Health Care Reform

Illinois lawmakers soon will face two critical decisions over how to fully carry out President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

In 2013, small business owners will contend with many of the same issues that made it hard to run their companies over the last 12 months.

Congressional officials said Wednesday they knew of no significant strides toward a compromise over a long Christmas weekend, and no negotiations have been set.

For years, Republicans have adhered fiercely to their bedrock conservative principles, resisting Democratic calls for tax hikes, comprehensive immigration reform and gun control. Now, seven weeks after an electoral drubbing, some party leaders and rank-and-file alike are signaling a willingness to bend on all three issues.

As I sit here among a growing pile of pine needles and straggling scraps of wrapping paper, my wandering eyes found an interesting piece on Forbes about consumer-driven health care.

Efforts to save the nation from going over a year-end "fiscal cliff" were in disarray as lawmakers fled the Capitol for their Christmas break. "God only knows" how a deal can be reached now, House Speaker John Boehner declared.

Although the federal government would spend billions of dollars, an expansion of Missouri's Medicaid program could actually generate millions of dollars of new revenues and savings for the state's budget, according to an analysis by Gov. Jay Nixon's administration.

Americans say health care access is the nations most urgent health problem, according to a new Gallup poll. Thats followed closely by the cost of health care and obesity.