Epidemiologists in New York and a few other cities that were awash in swine flu last spring are detecting very little evidence of a resurgence. Officials in New York, which was the nation's hardest-hit city, say that flu activity is no higher than it normally is at this time of year and that school attendance is normal. New York City public health officials are still conducting an extensive immunization campaign, and they agree that it is far too early to draw any final conclusions.
Minority groups are seeking to become a larger part of the healthcare overhaul debate with a new campaign and new ads. Leaders of black and Latino advocacy groups say that because so many of their members favor healthcare reform, they are becoming more forceful as the final drafts near. According to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, there is a wide racial gap in Americans' views on healthcare reform, with minorities largely in favor of changing the system and supportive of President Obama's handling of it.
With the Senate Finance Committee poised to vote on a broad healthcare reform bill, President Obama and his top aides have reached out to current and retired Republican leaders in the hopes of countering the charge that Democrats are using their congressional majorities to push through partisan legislation. In the past two days, former Senate Republican leader Bill Frist; George W. Bush health and human services secretary Tommy G. Thompson and Medicare chief Mark McClellan; and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have all spoken favorably of overhauling the nation's healthcare system, although with plenty of caveats regarding the details.
Taken together, the views of four senators—Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia, Senator Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, and Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon—represent the spectrum of concerns Democrats will face in trying to assemble the 60 votes they need to get a bill through the full Senate using regular procedure. Satisfying each of them, without alienating the others, is the challenge facing Democratic leaders, reports the New York Times.
Nearly 600 workers at Norwood (MA) Hospital will join the Service Employees International Union as the result of an election. Norwood became the third hospital in the Boston-based Caritas Christi Health Care system to unionize this year. The bargaining unit at Norwood Hospital will represent 594 respiratory therapists, radiology technicians, licensed practical nurses, nurse assistants, pharmacy technicians, paramedics, secretaries, housekeepers, dietary workers, and others.
A Senate Finance Committee vote on healthcare reform will be pushed back to later this week, and perhaps into next week, as they await an estimate on how much the overhaul would cost. The Senate Finance Committee wrapped up work Oct. 2 on a reform bill, but committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) promised his members that before voting they would have a "reasonable" amount of time to review the bill's price tag, as assessed by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. That report will arrive later than expected.