Obama lists industry executives consulted about health overhaul in private meetings

October 5th, 2009 Health care issues: Insurance market overhaulA look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: Are changes in the insurance industry enough to fix problems in the nation's health care system? THE POLITICS: To help expand health coverage, President Barack Obama is seeking changes to underwriting practices that can prevent Americans from obtaining affordable insurance. His proposals would ban higher premiums, caps or denial of coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition or when a person gets sick.

September 13th, 2009 Sebelius: No abortion money in health overhaulWASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says the president supports language in health overhaul legislation that explicitly prohibits money for abortions. Sebelius says President Barack Obama has made it clear that his health care goals do not include using public money to pay for abortions.

September 12th, 2009 Obama to attend health care rallyWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is traveling to Minneapolis for a rally on health care reform. Minnesota is an example of where Obama wants the rest of the country to go on health care.

September 2nd, 2009 Correction: Health Care OverhaulWASHINGTON — In an Oct. 1 story about health care overhaul, The Associated Press reported erroneously that President Barack Obama repeatedly pledged last year that his health care plan would not raise taxes on any individual making more than $200,000 or a family with incomes over $250,000.

August 17th, 2009 Obama: VA care not affected by health overhaulPHOENIX — President Barack Obama says a proposed overhaul of the nation's health care system is not going to change how veterans get their medical services. Obama on Monday told a convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars that no one in Washington is talking about taking away their benefits.

August 16th, 2009 Obama confident health care overhaul coming soonWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he's confident his drive to overhaul health care will succeed. The president writes in Sunday's New York Times about "health insurance reform" and says his attempt to overhaul the system is closer to reality "than we have ever been." Obama cites support from the American Nurses Association, the powerful American Medical Association and the AARP for big changes.

August 14th, 2009 Obama assails health insurance companiesBELGRADE, Mont. — President Barack Obama says Americans are being held hostage by health insurance companies that deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions or cancel coverage when people get sick.

August 11th, 2009 Obama: Stop health care 'wild misrepresentations'PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Hoping to blunt the momentum of critics, President Barack Obama went on the offensive in support of his health care plan, urging the country not to listen to those who seek to "scare and mislead the American people." "For all the scare tactics out there, what is truly scary is if we do nothing," Obama told a friendly town hall audience.

August 4th, 2009 WH uses Web to fight misleading health care effortWASHINGTON — The White House is turning to the Internet to hit back at a Web posting that claims to show President Barack Obama explaining how his health care reform plans eventually would eliminate private insurance. The 3-minute White House video features Linda Douglass, a former network television correspondent and now White House Office of Health Reform communications director, sitting in front of a computer screen showing the Drudge Report Web site.

July 25th, 2009 SPIN METER: Few health exec visits to WH publicWASHINGTON — Despite President Barack Obama's promise of transparency on his health care overhaul, few White House meetings with medical industry representatives on a list recently released by his administration were made public at the time, an Associated Press review found. Obama, when asked about the meetings at his news conference Wednesday evening, said that "on the list of health care executives who've visited us, most of the time you guys have been in there taking pictures, so it hasn't been a secret." "Frankly, these have mostly been at least photo sprays where you could see who was participating," he added.

July 23rd, 2009 Obama: Lots of agreement on health overhaulWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says lawmakers and he are in general agreement on important parts of a potential health care overhaul. Obama planned to say Wednesday night that the proposals would add stability to existing plans.

July 23rd, 2009 White House invited med industry execs in earlyWASHINGTON — Administration officials began talking privately to major players in the health care industry within a few weeks of President Barack Obama's inauguration, a newly released list of White House visitors shows. Obama on Wednesday night released the list of visits by health care executives after a government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, announced it planned to sue to try to get White House visitor logs.

July 15th, 2009 Obama praises progress on health care overhaulWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says his administration will push through an overhaul of the nation's health care system and is urging Congress to finish the work before leaving for an August recess. Obama on Wednesday praised House and Senate versions of a bill to expand health care coverage to millions of Americans.

July 12th, 2009 Sebelius: All options on table for health planWASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says the administration wants a health care overhaul this year but is still leaving the details to Congress. Sebelius said on Sunday that a health care overhaul "needs to be owned by the House and the Senate" and won't be dictated by President Barack Obama.

May 11th, 2009 Obama's Day: Health care, basketballWASHINGTON — Reforming the health care system to make it affordable for all Americans is one of President Barack Obama's top priorities. Obama plans to talk Monday about a health care industry offer of $2 trillion in spending reductions over 10 years to help pay for the program.