Politics/elections

Republican presidential candidate said "ObamaCare" would have killed him had it been in place when he was diagnosed with cancer. 

Texas Gov. Rick Perry now says it was a mistake to order mandatory HPV vaccinations for all girls entering the sixth grade, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The New York Times notes that cuts to healthcare spending mean cuts to healthcare-sector jobs.

Kaiser Health News talks to Mila Kofman, who resigned as Maine's insurance commissioner over a new healthcare law in the state, about new disclosure rules the federal government released Wednesday.

Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona is thinking about running as a Democrat for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), according to the Arizona Capitol Times.

“I’m still trying to figure out whether it’s the right thing for me,” he said. “I enjoy public service. I enjoyed being surgeon general of the United States. I’ve worked in government at local, state and national levels. But I’m not sure if an elected position is the right thing for me. I’ve agreed to at least consider it.”

Carmona served as surgeon general under President George W. Bush but was publicly critical of the president, accusing him of trying to water down scientific reports on the effects of secondhand smoke and climate change for political reasons.

He could be a strong candidate for the seat in the Republican-leaning state. Some Democrats in the state indicate there may be other strong recruits in the offing. There is also an outside chance that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) may recover fast enough from her January assassination attempt to run for the seat. Other Democrats interested in the race may be holding off on announcing their intentions until Giffords makes a decision.

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) is the front-runner on the GOP side, although wealthy businessman Wil Cardon’s self-financed candidacy could give Flake headaches. The state gave favorite son Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) 53 percent of the vote in his 2008 run for president.

The Washington Post's Sarah Kliff examines Texas Gov. Rick Perry's record on Medicaid.

Hospice lobbyists are fighting hard against a bill from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that could reduce their Medicare and Medicaid payments, USA Today reports.

Funding for AIDS programs is falling, The Wall Street Journal says.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Medicare and Medicaid are a "Ponzi scheme" in an interview with the Daily Beast.

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), who chairs the health appropriations subcommittee in the House and is challening Sen. Jon Tester (D) in 2012, vowed to continue fighting the healthcare law.

Meanwhile, Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) held a town hall meeting on implementation of the new law.

Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty is touting Minnesota healthcare reform as a model for the nation, Kaiser Health News reports.

The demand for safety-net care remains high in Massachusetts five years after passage of the state's healthcare reform law, writes the Los Angeles Times.

Aetna and Coventry are suing Louisiana for cutting them out of the state's Medicaid privatization program, the Times-Picayune reports.

Sixty million Americans don't have access to primary healthcare, says the National Association of Community Health Centers.

"To condemn senior citizens to bad medicine for political reasons is a really bad idea," Gingrich told The Hill.

Tim Pawlenty has changed his tune on healthcare policy since his days as Minnesota governor, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The Boston Globe says scientists are worried that cuts in federal spending on medical research will hinder U.S. competitiveness.

Kaiser Health News takes a look at the variance in rate-review authority among the states.

A former state lawmaker in Maine will lead the state's healthcare reform advisory committee.

Healthcare reform loomed large as members began their traditional series of recess town hall meetings.

A group is demanding lawmakers who backed a Medicare reform proposal return their government health insurance.