State News Health Insurance News

Kaiser Health News – SANTA ANA, Calif. – Robin Willer slumps on the metal bench, her sweater drawn up over her swollen cheeks. “The cold hurts it,” she says, pointing gingerly to three broken teeth.

Politics Daily – How “special” were the two special elections that the Democrats won on Tuesday night? So special that the winners, John Garamendi in California and Bill Owens in New York, will be sworn into their new jobs in the House of Representatives in time to cast their votes for the Democrats’ health care reform bill this weekend.

The Wall Street Journal – Sen. Joe Lieberman said Tuesday that he would vote to block passage of Senate health-care language in its current form, dealing a setback to Senate Democratic leaders’ efforts to gather 60 votes for the bill.

Health News Florida – As a public option in health reform  gains momentum in Washington, Republican officials uniformly condemned it today. Gov. Charlie Crist said the nation would be better off adopting his Cover Florida plan. ”I don’t think a public option is a good way to go for America or Florida,” he said. “I think Cover Florida is a better way to go.

The Hill – Looks like game, set, match for the public option with the move by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to go all out for the public option, with a provision that would let states opt out, which should get all Democrats united to kill the Republican filibuster.

Health News Florida – Florida Sen. Bill Nelson isn’t really “comfortable” with the idea of letting states opt out of including a public plan in national health reform, his spokesman said today. The public plan would compete with private insurers in an exchange where the formerly uninsured could shop for coverage.

Houston Chronicle – WASHINGTON — A recent spate of national studies paint a dark portrait of the state of health care in Texas. Not only does the Lone Star State lead the nation in its uninsured population, adults and children alike, but the percentage of residents without health coverage could balloon from 27.5 percent to as much as one-third of the population in the next 10 years, a new study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute predicts.

Atlanta Business Chronicle – Consumer advocate group Georgia Watch published a report Tuesday summing up the Peach State’s health care affordability issues and noting the state has the sixth-highest number of residents without health insurance.

The Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee – An estimated 77,300 Wisconsinites lost health insurance coverage through August of this year after losing their jobs, according to a report by Families USA. The highest losses were seen in California (661,600) and Texas (396,900).

The Sacramento Bee – Californians may lead healthier lives than most Americans, but the state’s record on health care is mostly mediocre or dismal, according to a study released today that provides a state-by-state snapshot of health care in this country.