Cover the Uninsured Weekly News Digest - Week of September 21, 2009

Fence-Sitters Hold Sway in U.S. Health-Care Debate
Who will determine the outcome of the great health debate? Well, a lot of senators and House members, obviously, but also a small slice of the public that has yet to decide what it thinks.
(Wall Street Journal, Gerald F. Seib, 9/25/2009)

Geography Makes Difference in Health Coverage
Where someone lives makes a difference in whether or not that person has health insurance.
(Associated Press, Mike Schneider, 9/24/2009)

SEIU Takes Pragmatic Stance on Health Care Reform
A top-ranking SEIU official says that the powerful union could support a health care bill that doesn’t include a public option — a striking contrast to the more hard-line stance on the issue taken by the new president of the AFL-CIO.
(Politico, Jonathan Martin, 9/24/2009)

A System Breeding More Waste
The debate over medical malpractice can often seem theological. On one side are those conservatives and doctors who have no doubt that frivolous lawsuits and Democratic politicians beholden to trial lawyers are the reasons American health care is so expensive.
(New York Times, David Leonhardt, 09/23/2009)

Lines Drawn as Senate Panel Begins Debating Health Bill
Democrats and Republicans formed clear battle lines Tuesday as the Senate Finance Committee opened a high-stakes debate on health-care legislation proposed last week by the panel's chairman.
(Washington Post, Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery, 09/23/2009)

Doctors Need A Say On Health Insurance
A majority backs both public and private programs.
(Philadelphia Inquirer, Risa Lavizzo-Mourey and William L. Roper, 9/22/2009)

Obama Pitches Healthcare In Sunday Talk Show Blitz
He says his message on reform is not 'breaking through.' His critics suggest it's not a communications problem: People just don't like the president's plan.
(Los Angeles Times, Mark Silva, 09/21/2009)