SOTU - Where's Health Care?

The prepared text of the President's State of the Union message has bare mention of health care. See if you can find it in this wordle cloud from quorum.com.

Here's Obama's comments on health care (thanks to Avik Roy at the Apothecary):

"Now, I’ve heard rumors that a few of you have some concerns about the new health care law. So let me be the first to say that anything can be improved. If you have ideas about how to improve this law by making care better or more affordable, I am eager to work with you. We can start right now by correcting a flaw in the legislation that has placed an unnecessary bookkeeping burden on small businesses.

What I’m not willing to do is go back to the days when insurance companies could deny someone coverage because of a pre-existing condition. I’m not willing to tell James Howard, a brain cancer patient from Texas, that his treatment might not be covered. I’m not willing to tell Jim Houser, a small business owner from Oregon, that he has to go back to paying $5,000 more to cover his employees. As we speak, this law is making prescription drugs cheaper for seniors and giving uninsured students a chance to stay on their parents’ coverage. So instead of re-fighting the battles of the last two years, let’s fix what needs fixing and move forward.

...

The bipartisan Fiscal Commission I created last year made this crystal clear. I don’t agree with all their proposals, but they made important progress. And their conclusion is that the only way to tackle our deficit is to cut excessive spending wherever we find it – in domestic spending, defense spending, health care spending, and spending through tax breaks and loopholes.

This means further reducing health care costs, including programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which are the single biggest contributor to our long-term deficit. Health insurance reform will slow these rising costs, which is part of why nonpartisan economists have said that repealing the health care law would add a quarter of a trillion dollars to our deficit. Still, I’m willing to look at other ideas to bring down costs, including one that Republicans suggested last year: medical malpractice reform to rein in frivolous lawsuits.

...


More broadband access means patients will be able to have face-to-face video chats with their doctors.

...

Veterans can now download their electronic medical records with a click of the mouse."

Healthcare Technology News Cited as Top Healthcare Blog

HITECH Survival Guide announces their list of the top healthcare blogs. Healthcare Technology News makes the list.

These blogs "represent a wide selection of healthcare related authors with varying perspectives, writing on topics spanning from healthcare policy and law, to HIT, EHR vendors, standards, and a host of topics in between. Depending on your particular area of interest, you will find authors whose points of view range from the "big picture" to "the down and dirty" details... The transformation of the health care industry, fueled by the Obama administration's healthcare initiatives, is moving forward at an accelerated pace. Reading the Top Healthcare Blogs is among the best ways to stay current."

Biden: "We're going to cave in like crazy"

Vice President Joe Biden decides to fix health care while President Obama is out of the country. Saturday Night Live presents a message from the Vice President of the United States.