Cover the Uninsured Weekly News Digest - Week of September 14, 2009

Study Links 45,000 U.S. Deaths to Lack of Insurance
Nearly 45,000 people die in the United States each year -- one every 12 minutes -- in large part because they lack health insurance and cannot get good care, Harvard Medical School researchers found in an analysis released on Thursday.
(Reuters, Susan Heavey and Xavier Briand, 9/18/2009)

Baucus Will Tinker with Health Bill to Mollify Critics
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said Thursday he expects to make adjustments to his health-care plan, in a bid to solidify support for the bill after some Democrats said it would impose big costs on middle-income families.
(Wall Street Journal, Greg Hitt, 9/18/2009)

Baucus Measure Would Expand Care Without Adding to Deficit
Attempt at compromise in senate draws no GOP support.
(Washington Post, Lori Montgomery and Shailagh Murray, 9/17/2009)

Young Adults Likely to Pay Big Share of Reform's Cost
As health-care legislation advances through Congress, the young adults who were so vital to President Obama's election are emerging as a significant beneficiary of his top domestic priority, but they are also likely to play a major role in funding any reform.
(Washington Post, Shailagh Murray, 09/16/2009)

Average Family Health Insurance Policy: $13,375, Up 5%
An average family health insurance policy now costs more than some compact cars, and four in 10 companies will likely pass more of that expense on to workers, according to a closely watched survey of businesses released Tuesday.
(USA Today, John Fritze, 09/16/2009)

Poll: More Erosion in Health Care Confidence
August's contentious disputes over health care appeared to take a toll, further eroding consumers' confidence about their health care future and access to care, a new report has found.
(Associated Press, Erica Werner, 09/15/2009)

Poll Finds Most Doctors Support Public Option
Among all the players in the health care debate, doctors may be the least understood about where they stand on some of the key issues around changing the health care system.
(National Public Radio's All Things Considered, Joseph Shapiro, 09/15/2009)

Reform Opposition Is High But Easing
President Obama continues to face significant public resistance to his drive to initiate far-reaching changes to the country's health-care system, with widespread skepticism about central tenets of his plan, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
(Washington Post, Jon Cohen and Dan Balz, 09/14/2009)

Dems Seek To Play Down Role of Public Option Idea
The White House and its Democratic allies on Sunday tried to play down the role of a government insurance option in health care legislation as the party in power worked to reclaim momentum on President Barack Obama's top domestic priority.
(Associated Press, Philip Elliott, 09/13/2009)