With unemployment hovering in the double digits and House Democrats eager to move on to the politically crucial task of job creation, President Obama pledged Thursday to publicly champion the health-care legislation that in the past year has consumed much of their attention and often made them targets.

President Obama said this evening that the nation is on the “doorstep” of accomplishing the health insurance reform, and Republicans will be mistaken if they believe they can campaign against it during this year’s midterm elections.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – More than 50 leaders and organizations in his home state sent a letter late Monday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), asking him to use his influence to make sure Congress produces a health care package that is affordable to people who are now uninsured.

President Obama sought on Monday evening to assuage organized labor’s misgivings about the health-care overhaul, even as several key union leaders warned that the bill’s final outlines could severely dampen their enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket in this year’s elections.

Barack Obama’s health care plan ensures spiraling costs and will convert health insurance companies into cost-plus health reimbursement utilities, or else bankrupt them completely.

Recently, Medicare said it found that some home health agencies may be ending services early for some patients, citing a new Medicare rule that changes how Medicare pays for some high cost episodes of home health care.

Why an individual mandate to buy health insurance? We’ve heard a lot of debate on this question lately. But it seems a lot of the talk doesn’t reflect much knowledge of why some think an individual mandate might be a good idea.

Spending on “nominal” health expenses rose 4.4 percent in 2008, to $2.3 trillion, or $7,681 per person.

WASHINGTON — The White House supports an effort to tweak the health bill so it makes insurance more affordable for the lowest earners. But the change would drive up the cost of the overhaul, an area where lawmakers have little room to maneuver.

An important measure of future home sales fell far more sharply in November than economists had expected. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) index on pending home sales—contracts agreed upon but not finalized—dropped by 16 percent in November…