“House begins health-care debate as Republicans prepare for repeal vote - Washington Post” plus 1 more |
| House begins health-care debate as Republicans prepare for repeal vote - Washington Post Posted: 19 Jan 2011 09:04 AM PST In the first major act of the new Congress, the Republican-led House voted Wednesday to repeal the Democrats' health-care overhaul, fulfilling a pledge that GOP candidates made during the fall midterm campaigns. Three Democrats sided with a unified GOP in the 245 to 189 vote, a largely symbolic step that has little chance of being considered by the Democratic-controlled Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) has said he will not allow a similar vote. Republicans vowed to keep pushing to overturn the law. But with no immediate likelihood of that happening, they said they would try to change it by eliminating certain parts of the law, such as a requirement that nearly all Americans obtain health insurance - and working to replace others. They also hope to take advantage of Democratic support for a proposal to remove a tax on businesses, an idea that President Obama has indicated he is willing to consider. The vote came after a long day of debate in which members of both parties sparred over the benefits and drawbacks of the law. Each side spoke of findinga bipartisan path forward but offered few specifics about what that might look like. "If we agree that this law needs improving, why keep it on the books?" asked House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). "Let's challenge ourselves to do better." Democrats said they are receptive to revisiting parts of the far-reaching law. "All important bills - Social Security, Medicare, civil rights laws of the 1960s - they needed to be tweaked," said Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.). "Let us put our heads together and figure out what makes sense." But Democrats voiced skepticism that the GOP would devise a better plan. "For 12 years they had control of the Congress. For six years they had a Republican president to work with," said Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.), vice chairman of the Democratic caucus. Republicans variously described the law as "socialistic," "a monstrosity" and a "dark chapter" in American history. At the same time, they said they wanted to join with Democrats to find other approaches. "I'm committed to working on reforms that we both agree on in a bipartisan manner," said Rep. Steve Stivers (Ohio). Some Republicans said they support certain parts of the law. Among them is a provision that allows young adults to stay on their parents' insurance policies until they turn 26, and another that has created temporary subsidies for special insurance - called high-risk pools - for people with ailments that have led insurance companies to deny them coverage. But Fred Upton (Mich.), chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, made it clear that the GOP still favors ideas that many Democrats oppose. They include placing federal limits on damages in medical malpractice lawsuits and giving Americans tax credits to help them pay for insurance. In the days leading up to the vote, GOP leaders said several House committees would soon convene hearings aimed at finding ways to dissect specific provisions of the law. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Boomers' Online Shopping Outpaces Gen Y for Health, Beauty, Food, Beverage Products - Yahoo Finance Posted: 12 Jan 2011 12:48 PM PST Press Release Source: The Integer Group On Wednesday January 12, 2011, 3:49 pm EST DENVER, Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite shopping in general being down, online shopping has increased. 73 percent of shoppers who are buying more online are NOT shopping more -- they are just shopping differently. This was revealed in The Checkout, a newsletter that compiles data from the ongoing shopper experience study currently underway by The Integer Group ® and M/A/R/C ® Research. "The number one reason why people decide to purchase online is to get a better deal. This is no surprise. When shoppers hunt for a singular item online, they search for a good price, attractive shipping options, and then they buy," said Randy Wahl, executive vice president, M/A/R/C Research. While younger generations (18-24 year-olds) appear more comfortable shopping online, they continue to stick with 'safe' purchases in categories that historically, are purchased online (electronics, clothing, books and music). The surprise comes from the boomer shopper segment. When considering the somewhat newer CPG online shopping world (health, beauty, food, beverage), it's the older shoppers making these purchases. Although Gen Y may be increasing their overall online shopping (more than twice as many compared to 50-64 year-olds), they are not as quick to adopt when it comes to experimenting with making purchases in new categories. This behavior also seems to surface with marital status—married individuals are 58 percent more likely to buy food and beverage products online than single individuals. "Categories that require hunting for multiple items at once, like food and beverage or health and beauty, introduces a new online buying mentality," said Craig Elston, senior vice president, Integer. "The concept of completing standard grocery shopping online is still new for most of us, and manufacturers and e-tailers need to understand that there are conventions ingrained in shopper behavior that they must disrupt." Overall, the majority of shoppers still have trouble adapting to the world of online CPG. In the food and beverage category, nearly half of shoppers are currently saying they "haven't and never will" buy this category online. Data for The Checkout comes from a national survey conducted by Integer and M/A/R/C where consumers are asked about their shopping attitudes, shopping behaviors, and economic outlook. Topics range from criteria shoppers use to select retailers, to which in-store stimulus is most likely to drive purchase, to factors that might lead shoppers to leave an aisle empty-handed. The Checkout is available for download at Integer's blog www.ShopperCulture.com or M/A/R/C's web site www.MARCresearch.com/thecheckout. About The Integer Group The Integer Group (www.integer.com) is one of the world's largest promotional, retail, and shopper marketing agencies, and a key member of TBWA Worldwide. Integer lives at the Intersection of Branding and Selling® and creates strategic marketing solutions for clients in categories that include retail, beverage, packaged goods, telecommunications, home and shelter, automotive aftermarket, and power sports. Integer has more than 1,200 employees, with global offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East. Join the conversation on shopping culture and brand strategy at www.shopperculture.com. About Omnicom Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC - News) (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations, and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries. About M/A/R/C ® Research M/A/R/C ® Research (www.MARCresearch.com) is a brand development firm dedicated to helping clients create, evaluate, and strengthen their brands. Our teams design and execute qualitative and quantitative, traditional and online solutions while adhering to a client-service ethic built on being easy to work with and delivering what is promised. Our core competency is measuring attitudes and behaviors to accurately explain and predict market share, revenue, and bottom line impact of a client's actions. We help our clients address consumer, channel, and B2B marketing issues to launch better products and services, attract and retain valuable customers, and build stronger brands. Our proven, marketing-issue focused solutions, support clients' brand building efforts. Follow Yahoo! Finance on ; become a fan on Facebook. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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