February 24, 2010 6:48 PM

TV Coverage Limits Success of Health Care Summit

By
Mark Knoller
Topics
Health Care
(CBS/AP)
By staging a televised summit on health care legislation, President Obama is hoping to ratchet up the pressure on Congress to get a bill to his desk.

But by putting six hours of highly political talks on television, on one of the most controversial of his policy initiatives, it all but insures there'll be no breakthrough agreement on a health care bill.

If the televised proceedings of the House and Senate are a guide, the summit broadcast will provide six hours of political posturing about the proper role of government in regulating and mandating health care coverage.

If nothing else, the summit servers to help Mr. Obama deliver on a campaign promise that went unfulfilled last year.

"When I put forward my health care plan, I'm going to need your help - the American people's help - so we're going to have all our negotiations on C-SPAN," Mr. Obama promised supporters in 2008.

Well, the back-room negotiations that went before can't be televised, but the nation will get to see what may strike some as an endless infomercial of opposing views on government-mandated health care coverage.
(CBS/Mark Knoller)
Mr. Obama says he looks forward to "a good exchange of ideas" at Blair House (seen at left).

"I hope everyone comes with a shared desire to solve this challenge, not just score political points," he said Wednesday before an audience of corporate executives at a gathering of the Business Roundtable.

But point-scoring is what politicians do for a living.

For the first time, Mr. Obama has drafted a proposal he calls his own, based largely but not exclusively on the health care bill that passed the Senate early on the morning of the day before Christmas '09.

Republicans have already dismissed the Obama plan as "a costly, job-killing" health care initiative.

GOP leaders strenuously urged Mr. Obama to start from scratch at the summit and let those taking part come to terms on health care provision on a step-by-step basis. The White House rejected that idea out of hand.

But White House spokesman Robert Gibbs calls the president's proposal "a starting point" for negotiations.

"This can be added to by the ideas that Republicans bring on Thursday," said Gibbs.

But Republicans have made it clear they find the Obama plan totally unacceptable. They don't want to add to it. They want to tear it apart and eliminate most of its elements.

The GOP has put forward some legislative health care nuggets:

• "universal access" to health care including people with pre-existing conditions.

• enable Americans to be able to buy insurance from any company in any state

• enable small businesses to join together to offer health care at lower prices.

But those provisions don't come close to satisfying Mr. Obama and Democratic Congressional Leaders.

So at Thursday's summit they'll be talking past each other – and more to the point – at the audience they imagine is watching.

Their goal is to persuade those viewing or listening to the summit that the other guys got it all wrong about what kind of health care bill is right for America.

Don't be surprised if it sounds like a re-run. We have heard it all before.

More Coverage of the Health Care Summit:

Washington Unplugged: Health Care Summit Smoke and Mirrors?
GOP Disses Health Care Summit, But Asks for More Invites
Advice for the Health Care Summit from Two Presidents Named George
Americans Running Out of Patience on Health Care, Polls Show
GOP Prepares Strategy for Health Care Summit
Obama's Health Care Plan at a Glance
A War of Words Before the Health Care Summit
Obama's Health Care Plan Unveiled
Harry Reid Says GOP Should "Stop Crying" About Reconciliation
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

(CBS)
Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here. You can also follow him on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/markknoller.

Add a Comment See all 73 Comments
by travis123abc April 2, 2011 1:46 PM EDT
here is a funny joke I saw about employee medical benefits and dating, http://ponderingstuff.com/2011/04/02/employee-medical-coverage-dating/
Reply to this comment
by ALBrainTrust10 February 26, 2010 6:27 AM EST
OBAMA SEEMED PERTURBED TO SEE A COPY OF HIS BILL SITTING IN FRONT OF MORE THAN ONE REPUBLICAN AT THE SUMMIT.

WHY WAS/IS HE EMBARRASED BY THAT PILE OF PAPER? IT'S THE SALVATION OF THE COUNTRY, HE SHOULD BE PROUD OF IT!
Reply to this comment
by mikelpond February 25, 2010 6:44 PM EST
Mr Knoller, you are daft. On what planet do you think the republicans would do anything to make medical coverage more affordable? The insurance indutry makes obscene profits. They cancel policies when claims are made. In short, they have been given a license to steal, and you think the problem is TV coverage?
Reply to this comment
by ALBrainTrust10 February 26, 2010 6:28 AM EST
PROFIT...PROFIT...PROFIT....THAT IS THE F WORD FOR THE DEMS.

DEMOCRATS LOOK AT PROFITS AND SAY...."SHAME ON YOU, WHERE IS MINE?"

REPUBLICANS SAY....."THATS CAPITALISM AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES AMERICA RUN."
by hellosopo February 25, 2010 4:08 PM EST
I'm sure if this wasn't televised, Mark Knoller would be telling us that Obama is doing secret deals and it should be on TV.
Reply to this comment
by DalenaH February 25, 2010 3:01 PM EST
Actual healthcare solution aside. The fact that Obama chose to broadcast the summit seems to have caused some discomfort amongst the summit participants. For example we are seeing a lot of general remarks, closed body language. etc. While we would like to see a transparent government. Have they crossed the line. Multiple media weigh in http://******/bZlb2I
Reply to this comment
by babooph February 25, 2010 12:47 PM EST
The lobby bribes have been in for a long time-the republicrats can leave the scam in place ,or make it worse -no hope...
Reply to this comment
by ALBrainTrust10 February 26, 2010 6:29 AM EST
I THOUGHT IT WAS THE UNIONS BRIBING THE DEMS?
by Schieftain February 25, 2010 12:45 PM EST
Yes, people want Health Care reform, but most people do not want massive government controlled, socialized health care. I know several people with families in Canada and the UK who have suffered tragedies as a result of poor socialized care. Aside from that, right now, people want action from Washington on the unemployment situation more than health care. THAT should be the President's top priority right now.
Reply to this comment
by tmittelstaed February 25, 2010 6:50 PM EST
"...most people do not want massive government controlled, socialized health care..."

And that is exactly what the bill is NOT. Read it. Explain where in it, that it socializes health care. Then start spouting.
by ALBrainTrust10 February 26, 2010 6:31 AM EST
MASSIVE, GOVERNMENT RUN FROM WASHINGTON HEALTH CARE IS WHAT WE FEAR IN THE FUTURE!

THE DEMS AGREED YESTERDAY THAT MEDICARE AND MEDICAID HAVE AT 1/3 OF THEIR TOTAL BUDGETS THAT DON'T GO FOR MEDICAL CARE!!! WHAT A WASTE!!!
by wfw3536 February 25, 2010 11:53 AM EST
This is just a show by Obama for the public. It is being held in bad faith as he/democrats are already planning to ram this through the senate next week. And Obama and the press wonder why government is broken. And this is the change we can believe in when they are do this stuff. I can't wait to vote in the next two elections.
Reply to this comment
by robertg222 February 25, 2010 10:41 AM EST
I am watching the C-SPAN coverage of the health care summit right now. So far it's been nothing but political posturing. No work at all.
Reply to this comment
by drbob10001 February 25, 2010 10:28 AM EST
This article is a great example of the cynical journalistic view that got us stuck where we are in the first place.President Obama's very purpose of putting the Health Care Summit on TV is to put everyone on the spot so that they will feel public pressure to come up with a result and find a solution. I am continually impressed by the ability of all media to cement the status quo of stagnation. Of course nothing will happen if articles such as this turn people off from engaging in the process. Perhaps that is the point.
Reply to this comment
by tmittelstaed February 25, 2010 6:56 PM EST
"the majority in this country don't want the type of reform the dems have put forward. We don't want a bill where middle class americans pay more so poor amercians and illegals get a free ride"

The poor and illegals are already getting a free ride in the emergency room. Then, the middle class Americans pay for that in the form of increased hospital bills. No matter what the bill actually says, it cannot do anything to encourage this situation anymore than it already is, because everyone is already doing it this way.
See all 73 Comments
.

Follow Political Hotsheet

Scroll Left
Scroll Right More »
CBS News on Facebook
  • Building You a Better Morning

  • CBS This Morning

    "CBS This Morning," anchored by Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Erica Hill, airs weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and at the same time in other time zones.
    Learn more...