Obama To Doctors: "I Need Your Help"
(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
At the AMA's annual meeting in Chicago, the president said real reform will mean curbing costs and closing cost disparities across the country, changing incentives for doctors and encouraging best practices -- as well as ensuring every American can get coverage they can afford by offering a government-sponsored insurance option. (Read the president's full remarks here.)
"But my signature on a bill is not enough. I need your help, doctors," Mr. Obama said. "To most Americans, you are the health care system. Americans – me included – just do what you recommend. That is why I will listen to you and work with you to pursue reform that works for you. And together, if we take all these steps, we can bring spending down, bring quality up, and save hundreds of billions of dollars on health care costs while making our health care system work better for patients and doctors alike."
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House Leaders Duel Over Health Care
(AP)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made clear in her weekly press conference that the centerpiece of House Democrat's plan to reform health care is a public option. When asked if the speaker would support a proposal gaining momentum in the Senate to create a non-profit insurance entity instead of a government plan Pelosi said "not instead of a public option, no."
The insistence on a government health insurance option means any hope for Republicans and Democrats to finally work together on an issue of great importance to the country is waning rapidly.
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Cost Issues Loom Large Over Health Care Debate
(CBS/AP)
On Tuesday, two key players from the Senate and the White House said that the health care package that passes in the Senate will have to be budget-nuetral for its first years of implementation, but it must also include long term cost-saving measures like comparative effectiveness research. They made their point the same day President Obama urged Congress to pass "paygo" legislation, which would require any new tax cut or entitlement program to be paid for.
During a forum at the Brookings Institution on Tuesday, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orzag promised the health care reform package the president ultimately signs will be deficit-neutral for five to 10 years under Congressional Budget Office scoring.
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Democrats Look To Expand Disability Services
(AP)
"The way I see it, [this] is a civil rights issue," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. "As far as I'm concerned, there is no health reform without the Community Choice Act."
Harkin is the sponsor of the Community Choice Act, one of two proposals introduced this year that that would significantly expand federal assistance for people in need of long-term care. Harkin and other advocates of the measures say they must pass this year – tying them to overall health care reform that the president and others have said will be accomplished now or never.
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GOP Senators Send Letter Opposing Public Plan
5013485A letter sent to President Obama on Monday from a key group of Republican senators highlights the seemingly intractable differences Republicans and Democrats will have to overcome to achieve bipartisan health care reform.
Nine of the ten Republicans from the Senate Finance Committee, one of the two panels responsible for health care legislation, wrote to Mr. Obama to express their opposition to a government-sponsored health insurance plan -- or a "public option." The only Republican senator from the committee who refrained from signing the letter is moderate Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine).
"At a time when major government programs like Medicare and Medicaid are already on a path to fiscal insolvency, creating a brand new government program will not only worsen our long term financial outlook but also negatively impact American families who enjoy the private coverage of their choice," the letter says. "Forcing free market plans to compete with these government-run programs would create an unlevel playing field and inevitably doom true competition."
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Nine of the ten Republicans from the Senate Finance Committee, one of the two panels responsible for health care legislation, wrote to Mr. Obama to express their opposition to a government-sponsored health insurance plan -- or a "public option." The only Republican senator from the committee who refrained from signing the letter is moderate Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine).
"At a time when major government programs like Medicare and Medicaid are already on a path to fiscal insolvency, creating a brand new government program will not only worsen our long term financial outlook but also negatively impact American families who enjoy the private coverage of their choice," the letter says. "Forcing free market plans to compete with these government-run programs would create an unlevel playing field and inevitably doom true competition."
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Senator Offers Angry Tweet For Obama
(CBS)
"Pres Obama you got nerve while u sightseeing in Paris to tell us 'time to deliver' on health care. We still on skedul/even workinWKEND," Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, declared on his Twitter account on Sunday morning.
Minutes later, he tweeted, "Pres Obama while u sightseeing in Paris u said 'time to delivr on healthcare' When you are a 'hammer' u think evrything is NAIL I'm no NAIL."
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Obama Says He Is "Open" To Health Care Mandate
5013485In a letter sent Tuesday to the two senators driving health care reform, President Obama said he is open to the idea of a mandate for all Americans to obtain health insurance, as long as it does not become a financial hardship for poor Americans or small businesses.
"If we do end up with a system where people are responsible for their own insurance, we need to provide a hardship waiver to exempt Americans who cannot afford it," Mr. Obama wrote to Senators Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.). "In addition, while I believe that employers have a responsibility to support health insurance for their employees, small businesses face a number of special challenges in affording health benefits and should be exempted."
He also said in his letter he agrees with the proposal to create a health insurance exchange through which Americans can compare the benefits and prices of various health care plans, as members of Congress are currently able to do.
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"If we do end up with a system where people are responsible for their own insurance, we need to provide a hardship waiver to exempt Americans who cannot afford it," Mr. Obama wrote to Senators Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.). "In addition, while I believe that employers have a responsibility to support health insurance for their employees, small businesses face a number of special challenges in affording health benefits and should be exempted."
He also said in his letter he agrees with the proposal to create a health insurance exchange through which Americans can compare the benefits and prices of various health care plans, as members of Congress are currently able to do.
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Obama: Constraining Health Care Costs A Must
5013485"This is a necessity. This is something that has to be done," President Obama said Tuesday with respect to health care reform. "We cannot avoid bringing about change in our health care system."
After meeting with key senators to discuss health care reform, the president emphasized the need to control ballooning health care costs.
"If we don't get control over costs, then it is going to be very difficult for us to expand coverage," he said. "These two things have to go hand-in-hand."
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After meeting with key senators to discuss health care reform, the president emphasized the need to control ballooning health care costs.
"If we don't get control over costs, then it is going to be very difficult for us to expand coverage," he said. "These two things have to go hand-in-hand."
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Progressive Groups To Spend $82M Backing Obama's Health Care Plan
(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)
Speaking at the "America's Future Now" conference, backers of the effort suggested it was the ideal time to push a government-run national health care option.
"Over the past few years, we have worked together to build a progressive infrastructure and a movement that helped to elect President Obama and begin to undo the damage of the last eight years. But it was just the beginning," said former presidential candidate, Vermont governor and Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean. "As the health care reform debate makes clear, America needs a strong progressive movement, now is not the time to become complacent."
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Kennedy: Public Plan, Mandate In Health Care Bill
(CBS/John P. Filo)
Sen. Ted Kennedy, one of the major players in health care reform, could reportedly introduce a bill this month that includes a government-managed health care plan -- a key element of any proposal for liberal health care reform advocates.
A draft outline of health care legislation under preparation in the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee also indicates the bill could include a mandate for all Americans to acquire health insurance, as well as a requirement for employers to contribute to workers' coverage, according to various reports.
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Ads Seek To Sway Opinions On Health Care
5013485This post was written by Prerana Swami.
With Congress set to debate an overhaul of health care system, groups such as Moveon.org and Conservatives for Patients' Rights are releasing advertisements across the country encouraging Americans to take a stance on the issue.
Moveon.org Political Action released a new radio spot today that focuses on the importance of public health insurance as an alternative to privatized insurance. Using PacMan sounds to signal "game over" for the current health care system, the advertisement takes the MoveOn message to key senators' home states.
"President Obama and seventy percent of voters support health care reform that includes a public health insurance option to contain costs, increase competition, and guarantee coverage" the advertisement claims.
In the spot, an announcer asks listeners to call on their senators to suggest reform that includes publicly-provided insurance.
NBC, meanwhile, is set to air a 30-minute infomercial on Sunday, after "Meet The Press," that is funded by Conservatives for Patients' Rights. The infomercial, which opposes a public insurance plan, has ruffled the feathers of many left-leaning groups.
Two such groups, Democracy for America and the Service Employees International Union, have called on supporters to sign a letter to NBC demanding it not air the infomercial.
The ad "will be false, deceitful, and a distortion," an SEIU attorney wrote in the letter. Were the infomercial to contain fabrications, CPR faces a fine from the Federal Communications Commission, Politico notes.
In response, CPR spokesman Keith Appell said that such complaints are to be expected.
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With Congress set to debate an overhaul of health care system, groups such as Moveon.org and Conservatives for Patients' Rights are releasing advertisements across the country encouraging Americans to take a stance on the issue.
Moveon.org Political Action released a new radio spot today that focuses on the importance of public health insurance as an alternative to privatized insurance. Using PacMan sounds to signal "game over" for the current health care system, the advertisement takes the MoveOn message to key senators' home states.
"President Obama and seventy percent of voters support health care reform that includes a public health insurance option to contain costs, increase competition, and guarantee coverage" the advertisement claims.
In the spot, an announcer asks listeners to call on their senators to suggest reform that includes publicly-provided insurance.
NBC, meanwhile, is set to air a 30-minute infomercial on Sunday, after "Meet The Press," that is funded by Conservatives for Patients' Rights. The infomercial, which opposes a public insurance plan, has ruffled the feathers of many left-leaning groups.
Two such groups, Democracy for America and the Service Employees International Union, have called on supporters to sign a letter to NBC demanding it not air the infomercial.
The ad "will be false, deceitful, and a distortion," an SEIU attorney wrote in the letter. Were the infomercial to contain fabrications, CPR faces a fine from the Federal Communications Commission, Politico notes.
In response, CPR spokesman Keith Appell said that such complaints are to be expected.
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Obama Mobilizes Grassroots Support For Health Care Reform
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Obama on Thursday spoke on a conference call with his grassroots supporters, telling them he needs their help to pass health care reform legislation this year -- otherwise, he said, it will not get done.
"If we don't get it done this year, we're not going to get it done," the president said, calling in from Air Force One. "We're going to need to mobilize all of you."
As both conservative and liberal groups push their messages either for or against health care reforms, Mr. Obama's own group called Organizing for America is preparing to kick off a national campaign to win nationwide support for his health care agenda.
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GOP Health Care Plan Aims For Universal Health Care In The Private Market
5013485Republicans in the House and the Senate on Wednesday introduced comprehensive health care legislation. In doing so they showed that as the party continues to redefine itself, it is choosing to embrace some of the principles and rhetoric that have proven successful for Democratic party.
The Patients' Choice Act, introduced today by Senators Tom Coburn (R-Ok.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Reps. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), adopts many of the same goals Democrats are pursuing as they continue to draw up their own health care reform bill.
The Republican plan, however, promotes very different policies.
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The Patients' Choice Act, introduced today by Senators Tom Coburn (R-Ok.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Reps. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), adopts many of the same goals Democrats are pursuing as they continue to draw up their own health care reform bill.
The Republican plan, however, promotes very different policies.
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Grassroots Groups Step Up Health Care Push
5013485While members of the Senate Finance Committee met behind closed doors today to privately discuss health care reform, their liberal constituents were busy engaging in a very public discussion about giving consumers the option to choose a government-run health care plan.
Grassroots advocacy groups in recent days have launched public campaigns advocating for a health care reform bill that would give consumers the choice of signing up for a government-run plan, otherwise known as a "public option." Groups like MoveOn.org and Health Care for America Now are mobilizing their members and running television ads in states represented by congressmen playing a critical role in the health care reform debate.
Based on the progress of the debate, the public option proponents say Congress is listening. More and more senators have said they are open to the idea of a public option, and a new plan for health care reform that surfaced this week shows the House of Representatives is considering a public option as well.
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Grassroots advocacy groups in recent days have launched public campaigns advocating for a health care reform bill that would give consumers the choice of signing up for a government-run plan, otherwise known as a "public option." Groups like MoveOn.org and Health Care for America Now are mobilizing their members and running television ads in states represented by congressmen playing a critical role in the health care reform debate.
Based on the progress of the debate, the public option proponents say Congress is listening. More and more senators have said they are open to the idea of a public option, and a new plan for health care reform that surfaced this week shows the House of Representatives is considering a public option as well.
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Obama, House Leaders Promise Health Care Bill By August
(CBS)
"Our legislation will be on the floor by the end of July, I am quite certain," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said outside the White House.
Mr. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden had just finished meeting in the Oval Office with congressional Democratic leaders heading up health care reform, including Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Charlie Rangel, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Rep. Henry Waxman, and House Education and Labor Committee Chair Rep. George Miller.
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