White House Stresses Agreement with GOP at Health Care Summit

By: Spencer Magloff
Topics: Washington Unplugged

Linda Douglass, director of communication for the White House office of Health Reform, told Bob Shieffer on "Washington Unplugged" that Thursday's health care summit was "an open, very frank exchange," between what has seemed like a year of irreconcilable philosophical beliefs and intransigent political parties.

Speaking on behalf of the White House during the summit's intermission, Douglass highlighted the summit's success by noting the large commonalities between most Democrats and Republicans on health care legislation.

"You heard them talking about how there have to be pools for small businesses to band together to buy coverage which lowers cost, you heard how they agree, the Republicans and Democrats, that there has to be a crackdown on waste, fraud and abuse in public health care spending," Douglass said.

"You heard them talk about how they agree that there got to be emphasis on prevention and wellness on our healthcare system," she continued. "They talked about selling insurance across state lines, there was agreement there."

However, she also noted areas where disagreement persists.

"The president believes that there should be a minimum level of benefits that consumers can count on when they buy health insurance so that they know their actually covered," she said, but added that the Republican "colleagues at the table didn't necessarily agree on that."

Douglass was referring to government-based "exchanges" where individuals or small companies could band together to have more pulling power to bring costs down. Though Democrats have largely championed a "minimum level of benefits" in these exchanges, the two bills that have passed Congress do this differently. The House bill calls for a federal exchange while the Senate bill would set up state-based exchanges.

Republicans instead call for setting up "association health plans." Although similar to the Democrat proposal, these would not have to meet any government-mandated, minimum requirements, but associations could decide what they wanted to pay for.

Douglas was asked whether the health care summit was a display of real reform or just politics as usual?"

"There is no question that the president is aiming for results," she said. "And what you heard this morning is a real discussion on where the areas of agreement are, where we could find some way to bring the Republicans into this effort to try to bring relief to the American people."

Watch the interview with Douglass above, or watch the whole special edition of "Washington Unplugged" below, which also includes CBS News' Mark Knoller, Politico's Mike Allen, the Washington Post's editorial writer Marc Thiessen andRepublican Rep. Bill Cassidy.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

"Washington Unplugged" appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.

More Coverage of the Health Care Summit:

Live Blog: Hotsheet Tracked the Whole Summit Point by Counterpoint
Marc Ambinder: The Summit was a Tie -- And That's Good News for GOP
Reaction and Analysis on Washington Unplugged
Fact Check: The Health Care Summit
Obama Urges Republicans to Do Some "Soul Searching"
Obama: Americans Aren't "Sultans" Who Can Afford Great Health Coverage
Few Women at Health Care Summit
Obama to McCain: "The Election's Over"
All Hotsheet Coverage

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by KIMBERLYSUF February 25, 2010 9:40 PM EST: ANOTHER UNECESSARY TAX
The SCHIP bill sounds great ? State Children's Health Insurance Program. This program expands public health coverage to many children who would otherwise have been enrolled in a private health insurance program.[1] This is another way the current administration is almost secretly getting what it wants/moving coverage from private insurers to public insurers. Of course judging by history, the government is always better at providing for the common person than the private industry ? and you can count on the gov. to never charge too much for a service ? they'll just mandate everyone pay for the same, inefficient service, and tax us whatever they want ? ins't that fair ? spread the wealth. The poor should be taken care of ? some research shows that the poor ARE taken care of ? it's the person too busy WORKING, to get involved in politics, that's not taken care of ? much of the current stimulus went to HHS, and other health services to prepare for gov. takeover of healthcare not healthcare REFORM. And much of the stimulus went to friends in crime/ACORN. With ACORN, healthscare, SCHIP, and other programs, the corrupt in the current administration are hiding behind a pleasant facade ? masquerading something evil, as something good. Evidently a 61 cent increase in cigarette tax went to the SCHIP program.[2] Taxes are being forced on the less poor/poor to help the less poor/poor, and the gov. gets what they want ? POWER AND CONTROL by forcing taxes on people to cover their pet projects/programs. Our founding fathers were very smart ? their system of gov. has worked so good that many citizens don't have to get involved ? as a result socialists have been able to force their agenda on the Republic. People need to ask who the Progressives are, because they have caused much of the problems we're now forced to deal with.[3] Please know who your reps. are, and what they are doing to help the Republic.[4]

1. -heritage-org january 26, 2009 the new SCHIP Bill: The Senate Must Protect Private Coverage
2. -ryorevolution-com SCHIP Expansion Bill Will Devastate Roll Your Own!; also history of SCHIP, etc.
-Feb 4, 2009 ? Obama Signs SCHIP bill
3. -*.lewrockwell-com/The Progressives? 100 Years War
-glennbeck-com April 16 2009 American Progressivism Who were the Progressives, and why are they important? R.J. Pestritto Shipley Professor of the American Constitution at Hillsdale College?
4. -*At Thomas.gov website click on House of Representatives/Congress to get e-mail, phone, address of reps for area code entered.
-*opencongress-org track bills, issues, and votes on your personal profiles; Use social networking to share the best infor. About your interests; Vote and comment on bills you support or oppose; contact your elected officials with your opinions; help build public knowledge about Congress!
-* .healthtransformation.net Right to Know Petition
-HR3962 Sponsor: Rep Dingell, John D. [MI-15] (introduced 7/14/2009)
-chinapost-com. U.S. gov't paid US$47 billion in questionable health claims
-wnd-com ELECTION 2008 Obama cited Ayers job as qualification to run
-wnd-com/ ELECTION 2008 Obama-backed ally forged pact with radical Muslims
-* scaredmonkeys-com/2009/11/24/democrats-tongue-tied-as-they-try-to-justify-300-million-pay-off-to-sen-landrieu-as-56-of-americans-oppose-obamacare/
-Center for Individual Freedom not-for-profit constitutional advocacy organization with
the mission to protect and defend individual freedoms and individual rights.
-*Congressman Paul Ryan ? Creating Jobs and Generating Economic Growth ? ?Roadmap for America?s Future?; Reply to this comment


by noloyalisti February 25, 2010 6:59 PM EST: It is pretty obvious that all the Republican care about is money and fiscal responsibility (all of a sudden). And they want to start anew on the plan. So I have a suggestion: Medicare for all, for all citizens and no more "health" insurance corporations.; Reply to this comment