Obama's Health Care Push: The Race is On

By: Chip Reid
Topics: Health Care

(AP)

After months of pleading with President Obama to be more hands on in the health care debate, congressional Democrats are finally getting their wish.

First, the president put out his own proposal. Second, he held the Blair House summit (which the White House saw as a way to show once and for all that efforts at bipartisanship are fruitless). Those two steps raised the question: would he now go for step three - a political hat trick - by taking the lead in twisting arms in Congress. Some in the White House suggested the answer would be no. As one top adviser told me recently: "That's Nancy's job."

Well, the president appears to disagree. Today he summoned 18 House Democrats to the White House, meeting first with 11 leading liberals, then 7 key moderates. New York Congressman Joe Crowley (chair of the moderate New Democrat Coalition) emerged to say: "The president impressed upon us the need to pass comprehensive health care reform and do it soon. And he called upon the New Democratic Coalition to do what we can within our caucus to make that happen."

The time for listening appears to be over. The president is taking charge, and his message is the same one he so sternly delivered Wednesday in his speech at the White House: (1) Here's my bill. (2) Stop dilly-dallying around and pass it. (3) Now.

One minor problem - he doesn't have the votes. At least not now. But as Rep. Crowley put it: "I think when all is said and done, we WILL have the votes to pass health care reform."

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs offers not a hint of doubt. "The president will have the votes." No ifs, ands or buts.

(CBS)

And it's not just the confidence in getting the votes that's taking a lot of observers by surprise -- it's how quickly they think they can do it. At the briefing today, Gibbs confidently asserted that the House will pass the Senate bill before the president gets on the plane for his trip to Guam, Indonesia and Australia. On March 18. That's TWO WEEKS!

Perhaps the most difficult political lift of the entire health care debate and it can happen in 14 days?

They still have to agree on the language with the Senate, figure out the procedural gyrations of reconciliation, get a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office (which can take a week or more), PLUS get enough wavering Democrats on board to pass it. It's the kind of effort that normally would take months.

But after playing defense for so long, the White House thinks the tide is finally turning. They think they have momentum, and they don't want to lose it. They certainly don't want congressional Democrats to go home for the two week Easter recess (which begins in just over 4 weeks) and run into the same angry mobs that greeted them last August. That killed the momentum then, and it could do it again.

So the race is on, and here's the new, super-caffeinated time line: get the House to pass the Senate bill within two weeks (by March 18). Then get the House and Senate to pass a package of legislative fixes to the Senate bill before Easter recess begins, the weekend of March 26-28.

It's breathtakingly fast by congressional standards, and maybe it's just another White House health care dream. But the president appears to believe the iron is hot -- and the time to strike is now.

More Coverage of the Health Care Debate:

Reps. Weiner, Stupak: Senate Should Go First on Health Care
Health Care Reform Is Good... And Bad!
Sebelius: People are "Frightened" by Insurance Rate Hikes
White House Releases Letter From Cancer Patient Natoma Canfield
White House: Health Care Quid Pro Quo Charge "Very Silly"
GOP Rep. Nathan Deal Postpones Retirement to Fight Health Bill
McConnell to Dems: Vote for Health Care at Your Own Risk
Special Report: Health Care Reform

(CBS)

Chip Reid is CBS News' chief White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here.

Chip Reid
Chip Reid is CBS News' national correspondent.

122 Comments Have Your Say
Email Story Send to a Friend
Share This Tell Your Friends
Tweet This Tweet This
More Share It

Add a Comment

See all 122 Comments


by The_Only_King March 8, 2010 8:17 AM EST: Obama is running this race against the vast majority of the American people. I hope he loses. CBS did a pole on how the American people graded Obama overall. His grade was F. The pole was so bad for Obama, I guess CBS has removed it. Most people don't need a pole to know that Obama is a complete failure. The govt. controlled media will do all it can to help Obama this week. Most people can see past this ploy.; Reply to this comment


by Dave1-- March 6, 2010 5:08 PM EST: Americans want cheaper health care! We do not want more of the same we REQUIRE a real solution. USA pays almost DOUBLE what Canadians do for health care.

Canada simply removed the private health insurance for profit insurance companies from the health care system and cut the costs of health care by almost one half.

So why would that work you ask? Why have private for profit health insurance have become the MERCHANTS OF MISERY in our health care system?

I think the reason is so simple we tend to overlook it. In order to become Doctors, Doctors take an oath to do good for their patients and not to harm anyone. Essentially Doctors promise not to enrich their pocketbook at the expense of our health. That is not to say Doctors always live up to that oath but private for profit insurance companies never took that oath and in fact do exactly the opposite.

Health insurance companies spend huge amounts of money doing what we do not want them to do. Insurance companies have no business being in the business of deciding our health care system, our health policy, and deciding who gets what medical service and who doesn't!

Health insurance companies are NOT serving our best interests, they are serving theirs!; Reply to this comment


by Mogalog March 6, 2010 6:13 AM EST: You can have a debate back and forth for years on whether health care should be a "right" or not. On one end, we if we have the medicine to help someone, isn't it our moral obligation to do so? On the other hand, the more you give people as a "right", the less they are required to work and put back into society. If basic needs (food, shelter, protection from criminals, healthcare, etc)are all covered as "rights" then a person does not NEED to work in order to survive.

However, with healthcare, people are already receiving it as a "right". If you are gravely ill, a hospital is REQUIRED to do what they can for you and if you cannot afford it, they will raise costs on the insured to cover it. Also, those people do not get that care until an "emergency" and therefore it is:
a) MUCH more expensive.
b) Less likely to succeed.
This ends up being bad in BOTH cases. Now even if you do have health insurance, you can max out your health insurance limit. At this point, you won't receive the more successful(and expensive) care. Here you will die of chronic illness or end up losing everything you own in bankruptcy when you cannot afford to pay for surgeries and months in the hospital.

THAT is the healthcare system we currently have and THAT is why something must be done. President Obama knows there are many problems with the current system and no perfect fix. His proposed bill will do a great deal to repair it. Yes we could prune it to be less wasteful or have fewer "kickbacks" to certain people/groups. These things can be done at a later date after the bill is passed.

While it upsets people who want limited government power, the only institution that has any power to fix this issue is the government. Here is a quick explanation of how the bill can help:

1) People pay into insurance companies for years but are dropped or have their premiums raised when they actually need the care. This practice is an abuse of the insurance design and must be stopped. Companies also cannot be allowed to deny people who need coverage.

2) Insurance companies will go bankrupt under those circumstances unless EVERYONE is required to pay in at ALL times. Otherwise people will just wait until they are sick and then purchase health insurance. This is why there is a mandate to buy insurance.

3) The fact of the matter is some people will simply be unable to afford to buy insurance. But again, they are REQUIRED because of the mandate. So as a bridge between private insurance companies(who still need to profit) and a single-payer government system, the government will provide subsidies to those who cannot afford insurance. Basically, the taxpayers will pay for some/all of the poorer population's insurance. This is a polarizing issue, but in many cases the government is already using taxpayer money to pay for this, but at the inflated costs we currently have. In the end though, everyone should save on health insurance because costs will come down.

4) Now that everyone is paying in, and everyone is being cared for, prices will drop because:
a) Hospitals won't just raise costs on the insured to cover the uninsured.
b) Those with no or poor-quality insurance will now be able to see a physician easier. They will have more regular checkups and will be less likely to procrastinate on seeing a doctor when they become ill. Preventative care is much cheaper than surgeries/long term medicines.
c) Insurance fraud crackdown and hopefully some sort of tort reform should also lower costs.
d) The cost of drugs will lower. As more people are able to receive them, companies will be able to recover the millions they invested in research and turn a profit sooner.
e) Regulation of insurance companies will lower costs as well. Tort reform, for example, won't necessarily lower what insurance companies charge. Just because doctors have to spend less on insurance, and can therefore charge less, insurance companies may just keep those savings as profit. This can actually be the case with anything that lowers the cost on the front end.

Now you can argue that the government shouldn't be so involved in healthcare. There actually are some valid concerns about the future of a "government-run healthcare system". It is important to note that the current bill is in NO WAY a government-run healthcare system. It is a system that is more regulated(to prevent abuses/fraud), helps PRIVATE insurance companies to insure more people, and brings down costs for everyone in the end.

Sorry for the long post and I am sure most people won't read it. I just felt that we don't always get the FACTS about the current healthcare issue and what is actually in the bill. You can be against government handouts and fear this bill is too expensive. But truthfully, taxpayers are already paying for the uninsured, but at a far higher cost than is needed. This bill will help fix that.; Reply to this comment


by silvio.lund March 6, 2010 4:32 AM EST: obama; Reply to this comment


by wcochran60 March 6, 2010 1:35 AM EST: The time to talk is ending and the time to act is approaching. If this special-interest-driven, unconstitional mess passes, every congressman who votes yes may as well begin a private sector job search or, better yet, consider moving to a country that is already socialist so it matches their core values.

American's are watching!; Reply to this comment


by declanjo6 March 6, 2010 1:13 AM EST: Find instant medical insurance for you from http://******/atGzeD; Reply to this comment


by macgerson March 6, 2010 12:46 AM EST: He'll get it passed. There are lots of federal judicial openings he can pass out to get more votes.; Reply to this comment


by 6591Hou March 5, 2010 4:24 PM EST: U.S. Constitution
Section. 8.
"The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;--And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.; Reply to this comment

by reveal4 March 5, 2010 1:40 PM EST

A call has been issued for all good citizens of this great country. The call is for the George Bush, Jr. "Miss Me Yet" billboards to be supplied a new coat of rotten tomato paint...kersplat!

Reply to this comment


by Zann-Zel March 5, 2010 1:43 PM EST: If it was close to where I lived I'd so be there! : )


by Brokennews March 5, 2010 2:24 PM EST: I hear Florida is the Mecca for rotten tomatoes right now!
Although you don't want them too rotten. You end up getting more on yourself than your target. I know this because I grew up on a farm & I have an older brother!

by cleric60 March 5, 2010 1:20 PM EST

Question: Let's say this health care bill passes; what could the new 2011 Congress do to change it or revise it or demise it????? This bill isn't written in stone is it????

Reply to this comment


by midlclass March 5, 2010 1:31 PM EST: introduce single payer or the public option or medicare for people 55 and older, allow for negotiations of drugs from big pharma, kill the bill water it down to nothing let health ins companies run amok oh wait there all ready doing that. thats the good thing about legislation. it can be repealed look at prohibition. or it can be improved upon. or we can just go to war and spend our moneys on froign country nation building. look at haliburtion and black water made a bundle off us so did iraq and so will afganistan and after 2012 when the repubs get back in we can invade iran. and finish wiping out the rest of our economy.