Due in part to a Senate seat switching parties in a recent special election, health care reform legislation may be stalled in Congress for now. Many had hoped that long-overdue reform, extending affordable health coverage to tens of millions of people who lack it now, was on the horiz

The U.S. bishops called on Congress to continue to work on health care reform to provide access for everyone, protection of life at all stages and conscience rights. The call came in a January 26 letter signed by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston- Houston, chair of the Committee on

During October and November, diocesan and parish leaders distributed two consecutive Nationwide Bulletin Inserts on health care reform. Since that time the U.S. House passed health care reform that reaffirms the essential, longstanding and widely supported policy against using federal

The current health care reform bill is “deficient” and should not move forward without “essential changes,” the chairmen of three committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said December 22.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has made available a side-by-side comparison of the language of the Hyde Amendment, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and the proposed Nelson/Hatch/Casey Amendment. The resource can be found online at: http://www.usc

The U.S. bishops again urged senators to place Hyde Amendment language into proposed health care reform legislation, a step that would align the legislation with policies now governing all other federal health programs and the just-passed Consolidated Appropriations Act.

“The Senate vote to table the Nelson-Hatch-Casey amendment is a grave mistake and a serious blow to genuine health care reform,” said Cardinal Francis George, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “The Senate is ignoring the promise made by P

The U.S. bishops have voiced support for the Nelson-Hatch-Casey Amendment to the Senate health reform bill and have asked voters to back it.

On November 7, the U.S. House of Representatives passed major health care reform which reaffirmed longstanding and widely supported policy that no federal funds will be used to pay for elective abortions (the Stupak Amendment). The efforts of the hundreds of thousands of grassroots su

On November 7, Congress gave many observers a big surprise. On a vote of 240 to 194, the House of Representatives approved an amendment to maintain longstanding policies against federal abortion funding in proposed health care reform legislation. What’s more, the House then pass