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‘Runaways’ weekend?
mStory of rocker Joan Jett’s girl band recreates an era mReviews of five movies
out this weekend, including Ben Stiller’s latest flick, 3D

By David Moir, Apparition

Band: Dakota Fanning, Kristen Stewart.

Health care bill heads for showdown
Obama delays trip to nudge support
By Richard Wolf USA TODAY

Scene in Fargo, N.D., by Scott Olson, Getty Images

Midwest on flood alert
mLessons learned last year have towns better prepared. Flood outlook, 3A

Boomer legend Fess Parker dies
mAs Disney’s Davy Crockett, he sparked 1950s cap craze. Vintner was 85, 3D

1964 photo by AP

Weekend gas gauge
Current average Week ago Year ago Regular $2.7991 $2.776 $1.920 Mid $2.9711 $2.947
$2.039 Premium $3.0791 $3.053 $2.112

Source: AAA.com; arrows show direction of prices from previous week

Government targets underage smoking
Food and Drug Administration announces crackdown on tobacco sales to people under
18. 3A.

Postal proposal prompts dire warning
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, warns plan to cut delivery could send service into “death
spiral.” 3A.

mMoney: Hotels offer fewer niceties
Plush towels, cookies, other extras on the wane as the lodging industry adjusts to
economy. 1B.

mSports: Jordan takes over Bobcats
Former NBA star says he’ll be involved in personnel decisions and marketing for
the team. 1, 10C.

mLife: Bullock’s hubby issues apology
After reports of affair, he says he’s sorry for grief he caused, but most allegations
are untrue. 1D. uRoyal Caribbean’s $1.4 billion luxury ship. 4D. Get a free fourweek
trial of our digital replica e-Edition, e-mailed to you complete every morning, at
usatodaysubscribe.com/usa422.

USA TODAY Snapshots® S SA DA DA
Insurance covers wedding bell blues
Percentage of wedding-insurance claims filed in 2009 involving: Bad weather

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s year-long quest to fix the nation’s health
care system faces its most critical test Sunday when House Democrats hope to pass
a revised 10-year, $940 billion package expanding coverage to 32 million people.
His top priority on the line, Obama postponed a trip to Indonesia and Australia so
he would be present for the vote and what could be a week of Senate action. “The
president is determined to see this battle through,” spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Obama’s decision came as Democrats unveiled their latest plan, which would expand
the Medicaid program for the poor and establish a subsidized marketplace for middle-income
people and small businesses. Most people would be required to have health insurance.
Businesses with 50 or more workers would have to provide it or pay a fee. Insurers
could not deny coverage in most instances. The measure also would close a gap in
prescription-drug coverage for seniors, shores up the Medicare trust fund for nine
years and includes an unrelated student loan bill. To pay for health care, the Trust
is key package taxes the most expensive insurance plans, in- mGOP: Don’t rely creases
the Medicare pay- on the Senate, 5A By Elsa, Getty Images roll tax for upper-income
Giant killer: DeVaughn Washington celebrates as No. 14 seed Ohio stuns No. 3 Georgetown
97-83 taxpayers, imposes new fees on drug companies Thursday night. By Monday, the
65-team field will be down to 16. Track the action at usatoday.com. and squeezes
about $500 billion out of Medicare. Democrats on Thursday touted the non-partisan
Congressional Budget Office’s preliminary estimate that it would save $138 billion
over 10 years. That would make the bill the biggest deficit-reduction measure in
more than a decade. “I love numbers,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wealthier girls
getting the vaccine, Bach says, the said. “We feel very strong about where we are.”
low vaccination rates in poor states are “a failure.” Several Democrats who voted
against the House The Food and Drug Administration approved health care package in
November said they would Gardasil in 2006 and another vaccine, Cervarix, in support
the new version, including Reps. Betsy By Liz Szabo 2009. Both block infection with
the cancer-causing Markey of Colorado and Bart Gordon of Tennessee. USA TODAY human
papillomavirus, or HPV. The vote remained in doubt, however, as the numMerck spokeswoman
Pamela Eisele says the ber of undecided House Democrats grew shorter. A cervical
cancer vaccine is not getting to many of company has several programs to help poor
womAt least 10 Democratic fence-sitters were invited the girls who need it the most,
a new study shows. en afford the shots. to the White House as Obama signed a jobs
bill. Mississippi and Arkansas, two of the nation’s Low-income girls also can get
free vaccines from Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois later vowed support. poorest states,
also have the highest death rates the federal Vaccines for Children program, says
Seeking to sway moderates, Obama cited deficit from cervical cancer — a result
of poor access to ba- Lance Rodewald of the Centers for Disease Control reduction
as “but one virtue of a reform that will sic screenings and health care for a large
number of and Prevention. Partly because of that program, bring new accountability
to the insurance industry women, says Peter Bach of New York’s Memorial 46% of
girls in households with incomes below the and greater economic security to all Americans.”
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. poverty level received at least one HPV shot in Congressional
Republicans, who oppose the legYet in Mississippi, where the vaccine could per- 2008,
compared with 36% of those above poverty islation, criticized the policy and Pelosi’s
threathaps save the greatest number of lives, only 16% of level. The federal poverty
level is $22,050 for a fam- ened process, by which the House would vote for teen
girls in 2008 received the shot, called Gardasil, ily of four, according to the Department
of Health the changes and “deem” the underlying Senate bill according to Bach’s
paper in Saturday’s The Lancet. and Human Services. passed. That bill includes
sweeteners for states and About 22% of Arkansas girls ages 13 to 17 got the But women’s
health activist Barbara Brenner of senators, some of which remain in the new bill.
vaccine, which costs $390 for three shots. Breast Cancer Action says Bach’s study
highlights Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell said the In the wealthier state of Rhode
Island, where cer- broad inequalities in American health care. “There new package
includes $150 billion in additional tax vical cancer mortality is half as high as
in Mis- are places in this country where women have noth- increases and $60 billion
in new Medicare cuts. “I sissippi and Arkansas, 55% of girls received Gardasil,
ing,” Brenner says. “But we don’t notice them until would suggest that the
president not scrap his trip the paper says. Though there’s nothing wrong with
a story like this comes out.” to Indonesia,” he said. “He should scrap this
bill.”

HPV vaccine not reaching needy
Study says cervical cancer impacts poor states most

Vendor Vendor and ve venue proble problems blems




Wedding attire attire problems pro

Among Iraqis, war’s psychological scars run deep
dren played nearby. “I know my psychological situation is fragile,” she says.
“I am always thinking about committing BAGHDAD — It was nearly two years ago
when suicide, but there is a voice inside my head that tells Iraqi soldiers raided
the home of Senaa Tahir Abid, me my responsibilities are too big to leave this but
she thinks about it every day. world.” The soldiers said they had received tips
Iraq is just beginning to address the unthat Senaa’s husband and her sister’s
husseen battle wounds of paranoia, depression band were insurgents against the governand
anxiety rising out of the war that began ment in Iraq. Senaa and her four children
with the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that topwere hustled outside. pled Saddam Hussein,
says Abdul Rahim alWhen they were let back in, they found her hus- Fredawi, a psychologist
and professor at the Uniband on the kitchen floor, his bloody body full of Please
see COVER STORY next page u bullet holes. Senaa’s brother-in-law was dead in the
By Aamer Madhani USA TODAY

Other1

Even as fighting declines, living room. on the couch the other day, and all I “I
was sitting could do was cry and wish that I was dead,” says healing may be years
away Abid, recalling her distress as her four young chil-

Source: Travelers Insurance

1 – health issues, etc. By Anne R. Carey and Veronica Salazar, USA TODAY A TODAY

QIJFAF-05005v(L)L

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By Ahmad Al-Rubaye, AFP/Getty Images

Fragile state: An Iraqi man grieves after a suicide bomber attack in central Baghdad
in October.

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