Big Week For Health Care Reform

Several Committee's Will Be Discussing Legislation As Congress Returns From Recess

(AP)  It's go time for President Barack Obama's promise to enact a sweeping health care overhaul this year.

First up as Congress returns from a weeklong recess; Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, partially sidelined by cancer, is convening his health committee's Democrats on Tuesday to begin weighing his proposals to extend health care to all.

Later in the week, the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee meets behind closed doors to work on legislation to achieve the same goal.

"This is where the rubber finally meets the road," said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "Both committees are getting ready for what is expected to be one of the most important debates of this legislative session."

Meanwhile, health industry groups are expected Monday to deliver specific plans to the White House backing up their recent pledge to curb their own costs by $2 trillion over 10 years.

They made the promise at a high-profile White House photo-op with Obama, but the details were scant. Now comes the time to deliver.

The groups of health insurers, doctors, hospitals and others are expected to produce a slate of cost-saving proposals, such as reducing hospital readmission rates, improving coordination of care, focusing on prevention and cutting administrative expenses.

It all comes as Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate return from a Memorial Day break that many spent hearing from constituents about health care; and getting bombarded by an ever-growing number of television and radio ads from critics and supporters of Obama's plans.

House Democrats alone held 120 different health care-related events last week, said Stephanie Lundberg, spokeswoman for House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer. She said House leaders would meet this week to work on their plans.

Obama used the Memorial Day week to get his campaign volunteers behind his health care goals. He held a conference call with supporters to urge them to demand action from their lawmakers and get them on-board for a national health care campaign kickoff set for Saturday.

Leaders of progressive groups, including Howard Dean of Democracy for America, scheduled a news conference for Monday to unveil their plans for supporting the President's goals.

Obama is promising a plan that ensures choice, reduces costs and covers the 50 million Americans currently without insurance.

Kennedy would achieve those goals by requiring all individuals to buy insurance, creating a new public insurance plan that would compete with private insurers to cover middle-class Americans, and providing subsidies to people with income up to four times the poverty level to help them buy care, according to an internal committee briefing paper.

He also would bar health insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and would create a new voluntary nationwide insurance program, funded by payroll deductions, for people with disabilities or chronic illnesses.

The briefing paper doesn't specify how the overall plan would be paid for - costs for achieving universal coverage are estimated as high as $1.5 trillion; but says the responsibility must be shared. Kennedy spokesman Anthony Coley said the proposals in the briefing paper weren't final.

[inesje88]

If we were to eliminate the "For Profit, Corporation System", in the USA, how would Senators like Max Baucus get the hundereds of thousands of dollars they presently receive from health insurance and pharma? A single payer system would not have to pay homage to him to a tune of over $400,000.00

We already have Rick( the company I started was found guilty of the largest medicare fraud in the history of the USA) Scott on commercials educating Americans to the "problems" with health care in Canada and the UK. My guess is that the problem with their systems is that "well meaning citizens such as himself" will not make billions of dollars with illegal and dodgy practices.

What is next? Are we going to have William McGuire promoting that all Americans must buy health insurance? Remember him. He was the United Health CEO who back dated stock options so he could bank a sweet $1.6 billion(just him--not United Health). That is on top of his salary. he was forced to resign and for that he received a $1.1 billion golden parachute. It is estimated that during the time he was CEO, that $1 out of $700 received by Untied Health went to McGuire personally. Sure, he was caught and paid some fines, but he kept hundreds of millions plus the golden parachute and he is free man enjoying many other company perks. Just think about how many policy holders had their claims denied for dr. ordered care so Willima could take hom that "well deserved" salary. Now just think about how much health insurance and pharma CEO's can and have donated to our elected officials to keep this gravy train coming.

Obama, you said "Yes We Can". Well, no you aren't. We can pull up all over your previous speeches on youtube. Now you said single payer would be only good if we were starting from scratch. We have a single payer system already in place--let me refresh your memory (has it be tainted with money from health insurance and pharma also?. It is called MEDICARE. Taiwan studied it to model their health care system on. Their citizens and elected officals seem happy w/ it when interviewed. Guess their elected officals never got acustomed to the health insurance "donations" their US conterparts have.

You are a great communicator. E mail or telephone John Conyers or Dennis Kucinich. They can explain HR 676 to you Mr. President. Better yet, click on youtube and watch the video's they have made explaining it. Many video's even have doctors expressing their support for HR 676.

I am ill. I am suffering w/ a rare genetic disease. Unable to receive care in the USA with going bankrupt, my home is for sale. Mr. President, do you know of anyone who is in the market for a townhome, with a view of Cheyenne Mountain (NORTHCOM-NORAD)? I am attempting to move out of the US to country with a single payer, not for profit health care system so I can afford care.

I look forward to you doing what right for Main Street , not Wall Street, this time MR. President.I also hope you know of someone who wants to buy my house.

[dundd]

If the health care system doen't get overhauled to be a one-payer system then all this "reform" talk is a bunch of hot-air. Nothing will change. When insurers state they will hold back on costs they lie. They have stated this in the past, and what has happened? Nothing, as they basically wait it out for the next administration to tackle the problem. If Obama can't get this one-payer system in place then he is just like the rest. We all will be paying for health insurance and all will be fine until we need to use our health insurance and then we all will be paying doctors and health care providers for all the charges our health insurance will not cover. Does that make any sense to anyone to have health insurance and then watch the insurers knock off 80% of the charge by the doctor, not cover some percentage of the bill and then the person needing care has to pay the rest??What a crock...

[sjc_1]

National Health Insurance will provide better care at lower prices and save Medicare as well. Let the private sector compete with the public sector. They have always claimed that they do things more efficiently, so let's see.

[whitemale08]

wait till people find out what 'reform' means.

acording to Peter Orzag and Ezekial Emanuel, it means AUSTERITY CUTS in health-care and denying treatment.

that's right, the behaviriol economists advising Obama are advocates for what Hitler did when he faced a financial crisis and that was to deny treatment to cut costs.

it's called 'comparative-effectiveness' and it's where they will attemt to put a Federal Reserve-like board to determine if it's 'worth the money' to treat you especially if you are elderly, sick or poor.

FOLKS, IF WE HAVEN'T LEARNED WITH THE BAILOUTS OF GOLDMAN SUCKS, THEN WE BETTER LEARN TO STOP OBAMA ON HEALTH-CARE REFORM.

all we have to do is take the 'profit motive' out of health-care and put back in what was meant to be in, and that is to help sick and our elderly as much as we possibly can.

and that means take away the big insurance companies and the HMOs and go back to a 'single-payer' system.

Wall Street-ru health-care has failed and it's time to admit it.