This Wednesday, the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on H.R. 676.  The hearing will be held in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building at 10:30 a.m.  Witnesses have not yet been announced, but check back soon for more information.

Democracy Now! - Hosted by Amy Goodman

What is the Future of Healthcare Reform Following Daschle Withdrawing Health Sec. Nomination?

In what is being described as the first major setback of Barack Obama’s presidency, Tom Daschle has withdrawn his nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services over his failure to pay tens of thousands of dollars in personal taxes. What will this mean for healthcare reform? We speak to Richard Kirsch of Healthcare for America Now.

The New York Times - By Kevin Sack 

BELLAIRE, Tex. — When the bottom fell out of the automotive market last year, Amberly Allen’s fast-growing direct-mail firm hit a wall in a hurry.

As orders from car dealerships fell by half, Ms. Allen deferred plans to hire more sales representatives. She put off buying the building she now leases in this Houston suburb. And in November, both she and her husband, one of her four employees, stopped drawing salaries.

The New York Times -   By Robert Pear

WASHINGTON — The House gave final approval on Wednesday to a bill extending health insurance to millions of low-income children, and President Obama signed it this afternoon, in the first of what he hopes will be many steps to guarantee coverage for all Americans.

Smiling broadly, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the tally, 290 to 135. Forty Republicans voted for the bill, and 2 Democrats voted against it.

The roll call ended a two-year odyssey for the child health legislation, which President George W. Bush adamantly opposed on the ground it would lead to “government-run health care for every American.”

Paul Krugman - The New York Times