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Morning Health

by Julian Pecquet - 09/01/10 10:00 AM ET

Are small businesses better off with healthcare reform? The
Commonwealth Fund seeks to answer the question with the release of a new report
this week. The organization will hold a teleconference/briefing at 11 a.m.

The news comes as Democrats
have been touting the new law’s business grants in the face of continued
criticism by employers. HHS on Tuesday announced that almost 2,000 employers
and unions have been accepted into the $5 billion Early Retiree Reinsurance
Program. http://bit.ly/bmX1NP

Stem cell decision challenged: The
Department of Justice filed an emergency motion asking a U.S. district judge to
suspend a recent ruling prohibiting federal funding of human embryonic stem
cell research. http://bit.ly/cNN1Qj

The
agency is asking the judge to stay — or suspend — his ruling while the DOJ
appeals it “to avoid terminating research projects midstream, invalidating
results in process, and impeding or negating years of scientific progress
toward finding new treatments for devastating illnesses.” Anti-abortion
groups, who cheered the judge’s ruling, are now slamming the White House for
appealing it. http://bit.ly/8Z5A9J

Democrats against healthcare reform: Rep.
Frank Kratovil (D-Md.) joins Reps. Bobby Bright (D-Ala.) and Jason Altmire
(D-Pa.) with his new ad highlighting his “no” vote on healthcare
reform. http://bit.ly/alyEz2

A new
Kaiser Family Foundation poll suggests that’s not a bad idea. The poll found
that support for the law fell to 43 percent in August — down from 50 percent
just a month before. http://bit.ly/9X3vL6