by USAID Afghanistan
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
This Week in Health Care Reform EasyToInsureME FEBRUARY 5 2010
Despite proclaiming to focus on other issues, such as the economy and jobs, President Barack Obama injected new energy into the health care reform debate this week.
On Monday, President Obama held a Q&A session via YouTube in which he responded to questions submitted during his State of the Union address. He commented that “it is my greatest hope” to have health care reform legislation “not just a year from now, but soon.” He also responded to criticisms regarding the lack of transparency around the reform negotiations.
On Tuesday, at a town-hall-style meeting in New Hampshire, President Obama rejected the notion that health care reform was dead, saying “we’ve got to punch it through.” Further, on Wednesday, he met with Senate Democrats reiterating his commitment to reform and encouraging lawmakers to press forward. He also suggested that Republicans play at least some role in negotiating a final bill.
Health Care Reform Negotiations
Democrats Look for Path Forward: Recent statements made by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) are the first concrete signs that Democrats have started working to revive comprehensive health care reform legislation. Rep. Rangel indicated to the media that lawmakers have begun writing a compromise bill based on the legislation passed by the Senate last December. The bill will incorporate changes agreed upon last month by White House negotiators and members of the House and Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) did not commit to a timeline for reform, but hopes that Democrats can agree to a path forward by next week. So far, he has been unable to identify compromise language that will win the needed 51 Senate votes.
At the same time, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) indicated that the House would vote on a small piece of the overall health care reform package next week. The proposed bill would overturn the insurance industry’s exemption from federal antitrust laws. The Senate version of health care reform did not include this measure because Sen. Reid could not secure the 60 votes needed to include it; however, Sen. Reid indicated the Senate would reconsider the measure.
Additional Activities
President Obama’s Budget Assumes Health Care Reform: On Monday, White House officials released a proposed .8 trillion 2011 budget including several measures aimed at improving health care:
· Hiring more fraud detectives to root out waste in Medicare and Medicaid
· Providing .5 billion to help state Medicaid programs swelling with enrollment due to unemployment
· Eliminating Congressional earmarks for building hospitals and other facilities, including million for Alaska and million for Mississippi
· Initiating or increasing funds for the following research projects:
o quality improvements for seniors with chronic conditions
o effective medical treatments for the costliest conditions
o expeditious ways to adopt electronic medical records
o medical fields such as genetic medicine that may provide breakthrough treatments.
Further, the budget assumes that some form of health care reform legislation will pass Congress. It includes a “reserve fund for health care reform” totaling 4 billion as a “down payment” for the legislation and also assumes that the reform effort will generate 0 billion in savings over 10 years.
States Begin Initiatives to Expand Coverage: With the fate of national health care reform in question, state legislators are pushing their own bills to expand coverage. Last Thursday, California’s State Senate passed a measure to create a government-run health care system, ignoring a veto threat from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The measure is now with the State Assembly. Missouri legislators have introduced a similar bill to create a government-run plan whereas lawmakers in other states, including Virginia and New Jersey, are working to tweak existing state programs to expand coverage. Tight budgets in all of those states may hinder these efforts.
Virginia Senate Says No to Individual Mandates: On Monday, Virginia’s Democratic-controlled State Senate passed measures that would make it illegal to enforce an individual health care mandate. This decision comes in direct conflict with the House and the Senate health care reform bills, both of which require all individuals to purchase health insurance.
Public Opinion
Majority of Americans Doubt Passage of Health Care Reform, but Growing Optimism: A survey released by the Pew Research Center on Wednesday shows growing optimism around the passage of health care reform. While the poll indicates that the majority of Americans (60 percent) do not believe health care reform legislation will pass this year, the figure is down from the 67 percent who said – just after a special Senate election was held last month in Massachusetts – that such legislation would not pass.
Poll Indicates Damage Done On Health Care Reform: A poll released Tuesday by Public Policy Polling shows that Republicans currently have the advantage over Democrats in the ballot races for Congress, regardless of the final outcome of health care reform. In general, the poll shows that 43 percent of voters surveyed would vote for a Republican, whereas 40 percent would vote for a Democrat. When asked about the implications of the health care overhaul.
* If health care reform passes, 45 percent would likely vote Republican and 40 percent would likely vote Democrat.
* If health care reform does not pass, 43 percent would likely vote Republican and 38 percent would likely vote Democrat.
The poll also shows that 36 percent of respondents support the President’s health care reform effort, while 51 percent oppose it.
Looking Ahead
Currently there is no timeline for the development of a comprehensive health care reform package. However, Speaker Pelosi is moving forward with smaller pieces of the bill, starting next week with the repeal of the antitrust exemption for insurance companies.
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@Dasmaster1
the pricate sector you speak of will not exist because they can’t compete with the governement
@wildbloodydragon You havent been following U.S. politics for the past 2 years have you…
@mds1303 Nothing is ever black and white and you do have valid arguments for your position and i would be a fool to deny that.
However just because Healthcare is trash right now does not mean we should not strive to improve it. And a major part of that is believe it or not making it available for all.
I for one trust that we as a country actually can manage that without to much trouble in the end. Of-course there will always be private sectors that your completely free to go to for a fee.
@bamaedgecore From the looks of things you don’t. Since when did non-profit become charity?
The government does not currently offer it’s own health insurance. The government does help start, fund and run many non-profit organizations. You must be living in a different realm to not know these things.
How about I stay and stick a dick in your mouth? I’d prefer that.
@Dasmaster1
i don’t know if you are arguing for or against my point?
our system is the same if we changed to a socialzed system there is no way we could handle the strain and yes wait times go up and quality of care goes down…
not to mention when you have the money coming from government funding they simply have to decide who is in the most need, aka rationing care…..and i feel if i work hard and take care of my body i should have the ability to determine what treatments i need
@wildbloodydragon (The government does not control non-profit organizations or charities).
I know, I own a non-profit booking company.
Tiny mind?
Do you know what non-profit and charity are?
NOW you pay the government to insure you less, but you get less, everyone has to pay, and away go private companies. It kills people and jobs, and likewise I will not pay for it.
Why dont you move to canada?
Or kill yourself…
@mds1303 As far as im concerned Cuba has the best healthcare and no one else comes close. The major problem facing socialised healthcare is the lack of personnel.
Sure it might have been fine dealing with the majority of the people but when you drag in the rest in the system without considering the new strains wait times are inevitably.
However at the end of the day even the poors health is in your best interests because someone is going to have to scrape off the chewing gum off the walls.
@bamaedgecore No sir, I’m saying you should your facts straight, stop blowing this out of proportions, and chill the fuck out.
A non-profit health insurance ran by the government is well within the means of our country right now.
In case your tiny mind cannot comprehend what non-profit and insurance mean: It means if you can’t afford health insurance, you pay the government to insure you for less. Simple as that.
@wildbloodydragon That was taken down later during the Reagan Era as it was unconstitutional.
Just like every other liberal policy.
Big government, more spending.
Im not paying for your monstrosity of a socialist government.
Canada might but I certainly wont.
You and you lying joke of a president, the largest failure to ever take the oath of office.
Well, he’s your president, not mine.
@wildbloodydragon So you are saying people shoould not be responsible, they shouldnt take it upon themselves to help each other out and that the government should do everything?
Not exactly whath the founding fathers wrote in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution.
If you’ve ever read Karl Marx you would see how similar liberalism is to Marxism.
Look up the fairness doctrine. A Carter Era legislature the SILENCED all non-liberal voices.
we are so fat and unhealthy of a society compared to others we tend to have more health problems, and higher death rates.
so liberals like to point at meaningless statistics and ignore the confounding variables. But when it is all said in done America has the best quality healthcare, we just need to make it cheaper. So why not just try and fix that opposed to immplementing something which will diminsh the quality of care, as porven by other countries with socialized medicine
@Dasmaster1
ummm saying it works in other countries is a big leap of faith, it works in other countries just like our system works here, however they both have their negatives
most peole like me? i simply feel like healthcare should be more affordable, and the best way to do this is overhaul the insurancd industry
if you looks at the statistics comparing healthcare systems, once someone has been disagnosed the survival rate for tx in America is the best! but sadly since…..
If there is a such thing as medicines, governments and so called Civil Societies -Health Care should just be free. PERIOD!
@mds1303 how come it works in other countries. According to most people like you socialised healthcare would have the same effect on a country detonating a few nukes for new years…
@Dasmaster1
??? Don’t get me wrong our healthcare system needs an overhaul
however socialized medicine would only make it worse
so sorry that we disagree
@mds1303 i dont know what to say to people like you…
@bamaedgecore Actually, you’re wrong.
The government does not provide rights in which it is asked NOT to do something. It has no way to provide those rights other than refraining from, for example, seizing someone’s property. Or searching it without a court order.
However the government DOES PROVIDE RIGHTS when it is asked to do something. Trial is a right and it is PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
Ergo, there’s your rebuttal.
@bamaedgecore What an idiot.
80% of 43 million is about 34 million people. THREE TIMES the actual number of illegals, about 10.8 million.
Didn’t you ever stop and think how unrealistic your numbers are?
33 million Americans are uninsured. Hey, I got an idea. how about we give citizens healthcare first? Ergo, as American as you can get.
Tyranny and big government best suits that dumbass war you right wings are supporting. Not low cost non-profit health insurance.
this video is ingeniously disguised as bi-partisan however it is obv far left
you mislead people into thinking that just because there are hospitals that will not turn you away that somehow it means Americans believe that healthcare is a right and not a privilege
I personally don’t think healthcare is a right but that doesn’t mean we can’t help out those who are in need of emergency help. However I am not about to pay for 20+ million peoples diabetes meds bc they don’t eat/excerc right
@MrEdLoop A right? Yes.
Does the government provide those rights?
No. The government under the constitution understands that those are NATURAL rights that we have at birth. It doesnt give or take them away.
Therefore it is OUR responsibility to PRIVATELY look after each other. It is not the governments job to take our money and provide healthcare. I will help someone through charity. But I WILL NOT help through my taxes or socialized government.
@bamaedgecore Just not paying the taxes doesn’t really help the situation in any way, shape, or form, does it?
Also, you claim that the system will be sub-par, yet it has not even been put into effect and there is no way of knowing this.
Also, like John, I believe that health-care is a right. A natural right, no less. I only wish that Locke had remarked of it in his writings because perhaps then we would not even need to be having this debate today.
@wildbloodydragon 43 million americans are without health insurance, as stated by Congress. That same congress admitted that 80% of those are illegal immigrants. Ergo, not American.
Likewise, I will not pay for a sub par system that will go broke. Once it does, there wont be any private companies to get help from.
I will not pay those taxes.
How about yo stop forcing tyranny, big government, poverty, and economic control upon your fellow Americans?
@bamaedgecore LMFAO. I’ll tell you what you can do you for your country. Stop bitching about pitching in a few dollars for the government can take care of your less fortunate fellow American with no health insurance.
kill the pig!
canada ftw