Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Wally Herger (R-Calif.) have introduced legislation (HR 3660) that would allow self-employed individuals to deduct the cost of health insurance premiums from their payroll taxes, the Washington Post reports (McLoone, Washington Post, 9/26). Under current law, sole proprietorships cannot exclude health insurance premiums from payroll taxes of 15.3%, while corporations can deduct premiums as a business expense and exclude the cost of premiums from payroll taxes (Boulton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/4).

President Bush is willing to increase funding for SCHIP above his proposed level of $5 billion.

Congressional Democratic leaders will not compromise with President Bush on SCHIP.

The number of uninsured U.S. residents younger than 65 rose to 46.4 million people, or 17.9% of that population, according to a report released Thursday by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, the Kansas City Star reports. The report also included the following findings:

* More than 25% of self-employed workers were uninsured, while almost 20% of all workers lacked insurance;

* More than 35% of workers at private-sector firms with less than 10 employees were uninsured, compared with 13% of workers at firms with 1,000 or more employees;

President Bush's decision effectively denies healthcare for the ten million children eligible for coverage through a bipartisan, bicameral agreement to reauthorize the SCHIP.

New BDO Seidman study of the nation's Medicaid program draws much needed attention to a chronic and worsening problem: Medicare's cross-subsidization of increasingly inadequate Medicaid payments for nursing home care.

Health policy leaders announced a new program that will combine Medicare and private health insurers' claims data to provide more complete and accurate information on the cost and quality of physician care.

Summaries of editorials discuss new Bush administration rules on SCHIP enrollment and President Bush's veto of compromise legislation to reauthorize and expand the program.

Bush has vetoed a bill that would expand a popular government-run health insurance program for children called SCHIP.

President Bush vetoed legislation that would have reauthorized SCHIP and expanded enrollment in the program to about 10 million children.

With a Medicare reimbursement cut of 10%scheduled for physicians in January 2008, health care providers and their "well-armed lobbyists are pressing Democratic leaders to make the first changes to Medicare policy since they took control of Congress," CQ Weekly reports. The cut could have a wide impact because it is likely to affect reimbursement rates from insurers, who typically use government programs' payment levels as guidelines.

About 67% of men who own or administer small businesses consider employee health benefits important, compared with 59% of women in the same position.

HHS Secretary reiterated President Bush's threat to veto legislation that would reauthorize SCHIP and expand enrollment in the program to about 10 million children.

Participants enrolled in consumer directed health plan offerings are more engaged in wellness programs and are more likely to plan and save for healthcare expenses than those in traditional healthcare coverage.

Senate voted to approve compromise legislation that would reauthorize SCHIP and expand enrollment in the program to about 10 million children.