Politics/elections

"He talked down to the women in this country," said Lilly Ledbetter, for whom Obama's equal-pay law was named.

The campaign arm for House Democrats is playing offense on healthcare in a new round of campaign ads.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) released a handful of new television ads Wednesday, including three that attack Republican incumbents over healthcare issues.

The DCCC spots focus on Medicare and women's health — two recurring themes in every Democratic campaign this year, including the presidential race. The ads are also a clear sign that Democrats believe they're back on offense over healthcare, following a bruising 2010 cycle dominated by conservative opposition to President Obama's healthcare law.

President Obama touted his administration's contraception mandate Wednesday as he sought to capitalize on Mitt Romney's "binders full of women" remark.

Democrats clearly saw Romney's remarks as a chance to re-open a dwindling gender gap. And while they aggressively attacked Romney over directly related issues such as equal pay, Obama also tied in contraception during a campaign stop in Iowa.

"I don't think your boss should control the healthcare you get," Obama said. "I don't think insurers should control the healthcare you get. I certainly don't think politicians should control the healthcare you get."

Mitt Romney's campaign is appealing to female voters with a new ad that seeks to counter criticism of the GOP nominee's stance on abortion.

The ad comes in the closing weeks of the presidential campaign as some polls show Romney gaining ground with swing-state women.

Romney opposes abortions, except in the case of rape, incest or threats to the mother's life. He has vowed to govern as a "pro-life president," but recently downplayed his interest in pushing bills to limit abortion rights. 

Healthcare issues received little attention in Tuesday night's debate as President Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney sparred over energy, tax and immigration policy.

Medicare and Obama's healthcare law did not arise until nearly halfway through the 90-minute match-up at Hofstra University in New York state, and even then, it didn't receive specific questions from the town-hall audience.

Obama and Romney responded by inserting their own healthcare attacks, but the second debate still represented a marked departure from the first, where "ObamaCare" and Medicare were among the event's top buzzwords.

President Obama brought up federal funding for Planned Parenthood four times in Tuesday's debate, perhaps in a sign that he believes the issue can help him with female voters.

Mitt Romney has been gaining ground with that crucial demographic since his much-touted performance in the first presidential debate on Oct 3.

The GOP nominee has argued that federal funds need not go to Planned Parenthood to provide healthcare for low-income women. The group also provides abortions, making it a major target for conservatives. 

The president touts healthcare law provisions requiring most employers to provide coverage for birth control.

Planned Parenthood's political arm is starting another swing-state push against Mitt Romney, who some polls show gaining ground among key female voters. 

Planned Parenthood Votes announced Tuesday that it has launched a $578,000 radio ad buy against Romney in Ohio and Virginia.

The group also spent another $250,000 on its television ad buy in Colorado, bringing its total investment in that state to more than $1 million. 

Polls, debate prep and ads cover Medicare, Medicaid.

FDA: More drugs might be linked to meningitis outbreak.

Medical societies offer guidelines on shift from SGR [reg. req'd].

Specter was key in passing healthcare reform [reg. req'd].

President Obama's contraception mandate is helping him enormously with female voters, a new USA Today/Gallup poll says.