State of Play: Congress Breaks, White House Motors On
By Ceci Connolly
Congress will be out this week, so the White House is filling the health-care space with a series of events — in person and over the Internet — to keep the spotlight on the president’s top domestic priority.
First lady Michele Obama has scheduled a visit today to one of the Unity Health Care community centers in the District of Columbia. She plans to visit the clinic, which targets lower-income residents, and speak about the value of increased spending for community clinics, which focus on primary care and prevention.
On Wednesday , President Obama leads a town-hall style discussion on health in Annandale, Va. There will also be opportunities to send in questions and comments online.
Even Vice President Biden is joining the health-reform team. He sent out an email to supporters and members of Obama’s political arm, Organizing for America, showcasing the “powerful health-care stories from around the country” that have poured in.
“For folks who don't yet understand why health care reform is such an urgent priority, these stories make the case far better than any statistics ever could,” he writes. “For those who support health care reform but haven't yet found the time to join our campaign, these stories provide more motivation than any speech any politician could ever give.”
Lawmakers, meanwhile, are taking a weeklong July 4 break, which means there’s a pause in the blizzard of hearings, markups and stakeouts of the past few weeks on Capitol Hill.
The ambitious legislative schedule laid out by Obama and Democratic congressional leaders is proving a bit difficult to meet.
Senate Finance Committee members left Washington with no bill and no clear roadmap for how it intends to meet its goal of delivering comprehensive health coverage to the majority of Americans for no more than $1 trillion over the next decade. Much attention is being given to the panel because analysts expect it to offer the best hope of a bipartisan compromise.
While lawmakers are back in their home states hosting town hall meetings and marching in July 4th parades, committee staff will continue haggling over the numbers, with the Congressional Budget Office and various health industry players.
Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) convinced his bipartisan “coalition of the willing” to sign a statement declaring progress had been made in their series of talks last week. But several Republicans, most notably Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Orrin Hatch of Utah, told reporters a full-fledged deal is still far off.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which rushed to get out of the gate first, has yet to release the two most significant sections of its bill: provisions detailing how an employer mandate would work and its vision for a government insurance option, known as the public plan.
Over on the House side of the Capitol, staffers will be laboring this week to put forth a financing package for the bill drafted by leaders of three committees — Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce and Education and Labor.
White House senior adviser David Axelrod appeared on several talk shows yesterday, reprising the administration theme that Obama is committed to certain broad principles but aiming to give lawmakers flexibility on the details. That goes for debate over the contentious question of a government-managed insurance program—dubbed the public plan—that would compete with private insurance firms.
“One of the problems we've had in this town is that people draw lines in the sand and they stop talking to each other. And you don't get anything done,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.” “That's not the way the president approaches this.”
He used some of his most colorful rhetoric on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” saying that “if we don't pass health reform, it's going to be a catastrophic problem for the country, not just the Democratic Party -- for families, businesses, and the country itself.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” rebutted critics who suggest a major overhaul of the system will lead to rationing.
“Unfortunately, care is being rationed each and every day right now,” she said. “Often private insurance companies stand between a patient and a doctor deciding what treatment can be provided, what prescription can be filled, can you stay in the hospital for an extra day or two. That goes on every day in America.”
Congress returns after the July 4 weekend.
By
Paul Volpe
|
June 29, 2009; 5:10 AM ET
Categories:
Health Reform
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State of Play
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Posted by: Curmudgeon10 | June 29, 2009 6:59 AM | Report abuse
This is such a NO BRAINER!! Any awake, rational, half way intelligent American knows our system needs reform. It's breaking the bank. Repugnigans are pulling their usual stunts in obfuscating the facts showing they are the party of greed and corruption. Obama is absolutely right in acknowledging we have a huge fiscal problem looming in this country as a result of out of control costs (spending) on healthcare (18% of GDP). Wise investments produce good returns. Let's invest wisely America and drop kick the Repugnigans over to the sidelines until they can again make beneficial contributions to the debate.
Posted by: truthseeker13 | June 29, 2009 9:21 AM | Report abuse
The politicking of Republicans and their bloggers, as well as that of kool-aid drunk Democrats is very disheartening. What has become of resonable discussion? I find no value in the opinionating that takes place in these venues.
Posted by: buddecj | June 29, 2009 10:59 AM | Report abuse
Please support healthcare with a public option. The real problem behind all the other problems is that there are not enough providers. The AMA and its state subsidiaries have purposefully limited the availability of doctors for decades. They intentionally altered the supply side to massively increase their individual incomes –simple supply side economics. Everyday patients with insurance and resources come to me pleading for care because they are unable to get care anywhere else but the ER. We must have more providers. Please support healthcare that includes Nurse Practitioners as leaders of medical homes. Twelve states already have care provided by independent NPs.
NPs must have the ability to work freely without the costly and unnecessary oversight of expensive physicians. There is over 30 years of research data that proves the outcomes in primary care achieved by NPs are equivalent to those of MDs in every way. Even research done by the AMA and GAO agree. Economists agree, patients agree and even last month the American College of Physicians agreed NPs should be leaders of medical homes. Costly unnecessary redundant physician 'after sight' stifles the NPs ability to care for patients in a holistic wellness model. The physician model is based on treating people when they are sick. The practitioner model is based on preventing illness and treating their problems holistically. Disease care vs. Health care
The goal has to be to reduce the profiteering from healthcare. The good ‘ol boy system has crushed the will to live. ‘Disease care’ is on life support. Cost is oppressive and suffocating us. Please support healthcare that includes Nurse Practitioners as leaders of medical homes because we need more providers. Please support a public option because the doctors on insurance boards will never ever cut profits. Republicans stand for family values and a healthy family is paramount to a productive family. Please support healthcare reform. It's the right thing for businesses, patients, families and America.
Posted by: tpirky | June 29, 2009 11:06 AM | Report abuse
“For folks who don't yet understand why health care reform is such an urgent priority, ....
Why dont we just end the expansion of the empire and focus on the homeland instead of WAR WAR WAR. War is not a path to peace. jGood Lord. Cut the Pentagon budget ... speak to and trade with our neighbors if you are feeling so friggin Altruistic Mr. President. ... end the friggin fighting ...
And at some point costs need to be considered. YOu can not spend and burden future generations with debt ... it is morally wrong to oblige them to that debt. Who speaks for them now during this decision making process ? No one? We need a cabinet post that sole focus is to take into account the impact of decisions made today on the future generations of Americans.This also is an urgent priority ... if mean if we are being Altruistic and all ...
It is simple ...The expansion of teh empire needs to end. It is BS that the wars are being sold as our attempt to to promote Freedom ... LMAO ... Freedom as we define freedom .. which by the way ... if anyone with open eyes can see is not being truly free ... but free to do as you are told ... Change. Give me a break.
Posted by: AmericanSpirit | June 29, 2009 11:55 AM | Report abuse
We don't want your foney fraudulent heathcare obama it is just like your Crap and Shove Carbon tax a pile of elcrapo and smiles like the basement of an Outhouse
Posted by: bobojake | June 29, 2009 12:07 PM | Report abuse
I support the public plan. Please support the public plan. Give us the option to pay into a public plan or private plan.
Stop scaring the public by using words like “nationization” or “socialism”. Please us phrases like “commom sense” and “good for competition” and "good for the nation".
As Obama says:
"for us to be able to say, here's a public option that's not profit-driven, that can keep down administrative costs, and that provides you good, quality care for a reasonable price as one of the options for you to choose, I think that makes sense.
"Why would it drive private insurance out of business? If -- if private -- if private insurers say that the marketplace provides the best quality health care; if they tell us that they're offering a good deal, then why is it that the government, which they say can't run anything, suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That's not logical."
Just one salary from the big insurance CEO could pay for health care for how many people. And what does he do to earn that money? He tells the insured what doctor to see, what procedure to pay for, how much to pay for that procedure and rewards those that deny the most claims.
They say they spread the risk but they actually spread the cost and still make huge salaries. That's a lot of profit on the backs of the few they pick to insure.
Those that they insure are generally young and healthy and do not usually need the benefits that they pay for. They are "cherry picked" for the low risk of out pay.
When these folks get older they are dumped onto the Medicare/Social Security program. Then we all pay anyway.
Posted by: mjpierno | June 29, 2009 12:41 PM | Report abuse
To Curmudgeon10,
You are not a curmudgeon, just a cur. A mean-spirited cur.
Posted by: MisterSunshine | June 29, 2009 12:57 PM | Report abuse
Every breathing individual knows that the current health care system is ailing. I don't think, however, that the 'public option' (read:pre-single-payer government takeover) is the cure. This will gut the profession of talent and lead to the government making our medical decisions. I wonder how many Obamians will be using the public option for their families. www.MDWhistleblower.blogspot.com
Posted by: MKirschMD | June 30, 2009 8:11 AM | Report abuse
The comments to this entry are closed.
I wonder if health care reform would include further chemo treatments for Teddy Kennedy. He is after all, terminal. The Great Leader said sometimes you have to take a pain pill instead of the surgery.
Perhaps Michelle could wing her way to Hyannisport with the pills and the message.