Glenn Hamer: Reducing the number of uninsured Arizonans is a serious policy issue for business.

For Tina Escobedo, having her three daughters enrolled in KidsCare means she doesn’t have to choose between paying rent or taking her kids to the doctor.

A growing number of Americans are finding themselves cut off from the nation’s health care system, so the need to change that system has never been more critical, according to Dr. Jerome Grossman, director of the Health Care Delivery Policy Program in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

U.S. Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, both R-Ariz., have taken a welcome first step to help resolve a looming health care crisis in our state: Huge losses sustained by hospitals and clinics serving large numbers of patients without health insurance.

I am writing this letter to respond to a letter published in the Arizona Republic last week, but since I am not aware of any e-mail address to the editor of the Republic, I will write to the Tribune.

 WASHINGTON -- Shaking off a summer of setbacks, President Barack Obama summoned Congress to enact sweeping health care legislation Wednesday night, declaring the "time for bickering is over" and the moment has arrived to protect millions who have unreliable insurance or no coverage at all.

Gov. Janet Napolitano promised Wednesday to craft solutions to the problem of Arizona companies depending on state taxpayers to provide health insurance to some of their workers.

When my neighbor, who operates a small business, had a stroke, the first thing that came to mind as paramedics wheeled him away was, "Does he have health insurance?"

Star Parker: Political freedom and capitalism work so well because they reflect the truth that human beings have free choice. But this means individuals take personal responsibility. The left has always been in denial about this, which is why they’re endlessly trying to expand government and reduce freedom. They see individuals as hapless victims the state must take care of. 

A coalition of labor unions, liberal activists and health care groups will launch a big-bucks nationwide campaign for universal health care today with rallies at the state Capitol and more than 50 other cities.

The call for universal health care in Arizona has gone mainstream. The venerable Arizona Town Hall, meeting last week in Prescott, recommended a statewide program to ensure everyone in the state has access to basic health care.

Mr. McVickers (Letters, Sept. 12) appears to be concerned about the funding of health care for some persons. He states “...non-citizens and illegal aliens living amongst us will not have to be insured. In other words, the rest of us will continue to fund their health care as we do now.”

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats passed a landmark health care bill in a climactic Christmas Eve vote that could define President Barack Obama's legacy and usher in near-universal medical coverage for the first time in the country's history.

WASHINGTON  — President Barack Obama, citing a new White House study suggesting that small businesses pay far more per employee for health insurance than big companies, said Saturday the disparity is "unsustainable — it's unacceptable."

NEW YORK - A few days each week, Jody Maxfield and two or three co-workers grab sandwiches and sodas and gather at a table in an office cubicle to share lunchtime conversation — and worries about the future.

October 15, 2004

The number of Arizonans lacking health insurance came into focus during this week’s presidential debate in Tempe, but advocates involved in the issue disagree on whether the numbers cited by Sen. John Kerry accurately refl ect the state’s situation.

There’s something missing from our current debate about national health care. Too few are talking about actual health. We lament the red tape, the gaps in insurance coverage and the costs that seem to escalate daily. But we often forget the central point: Our own individual health and well being. How can Americans be healthier, feel better and live longer?

The ongoing contract dispute between Cigna HealthCare and Catholic Healthcare West is a symptom of a bigger problem of decreasing government funding of health care, according to John Rivers, president and CEO of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association.

Arizonans are deeply divided over a proposal by Gov. Janet Napolitano to expand state-paid health care to the children of families earning up to $60,000 a year.

February 27, 2005

For some of the 1,000 people gathered for a festival at a Mesa park Saturday, the event was as much an opportunity to seek health care as it was a party.

ANNANDALE, Va.  — President Barack Obama wanted to put a human face on his plans to overhaul health care, and a Virginia supporter did just that Wednesday. Fighting back tears, Debby Smith, 53, told Obama of her kidney cancer and her inability to obtain health insurance or hold a job. The president hugged her — she's a volunteer for his political operation — and called her "exhibit A" in an unsustainable system that is too expensive and complex for millions of Americans.

DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. - President Bush is returning to the swing state of Pennsylvania on Thursday to talk about health care.