medication for seniors
and help pay for President Obamas proposed healthcare overhaul, as
part of an agreement hashed out with lawmakers and administration
officials.
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House Democrats make a healthcare deal
An agreement that saves $100 billion and addresses 'Blue Dog' and
business concerns could lead to a vote in September. But now some
angry liberal Democrats will have to be mollified. After weeks of
fractious debate that threatened to derail President Obama's
healthcare overhaul, House Democrats on Wednesday reached a
critical if fragile agreement that appeared to pave the way for the
chamber to vote on a package in September.
Pressure on Obama mounts over healthcare
The president has been a cheerleader for reform, but he'll soon
need to address specifics: how to pay for it, and whether
government-run insurance should be involved. With divisions among
congressional Democrats threatening to stall his healthcare
overhaul, President Obama moved aggressively Monday to shore up
support, meeting with senior Democratic lawmakers and labor leaders
at the White House and stressing that it's time for action.
Senators outline less-costly healthcare overhaul
The plan would cost about $600 billion, versus an earlier
$1-trillion price tag, and eventually would cover 97% of Americans,
Sens. Kennedy and Dodd say. Democrats on a key Senate committee
outlined a revised and far less costly healthcare plan Wednesday
night that includes a government-run insurance option and an annual
fee on employers who do not offer coverage to their workers.
Obama changes healthcare tack to win over the insured
Rather than focusing on the have-nots, he emphasizes how the middle
class and others with coverage would benefit from consumer
protections in an overhaul. As polls showed eroding support for his
overhaul of the nation's healthcare system, President Obama spent
Wednesday courting the majority of Americans who already have
insurance and are most resistant to the proposed changes.
Verizon Joins Companies Taking Overhaul Charges
By Scott Hensley Telecommunications giant Verizon became the latest
corporation to say it would take an earnings hit because of tax
changes in the new health law. The company said in a securities
filing Thursday that it expects to book a $970 million charge in
the first quarter because, essentially, it will no longer be able
to deduct from its taxes the value of a federal subsidy that goes
toward prescription drug coverage for retirees. The recently passed
health law eliminates the deduction, which gave companies an extra
benefit on top of the federal money to encourage drug coverage.
Last week AT&T said it would take a $1 billion hit for the same
reason. Other companies, including Caterpillar, AK Steel and Deere
& Co. are also taking charges to cover the tax change. To put
the Ve...
