Special Report

The Battle Over Health Care

Obama faces staunch resistance in Washington over his efforts to reform health insurance and drive down medical costs

How the Health Care Bill Could Hurt Renewable Power

BW's John Carey writes that an obscure tax provision in the House version of the health care bill could complicate a federal solar-power credit
10 Ways to Cut Health-Care Costs Right Now

Employers and hospitals don't have to wait for Congress to address inefficiencies and waste
Slide Show: How Hospitals Can Cut Costs

Cutting expenses can bring better health care, too
Video: Why Wait for Health-Care Reform?

BusinessWeek's Catherine Arnst tells John A. Byrne that health reform needs a broader and more ambitious effort than what Washington proposes
America's Greatest Health Threat: Obesity

The U.S. has made huge strides in treating cancer, smoking, and other critical illnesses, but obesity is reaching crisis proportions
Slide Show: The Healthiest and Sickest States of 2009

A new report ranks America's health state-by-state. Is your state in the pink or heading for intensive care?
Health-Care Reform's Hidden Taxes

Why a lot of health reform's costs could be borne by the middle class, despite Obama's pledges
Ask Your Doctor If This Ad Is Right for You

The drug industry is spending billions on TV ads, but they may be scaring consumers away
The Pitfalls of Direct-to-Consumer Ads

A study suggests patients either aren't asking for an advertised drug by name, or they're asking about its scary side effects, says BW's Arlene Weintraub
US Health System Lags on Access, Quality

BW's Cathy Arnst says Americans are more likely to lack medical access because of insurance, despite spending twice as much on health care as other nations
Pelosi Moves House Closer to the Middle

BW's Jane Sasseen explains why the House Speaker backed away from an aggressive public insurance option. A vote is expected by Nov. 11
Slide Show: America's Medical Bill Keeps Climbing

The U.S. spent an estimated $2.4 trillion on health care in 2008, about 16.5% of gross domestic product and a 6% increase from a year earlier. Medical care prices are rising faster than overall inflation, and the burden on consumers continues to grow
Behind Harry Reid's Bid for a Public Option

What prompted the Senate Majority leader's drive to push for an "opt-out" public option plan? Labor unions want at least that much
Who Picks Up the Tab for Health Reform

Insurers and taxpayers are likely to pay big chunks of the $900 billion bill to overhaul the nation's health-care system. Doctors will feel the least pain
Tough Love, Lower Health Costs

A UnitedHealthcare plan offers incentives to employees who strictly control their diabetes
Political Risk Shadows Health-Insurance Stocks

Health insurers like UnitedHealth Group are doing well, yet their stocks have been terrible investments. Blame Washington's health-care reform debate
Reviving an Old Threat in Health-Insurance Battle

President Obama and some Democrats want to repeal the federal antitrust exemption for insurers. That may not be easy—or effective
Obama Attacks Health Insurers

After harsh comments in his weekly address, it's clear the President no longer wants to make nice with health insurers, says BW's Cathy Arnst
Health-Care Reform: The Mandate Debate

Experts say the only way to cover the uninsured is to require them to buy insurance or pay a fine. But how much should a penalty be?
Health Care: What Comes Next

The Senate Finance bill, while not pleasing everyone, is probably close to what might finally emerge as reform of U.S. health care
Poll: Will the Final Health-Care Bill Have a Public Option?

Tell us, will the final health-care bill have a public option?
How Small Business Feels About Health-Care Reform

Small business lobbyists are for no preexisting conditions clauses—and most oppose a public option
Insurance Industry Flips, Bashes Health Bill

A trade group says a Senate reform proposal would boost health-care costs more than if no legislation passes, says BW's Cathy Arnst

Health-Insurance Forms Also Need Reform

Insurance jargon confuses an already stressful process. Companies are trying to switch to simpler language, where "formulary" becomes "drug list"
Health Costs: Steeper Still

Workers will bear a greater share of soaring premiums in 2010, but employers take a hit, too
Video: Towers Perrin's 2010 Benefits Survey

Towers Perrin Managing Director Dave Guilmette on why employee health-care costs will rise in 2010, what this means for employees, and how companies are trying to rein in those costs.
Billions Wasted on Health Care

The IOM concludes that $810 billion is wasted each and every year. Here's how it breaks down
Small Employers Struggle to Offer Health Insurance

Faced with skyrocketing premiums, only 43% of small businesses still offer health coverage, compared with 96% of companies with at least 50 employees
Trimming Health-Care Costs Without Reforming the System

A Kaiser Permanente study shows patients can ward off heart attacks and slash medical expenses with a simple generic drug regimen
Why Business Fears the Public Option

Executives contend that it will lead health-care providers to charge patients in private plans higher rates
Medicaid Enrollment Up 5.4%, Highest Increase in Six Years

High unemployment caused Medicaid enrollments to rise an average of 5.4% in fiscal 2009, and spending on the program to rise 7.6%
Poll: Do You Use a Medical Flex Spending Account?

The health care bill being considered by the Senate Finance Committee would limit to $2,000 a year tax-free contributions to flexible spending accounts. Do you currently contribute to a medical FSA?
Unleash Your Inner Lobbyist

Using wiki-like editing technology, citizens are being given a chance to mark up the pending health-care legislation, says BW's Theo Francis
Clash over Wheelchairs in Health-Care Reform

Budget cutters looking at Medicare want to reduce spending for motorized wheelchairs. Not so fast, say manufacturers and vendors
The Truth About Malpractice Lawsuits

Doctors say the suits send health-care costs soaring, but studies show reforms would have little effect
Baucus Health-Care Bill Draws Little Support

The least expensive congressional health-reform bill lacks a "public option" and would be funded largely through industry fees
Poll: Health-Care Reform by Year's End?

Will a health-care reform bill be enacted by the end of 2009?
Skyrocketing Employer Health-Insurance Premiums

The Business Roundtable bolsters its argument for health-care reform with a study that predicts rapidly accelerating costs for businesses—and employees
The Time for Bickering Is Over

The President vows to push through health-care reform that won't add to the deficit and might include a government-run insurance plan
Obama and Health Care: Time to Hit 'Reset'

In his speech, the President must be clear about his reform priorities and why they're vital even to those who have insurance
Kennedy: Health Care Loses a Champion

As Obama's health-care proposals founder in partisan rancor, Ted Kennedy's ability to work across the aisle is already being missed
Health-Care Cooperatives: Fig Leaf or Fix?

With Obama softening his stance on a public insurance option in the face of stiff opposition, health-care co-ops emerge as an untested alternative
Obama, Treasury: Losing Health Care Is Common

A Treasury study finds that 41% of Americans under 65 can expect to go without health insurance for six months or more
Health Care Reform Studies Focus on Cost

Two recent studies suggest that the cost of doing nothing is much greater than the House's current reform bill, with or without a public option
Comparative Effectiveness Research: Questioning Savings

The method for determining treatment wouldn't reduce spending and improve patient health, one study says, because not all practitioners would embrace it
Deficits Could Hurt Obama on Health Care, Energy

A revised White House budget estimate projects the cumulative deficit over the next decade could hit $9 trillion, nearly $2 trillion more than its May estimate