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The Great Health Care Debate

As members of Congress meet with constituents during the August recess, strong emotions on proposed health reform are turning town hall meetings into demonstrations and shouting matches during a critical month in the debate.

Aug. 12

A dental patient awaits treatment during a free health clinic at The Forum arena in Inglewood, Calif. From Aug.11-18, the nonprofit Remote Area Medical (RAM), is holding the nation's largest free health care clinic.

John Moore-Getty Images

Aug. 13

Frank Victor, left, discusses his medical history with nurse Amy Dee Crawford before receiving the free medical care offered by Remote Area Medical at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. About 10,000 people are expected to visit The Forum, where 45 medical exam rooms, 100 dental chairs and 25 optometry stations have been set up so that mammograms and diabetes screenings, along with dental cleanings, extractions and fillings, and new glasses, can be offered for free.

Philip Scott Andrews-AP

Aug. 13

People sleep and camp out overnight near The Forum arena to get tickets for a free health clinic.

John Moore-Getty Images

Aug. 13

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) listens to a question at a town hall meeting in Kittanning, Penn. Specter took 30 questions in the one hour and 15 minute town hall focused on health care legislation. Specter has had many showdowns with angry constituents over the health care bill.

Jeff Swensen-Getty Images

Aug. 13

Dental patient Oshha Adams is given an x-ray at a free health clinic in Inglewood, Calif.

John Moore-Getty Images

Aug. 13

Remote Area Medical offered free dental care at The Forum, which reached capacity each day it was opened, with people camping out the night before in hopes of getting free medical care.

Philip Scott Andrews-AP

Aug. 12

People shout at a town hall meeting on health care reform hosted by Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) in Littleton, Colo. Like other town halls around the country, the crowd jeered and shouted protests during the meeting.

Rick Wilking-REUTERS

Aug. 11

President Obama takes questions from the audience during a town hall on health insurance reform at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, N.H.

Jim Young-Reuters

Aug. 11

A woman wears the sticker of an organization that supports health-care reform. The group, Health Care for American Now!, says legislation does not go far enough in improving the health-care system.

Jim Young-Reuters

Aug. 11

An audience member asks President Obama, not pictured, a question about Obama's health-care bill. President Obama is holding three town halls this week to fight back against what he calls "scare tactics," rumors and misrepresentations.

Darren McCollester-Getty Images

Aug. 11

President Obama told the packed high school stadium that, "every time we come close to passing health insurance reform, the special interests fight back with everything they've got. They use their influence. They use their political allies to scare and mislead the American people. They start running ads. This is what they always do. We can't let them do it again. Not this time. Not now."

Alex Brandon-AP

Aug. 11

President Obama holds a note from personal assistant Reggie Love. Obama took several questions from the crowd of around 1,800 people.

Jewel Samad-Getty Images

Aug. 11

President Obama holds Cadance Rosemary O'Donnell, 4, from Portsmouth, N.H., as he greets the crowd after speaking at town hall meeting.

Alex Brandon-AP

Aug. 11

Judy McAdoo holds a sign supporting health care reform before a heath-care panel at a town hall meeting in Alhambra, Calif. Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) held a town hall at the Alhambra Library.

Jae C. Hong-AP

Aug. 11

A group of people hold signs supporting health-care reform, outside the Alhambra Library in California.

Danny Moloshok-Reuters

Aug. 11

Hundreds of people gathered at a town hall in Alhambra, Calif. where Congressman Adam Schiff held a town hall on the health-care legislation making its way through Congress.

Danny Moloshok-Reuters

Aug. 11

An woman opposing health care reform gives a thumb down while listening to panelists in Alhambra, Calif. President Obama's senior adviser David Axelrod said that the angry protests occurring at health-care town halls around the country do not reflect the larger society.

Jae C. Hong-AP

August 11

A group of Obama supporters chant outside the Portsmouth, N.H. high school where the President took part in a town hall meeting with constituents to speak about his plans for health reform.

Jim Cole-AP

August 11

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), left, listens to a citizen express his complaints during a town hall meeting open to the public in Lebanon, Pa. Specter, a former Republican, faced a number of angry constituents in Lebanon County, a strongly Republican area.

Bradley C Bower-AP

August 10

A protester distributes papers before the start of a town hall meeting with Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) in Towson, Md. Cardin needed to shout through most of the event as the crowd repeated drowned him out with boos and jeers.

Mark Wilson-Getty Images

August 10

A man shouts as Cardin speaks at a town hall meeting in Towson, Md. Some members of the crowd reportedly yelled, "Taxes!" and "Spend, Ben, spend!" when Cardin mentioned that the financing behind proposed reform legislation had not been finalized.

Mark Wilson-Getty Images

August 10

Protesters hold signs outside the Towson University Center in Maryland before Cardin's town hall meeting there. Though loud and disruptive, those voicing their displeasure at the event remained peaceful.

Mark Wilson-Getty Images

August 10

Protesters for and against health reform line opposite sides of the street in Towson, Md. before Cardin's town hall meeting. When the senator was asked whether he would enroll in the reformed system, Cardin replied, "I turned 65 this year. I'm in a public plan. It's called Medicare."

Mark Wilson-Getty Images

August 10

Protesters expressing their support for reform legislation demonstrate before Cardin's town hall meeting in Towson, Md. Those for and against reform have turned out in large numbers at such events across the country to make their voices heard.

Mark Wilson-Getty Images

August 8

Alyssa Turk of Cedar Rapids, Iowa talks to Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) after a town hall meeting about a reformed government health-care program in Waterloo, Iowa. Harkin earned praise from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican, for his composure during the forum.

Matthew Putney-AP

August 8

Wendy Anemaet, a supporter of the Democrats' reform proposals, sits with her 11-year-old daughter, Aviendha, while asking a question of Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) in Brighton, Colo. Anemaet, a physical therapist, said she wanted to ask Perlmutter how health-care reform would impact her profession.

John Moore-Getty Images

August 8

Cheryl Burshett, a resident of Arvada, Colo., argues with supporters of the Democrats' reform proposals in Brighton, Colo. Hundreds of people on both sides of the debate turned out to demonstrate as Perlmutter met with constituents outside a grocery store.

John Moore-Getty Images

August 8

Seven-year-old Thora Smith looks over the shoulder of her father, Roger, as he protests against proposed health-care reform in Brighton, Colo. President Obama will head to Colorado later this week for a town hall meeting of his own in Grand Junction.

John Moore-Getty Images

August 6

Heather Fazio, far left, holds a sign as Irene Glass, far right, tries to argue a point outside the site of Rep. Lloyd Doggett's (D-Tex.) town hall meeting in Austin, Texas. Doggett said that in his previous 15 years of experience he had never seen such emotion as was on display during his forum.

Deborah Cannon-AP

August 6

People snap photos and record videos while standing outside a town hall meeting held by Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.) in Romulus, Mich. Dingell, author of one of the current reform proposals, was confronted by one unhappy constituent in moment caught on video that has gained some notoriety.

Kimberly P. Mitchell-AP

August 6

David Alexrod, Obama's senior advisor, meets with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Capitol Hill on the last day before a month-long recess. Axelrod and a number of Democratic senators met over lunch to discuss strategy as the health reform debate wages on.

Melina Mara-The Washington Post

August 6

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill about progress on proposed reform legislation. Schumer has expressed concerns over whether continued delays in reform will cause a loss of momentum that ultimately dooms the effort.

Melina Mara-The Washington Post

August 5

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), left, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), center, and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) participate in a news conference on Capitol Hill to discuss the political challenges facing health reform efforts. Brown has been a strong supporter of the public plan, has expressed disapproval of the so-called "group of six" Senate Finance Committee negotiations.

J. Scott Applewhite-AP

August 4

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), third from left, leads a group of Democratic senators as they leave a working lunch with Obama at the White House to discuss health care. From left are Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), Reid, Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)

Jewel Samad-AFP/Getty Images

August 4

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, speaks at a roundtable discussion on health care in San Francisco with San Francisco General Hospital CEO Sue Currin, second left, and other health care professionals, advocates, seniors and small business people. Pelosi recently drew criticism for calling some town hall demonstrators "un-American."

Jeff Chiu-AP

August 3

Demonstrators on both sides of the health-care reform debate argue in Lincoln, Neb. after a rally. The event was organized by Americans for Prosperity, a Washington-based conservative political advocacy group with chapters in 25 states.

Nati Harnik-AP

Obama answers speaks about health care during a town hall meeting at a Bristol, Va. supermarket. Obama held a town hall meeting in New Hampshire Tuesday afternoon and will hold additional forums in Montana and Colorado later in the week.

Marvin Joseph-The Washington Post

July 28

Obama fields a question from a an attendee of a town hall meeting at a high school in Raleigh, N.C. Bill Burton, the president's deputy press secretary, has said that the White House expects and looks forward to "a vigorous debate" on the issue of reform.

Marvin Joseph-The Washington Post

July 28

Obama participates in a teleconference town hall event at the AARP headquarters in Washington. More than 400,000 people were reported to have participated in the eight "tele-town halls" sponsored by the group, which also featured AARP staff and policy experts.

Jason Reed-Reuters

July 23

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) speak to reporters on Capitol Hill about health reform efforts. "We have a huge, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve the lives of all Americans," Sebelius wrote in an Aug. 4 Post op-ed.

Melina Mara-The Washington Post

July 23

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), left at table, speaks with Sen. Mike Enzi (R.-Wyo.) during a meeting in the Montana senator's Capitol Hill office. The two senators were key members of the Senate Finance Committee that played a large role in reform negotiations.

Melina Mara-The Washington Post

July 20

Congressional staffer Caitlin Haberman organizes amendments to the House Energy and Commerce Committee's version of proposed health-care reform legislation on Capitol Hill. The committee, the last to review the bill, approved its portion a week prior to August's congressional recess.

Melina Mara-The Washington Post

Gallery Credits:
Photo Editors Chris Dunn, Stephen Cook, Kate Napier Producers Kate Napier, Chris Dunn Text Editor Dan Greene, Channing Turner

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This Story Obama Faces 'Scare Tactics' Head-On Article \| PORTSMOUTH, N.H., Aug. 11 -- President Obama began a personal effort Tuesday to reclaim momentum for his health-care initiative with a direct rebuttal of what he called "scare tactics," rumors and misrepresentations. The Take: What They're Really Arguing About Going to the Mat On Health-Care Bill McCaskill: 'I Don't Understand This Rudeness' Protesters Disrupt Cardin Town Hall on Health Care The Great Health Care Debate : Post Politics: Health-Care Special Edition Behold, a National and Rational Conversation on Health Care Transcript: President Obama Delivers Remarks on Health Care at N.H. Town Hall Meeting Specter Faces Raucous Crowd at Town Hall Meeting Raw Video: Sen. Specter Faces Angry Town Hall Full Coverage: Health-Care Reform This Story Obama Pushes Insurance Reforms Article \| BELGRADE, Mont., Aug. 14 -- President Obama on Friday promised a new era of protections against insurance companies that drop customers when medical crises hit and said people who already have coverage would be among the biggest beneficiaries of his plans to revamp the health-care system. Transcript: President Obama Holds Town Hall in Belgrade, Mont. The Great Health Care Debate Obama Calls for 'Health Insurance Reform'		TOOLBOX E-Mail This Save/Share + Digg Facebook Reddit Twitter myspace del.icio.us NewsTrust Stumble It! COMMENT 0 Comments Your browser's settings may be preventing you from commenting on and viewing comments about this item. See instructions for fixing the problem. Discussion Policy CLOSE Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post. Who's Blogging » Links to this gallery		Related Sen. Specter Faces Major Protests in Home State Photos \| Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) has faced countless protesters and jeers at town halls across the state focusing on health care reform. With a democratic primary around the corner, Specter aims to prove his allegiance to his new party while also maintaining his legendary maverick political record. Obama Pushes for Health Care in Colorado Photos \| President Obama stopped in Colorado as part of a tour through a few western states to tout his health-care reform plan and offer a realistic description of what his bill will do.
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This Story Obama Faces 'Scare Tactics' Head-On Article \| PORTSMOUTH, N.H., Aug. 11 -- President Obama began a personal effort Tuesday to reclaim momentum for his health-care initiative with a direct rebuttal of what he called "scare tactics," rumors and misrepresentations. The Take: What They're Really Arguing About Going to the Mat On Health-Care Bill McCaskill: 'I Don't Understand This Rudeness' Protesters Disrupt Cardin Town Hall on Health Care The Great Health Care Debate : Post Politics: Health-Care Special Edition Behold, a National and Rational Conversation on Health Care Transcript: President Obama Delivers Remarks on Health Care at N.H. Town Hall Meeting Specter Faces Raucous Crowd at Town Hall Meeting Raw Video: Sen. Specter Faces Angry Town Hall Full Coverage: Health-Care Reform This Story Obama Pushes Insurance Reforms Article \| BELGRADE, Mont., Aug. 14 -- President Obama on Friday promised a new era of protections against insurance companies that drop customers when medical crises hit and said people who already have coverage would be among the biggest beneficiaries of his plans to revamp the health-care system. Transcript: President Obama Holds Town Hall in Belgrade, Mont. The Great Health Care Debate Obama Calls for 'Health Insurance Reform'		TOOLBOX E-Mail This Save/Share + Digg Facebook Reddit Twitter myspace del.icio.us NewsTrust Stumble It! COMMENT 0 Comments Your browser's settings may be preventing you from commenting on and viewing comments about this item. See instructions for fixing the problem. Discussion Policy CLOSE Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post. Who's Blogging » Links to this gallery		Related Sen. Specter Faces Major Protests in Home State Photos \| Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) has faced countless protesters and jeers at town halls across the state focusing on health care reform. With a democratic primary around the corner, Specter aims to prove his allegiance to his new party while also maintaining his legendary maverick political record. Obama Pushes for Health Care in Colorado Photos \| President Obama stopped in Colorado as part of a tour through a few western states to tout his health-care reform plan and offer a realistic description of what his bill will do.
» This Story:Read +\|Watch +\|Talk +\| Comments » This Story:Read +\|Watch +\| Comments