The Note: Default Positions — Obama Goes Broad, But Debate is Narrow
Email By RICK KLEIN OK, so it’s not about him — except that really, it is. That’s not a bad thing for a president with a 65 percent approval rating (though it’s more difficult when he’s at 60, or 57, or whatever comes next). But it’s a fact: Health care reform is President Obama’s top priority. It wouldn’t be Washington’s top priority without him in the White House. It won’t be Congress’ top priority much longer unless the president finds a way to answer calls for more engagement. (And, for a day at least, it’s not the media’s top priority — not with the first African-American president calling police “stupid” in a racially charged case involving his friend.) The president is going broad — again tying health care reform to the economy, and explaining what’s in it all for your average American. That’s the theme again Thursday as he takes it outside of Washington — to Cleveland. But have we moved beyond the point where it makes sense to have the president make a broad case to an anxious public? We’re deep in the legislative weeds, each day lost bringing Congress that much closer to missing a deadline that just isn’t realistic anymore. Until or unless the debate over racial profiling spills into health care reform, the president is going to have to find new ways to raise the stakes, after a news conference where those in Congress were looking for new direction found the debate basically where it was before. The president “is focusing now on a broader and more distant audience: the American people, whose qualms about his plan seem to be growing,” the AP’s Chuck Babington writes. “In his comments Wednesday and at scheduled events Thursday in Cleveland, the president is speaking directly to families about their pocketbook and medical concerns, urging them to ignore political opportunists and naysayers in order to achieve sweeping changes, which previous administrations could not attain.” He’s right about the inertia thing: “Inertia is what some members of his own party might accuse the President himself of. And if they had any hope that Obama would get more specific in what he wants to see in a final health-care bill, they had to be sorely disappointed,” Time’s Karen Tumulty reports. “He made a strong case against the status quo,” ABC’s George Stephanopoulos said on “Good Morning America” Thursday. “I think he was a little bit less successful in selling what he wants to do, in part because he doesn’t have a single plan to sell right now. . . . He’s going to have to do this all over again” in September, when the Hill legislation is likely to take firmer shape. Hello, Cleveland: The president tours the Cleveland Clinic at 1:15 pm ET, then it’s a 2:10 pm ET town-hall forum at Shaker Heights High School. Then it’s a quick stop at Penny Pritzker’s house in Chicago for a fundraiser before he’s back to DC. “Dr. Obama’s Traveling Medicine Show is in town,” Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Kevin O’Brien writes. “Step right up, folks. Press in close around the wagon and hear the good doctor pronounce with preternatural poise on the prodigiously potent properties of his potion, a panacea so powerful that he predicts — nay, promises! — that it will prevail even over the laws of economics. But only if you believe.” Talk of “supplementals” and “uncompensated care,” even a casual mention of “photo sprays” — is there a better way to get the public to bombard their congressional representatives with phone calls? (And who’s talking Washington talk now?) The president “did not use the appearance at the White House to make any fresh demands on Congress, which is struggling to meet his timetable for both chambers to pass legislation before members break for August recess. Mr. Obama did not repeat that demand Wednesday night,” Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Jeff Zeleny write in The New York Times. “Instead, he sounded cerebral as he delved into policy specifics for nearly an hour and tried to link them to the concerns of ordinary Americans.” From the Hill, they’re practically begging: “The president needs to step in more forcefully and start making some decisions,” a “senior Democratic aide” tells the Times. “He never detailed his own plan, or named a single victim of America’s broken system, and he spoke largely in the abstractions of blue pills, red pills, and legislative processes. It’s not easy to turn delivery system reform into a rallying cry for change, but at times, it was as if Obama wasn’t even trying,” Politico’s Ben Smith writes. “Instead of shaking the rafters, he spent most of his hour just checking rhetorical boxes, with language so poll-tested and focus-grouped, it was bleached of life.”
“He’s not revealing his hand and that may be good beltway politics and it may work in poker but it also may leave Americans a tad confused and a little frustrated,” the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody writes. Key point on why urgency may not work as an argument: “The extraordinary federal actions pushed during the early months of Obama’s presidency may have averted crisis, but the benefits have yet to show up in the lives of many Americans,” Michael Fletcher reports in The Washington Post. “Even fellow Democrats now say that the deadline Obama set for the House and Senate to pass a bill before their August recess is unrealistic,” Peter Nicholas, Christi Parsons and Noam N. Levey write in the Los Angeles Times. “And mounting opposition from powerful interest groups has been equally worrisome for the White House. On Wednesday, the American Hospital Assn. urged its members to lobby against an administration proposal for an independent agency that would set Medicare payment rates.” The president “hedged his bet on the deadline by noting that if the bill Congress produces is not a good one by his standard, then he will not sign it,” ABC’s Karen Travers, Jake Tapper, and Huma Khan report. “But Obama continued to push both the House and Senate to pass health care reform bills before they break for their August recess and urge lawmakers, especially Republicans, to move beyond the ‘game of politics.’ “ “At a critical moment in his presidency, Mr. Obama is hoping to regain momentum on his domestic agenda by seizing control of the health-care debate,” The Wall Street Journal’s Laura Meckler, Greg Hitt and Jonathan Weisman report. “How effectively the president delivered the message in his late-Wednesday news conference — and the impact on public opinion and a skittish Congress — will have major implications for the rest of his year, and perhaps for his full term.” “Obama wanted to speak to America like adults tonight–and make the case for the reforms he (quite rightly) believes are necessary. Time will tell whether that faith in the public’s patience and judgment is well-placed,” per The New Republic’s Jonathan Cohn. An undeniable truth: “If you don’t set deadlines in this town, things don’t happen,” the president said. (And yet, that deadline is slipping.) Confidence: “I have no question that we have the votes on the floor of the House to pass this legislation,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Wednesday. Realities: “No, I don’t think they have the votes,” said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., per ABC’s Jake Tapper and Z. Byron Wolf. “We’re speaking for a silent majority within the Democratic caucus.” “I don’t know who’s doing her vote counting, but she doesn’t have the votes,” said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., per The Hill’s Mike Soraghan and Jared Allen. Of deadlines: “Speaker Pelosi is trying to keep the pressure on,” ABC’s George Stephanopoulos reports. “She insists the votes are there to pass health care in the House. But that’s questionable. And her caucus won’t want to vote unless the Senate Finance Committee, at minimum, reaches a deal early next week. Even then, the Speaker will be under tremendous pressure to put the vote off until September too.” Why deadlines matter: “Democratic leaders, including the president, are now backing away from a vote on health care before August,” writes Karl Rove, in his Wall Street Journal column. “But that’s not likely to decrease voter angst. Americans for Prosperity and others are already organizing voters to attend public meetings with members of Congress this summer. My guess is that members of Congress are about to hear a lot from their voters on the government takeover of health care, new energy taxes, the failed stimulus, record deficits, and growing joblessness.” Ad wars, from the other side: Health Care for America Now and AFSCME is launching a TV ad campaign Thursday targeting a Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., seven GOP members of Congress. An officials tells The Note that the ad, “Fighter,” will be up for five days in the districts of Republicans Dave Camp (MI-04), Pat Tiberi (OH-12), Mark E. Souder (IN-03), Dave G. Reichert (WA-08), Eric Cantor (VA-07), Bill Cassidy (LA-06), and John B. Shadegg (AZ-03) And the DNC is up on TV in South Carolina — targeting Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., over the “Waterloo” comment. Was she on to something? “Watching Barack Obama trying to push members of Congress toward some kind of agreement on a health care bill gives you a new appreciation for why Hillary Clinton decided to just write the whole thing herself and dump it on them,” Gail Collins writes in The New York Times. Or maybe Team Obama is still on to something larger: “Let’s start at the end. Despite all the dire words being spoken, some version of health reform will pass simply because failure is not an option for Democrats who care about staying in power (which happens to be all of them),” E.J. Dionne Jr. writes in his column. Finance Committee negotiations lost Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah (would he have abandoned his friend Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., at this stage?) — and they might lose much more: “Senate Democrats are increasingly frustrated by the secrecy and duration of Finance Chairman Max Baucus’ (D-Mont.) bipartisan talks on health care reform, with some saying it could undermine Democratic support for the bill,” Roll Call’s Emily Pierce and David M. Drucker report. “Democrats both on and off the Finance Committee said the briefings they get about the six negotiators’ progress are too vague. Plus, they say, without a bill in hand, they cannot defend or sell the package to a wary media and public. The president was well-immersed in the story involving Henry Louis Gates Jr. — in the most in-depth comments he’s made on a hot-button racial issue as president. “I think it’s fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there’s a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately,” the president said. “That’s just a fact.” The Boston Globe’s Joe Williams: “Cambridge Sergeant James Crowley, who arrested Gates last Thursday, declined to respond to the president. Asked at a softball game in Natick last night about Obama’s remarks, Crowley shook his head and said, ‘I think I’d be better off not commenting on that one.’ “ Crowley is the same officer who tried to save Reggie Lewis’ life, in 1993. And he’s not apologizing: “I am not a racist,” he told the Globe. Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons, to ABC’s Chris Cuomo on “GMA”: “I’m not going to make a judgment on what the president says and when he says it.” The rarest of Capitol Hill sightings: An NRA defeat. “The NRA’s impressive winning streak has ended,” ABC’s Jonathan Karl reports. “Twenty Democrats voted ‘yes,’ including Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), but the measure fell just two votes short of the 60 needed to pass.” “How do you outgun the NRA? Very, very carefully,” The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank reports. “The slim margin was no accident: Other Democrats, such as Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey and Colorado’s Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, were said to have been willing to vote ‘no’ if necessary.” Padding Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s margin: “I choose to vote for Judge Sotomayor because she is well qualified. We are talking about one of the most qualified Supreme Court nominees in decades,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., per ABC’s Jonathan Karl. “Her record of academic achievement is extraordinary.” Annals of transparency: “Faced with a lawsuit from a government watchdog group, the Obama Administration tonight released a list of visits health care industry executives made to the White House since January,” per ABC’s Jake Tapper and Karen Travers. Wall Street titans may not love him, but their rich friends in other countries do: “President Barack Obama has rock-star appeal among the investing class — except in his own country,” Bloomberg’s Heidi Przybyla writes. “The Quarterly Bloomberg Global Poll of financial investors and analysts finds attitudes about the new president in Asia and Europe are overwhelmingly positive. In the U.S., by contrast, they are slightly negative. In Europe and Asia, 87 percent of respondents say they view Obama positively, compared with just 49 percent in the U.S.” New Q poll — Dodd’s in real trouble: “Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd trails former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, a likely Republican challenger 48 – 39 percent in the 2010 Senate race, but he is inching up in his job approval to a negative 42 – 52 percent approval rating, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.” Coming today, from the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association: “Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter and Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray will hold a telephone press conference . . . Thursday, July 23rd, at 10am Eastern, to announce the launch of a broadened scope and mission for the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association (DLGA). The announcement kicks off the DLGA’s commitment to become a leader in the development of the next generation of Democratic leaders.”
The Kicker: ”Of course, the setting of the conversation and the nature of the participants do not affect CBO’s analysis of health reform legislation.” — Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf, writing on his blog about an Oval Office meeting with President Obama. “Obviously, the critics will criticize.” — Gov. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., headed for a two-week European vacation (with his wife and four sons).
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Sen. DeMint: GOP Race Could Go Until Convention 
Obama Avoids Questions on Contraception Rule
The White House hopes people tuned in for the knock-out opening statement…and then turned the TV off for the very wonkish and uninspiring Q&A.
Posted by: matt | July 23, 2009, 8:52 am 8:52 am
First, Obama did nothing to explain his health care reform. Therefore, I feel this conference was a waist of time and this IS his “Waterloo”. And now, Michelle Obama has been found with the UHI and dumping patients in Chicago. Obama put the final nail in his coffin last night, he will NEVER be re-elected. Added to this, he played the “race” card with the Gates issue. Obama is a disgrace to our country.
Posted by: dk | July 23, 2009, 9:06 am 9:06 am
Obama’s speech was non informative. I do not trust him, nor government to dictate and control my health care. The government run VA hospital is a prime example of shoddy care such as the exposure of communicable disease to over thousands of veterans due to lack of proper cleaning of colonoscopy equipment. The VA also is known to provide radiation treatments to the wrong areas in cancer patients. Government mistakes are greater than private sector in terms of patient treatment errors per number of patients treated. I am buyinga do it yourself health care book.
Posted by: Downwithsocialism | July 23, 2009, 9:16 am 9:16 am
At Least President Obama Talks to reporters, and goes out and talks to the People, unlike the IDIOT that Just left hiding in the White House Drunk not caring about whats going on in this country and pouring all our Money and our troops into Iraq breaking the Law!
Posted by: Angie in Pa | July 23, 2009, 9:18 am 9:18 am
As a lifelong Democrat, I felt the President said nothing at all to explain health care. He has great rhetoric, but no numbers, nothing to back up his statements. Where can I go to get my vote back? I should have never voted for Obama!
Posted by: Maria | July 23, 2009, 9:19 am 9:19 am
DK
He will be reelected and the Americans are not rejecting him he is still very popular, Its the Republicans you should be worried about sooner or later people will wake up again and see the Republicans could CARE LESS About Healt Insurance,The Economy,Education etc the Party of No will be out of power for along time to come THANK GOD! They have done enough DAMAGE thank you! it will be along time before we can Clean up their Destruction!
Posted by: Angie in Pa | July 23, 2009, 9:22 am 9:22 am
The President blew it last nite. His polling numbers will continue to fall today. Its sad, but true.
Posted by: TomJones | July 23, 2009, 9:23 am 9:23 am
So you all feel we dont need Reform your all happy with the Way Health Insurances run your care you feel we dont need a Public Option? Just let the Insurances continue to Rape us and Not Provide the care And pray we dont get a Pre Exsisting condition then you will DIE!
Posted by: Angie in Pa | July 23, 2009, 9:26 am 9:26 am
Angie,
If we adopt OBama’s plan, we will be in socialized medicine and will die anyway. Ask anyone in Canada what socialized medicine does to them. Thats why Canadians all come to the US for health care. It was like OBama was in campaign mode last nite. He did nothing, didnt give facts and figures, nothing to explain his health care reform. This bill is pivatol for OBama’s success as a President and he is failing miserably.
Posted by: Jack | July 23, 2009, 9:30 am 9:30 am
Angie in pa,
a reform? yes, a complete over haul? no. He will tear this country apart and try to put it back together his way, the rest of us be damned. If anyone speaks out against his plans he will attack. Doesn’t sound like something I want for my country. Just because Obama says it and wants it doesn’t make it right. Please take the blinders off before you get to the edge of the cliff.
Posted by: notanobamafan | July 23, 2009, 9:30 am 9:30 am
I cannot understand all of the animosity being leveled against our president. He gave a thorough description of the health care initiative as it now stands, last night on national tv, the need for federal attention, how it would be financed and the urgency connected with the passage. Are those so adamantly critical missing the criminal element from the Bush/Chaney years when our economy was hijacked, we became a terrorist state, jobs sent away, the crooked rich were protected and given preference and our national debts skyrocketed after getting involved in an unnecessary war in a rathole of a country? I don’t get it.
Posted by: clever bob | July 23, 2009, 9:31 am 9:31 am
DK
You dont want to argue because you know thats the Facts when it comes to Republicans, I have yet to hear any Ideas any Ideas they have. I keep waiting i am willing to listen i belive in hearing both sides! I HEAR NOTHING But bashing,complaining, lying,twisting,from what i hear out of the Republicans their only ideas are to tear down the President to regain power typical of them. THEY ARE PLAYING DIRTY POLITICTS WITH SOMETHING WE BADILY NEED TO ADDRESS!
Posted by: Angie in Pa | July 23, 2009, 9:31 am 9:31 am
If you would have Listened to him he was talking about Reform and cutting unneccesary wasteful spending in the Medicare, President Obama DOES NOT WANT SOCIALIZED MEDICINE
Posted by: Angie in Pa | July 23, 2009, 9:34 am 9:34 am
****News Alert*****
ACORN, OBama’s group, is being investigated this morning for voting fraud.
Posted by: jogger | July 23, 2009, 9:37 am 9:37 am
Michelle Obama started the UHI in Chicago and is now being accused of “patient dumping”. The dominoe’s are beginning to fall for the OBama’s.
Posted by: jogger | July 23, 2009, 9:39 am 9:39 am
Wow, still all of this inner fighting going on with this blog.
I haven’t had anything to do with blog for months. I see why.
Nothing possitive coming from the Republicans just more negativity. Just what we need from our country right now. MORE NEGATIVITY.
My son, step-son and myself need a job. College degrees and can’t even get a job at Taco Bell in Ohio.
Posted by: scentsofroses | July 23, 2009, 10:05 am 10:05 am
He has no choice but to speak in generalities because he knows we do not want the government to take over healthcare and if he talked specifics we would see that is where it is going. When questioned about the language that talks about forcing people into the government plan he feigns ignorance and says the bill is not done yet! The entire AAHCA is vague and will allow them to set impossible standards which will force out private insurers. Then they can get the full socialized medicine they have planned and begin rationing medical treatment and taxing us as they please!
Posted by: Curt | July 23, 2009, 11:44 am 11:44 am
Angie – Get over it. Bush is gone and now we have your O’Bama making a MUCH larger mess of the country. If I were a doctor, I would be highly insulted about his speech last night. He assumes that ALL doctors do procedures that are totally unnecessary. What??!! Is he now a better doctor than a real DOCTOR?? That’s what we are going to get, people. A buracrat telling us which medicine we can have. Never mind what the doctor said, if it’s too expensive, you must take the CHEAP one! That is exactly what he said last night and that’s why we better contact our congressmen and women and senators and tell them NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.
Posted by: M. Summer | July 23, 2009, 12:09 pm 12:09 pm
ALL THAT IS NEEDED is cost control: Get the millions of illegal aliens off the taxpayer’s backs. Get the waste, fraud, and abuse out of the system (one doctor claimed to have done 4 colonoscopys on the same guy on the same day!)and double the number of doctors serving the public(the AMA limits the number of doctors to keep fees high). Problem solved.
Posted by: Ron | July 23, 2009, 12:13 pm 12:13 pm
SOCIALIZED MEDICINE doesn’t work, why do you suppose so many Canadians and Europeans come here for treatment ?
Posted by: Ron | July 23, 2009, 12:15 pm 12:15 pm
Obama is making a much larger mess
LAUGHABLE I dont think anyone could be worse then that Idiot that Just left! If anything President Obama is doing a great Job with what Bush and Republicans left him look at the DOW Today!
Posted by: Angie in Pa | July 23, 2009, 12:17 pm 12:17 pm
RON
Whos talking about Socialized Medicine I dont Hear that out of the President or Congress, I do hear the Republicans Fear mongering with that alot
Posted by: Angie in Pa | July 23, 2009, 12:19 pm 12:19 pm
Get all the illegal aliens out of our country or make them pay taxes. Stop the drug companies from advertising. These two things would lower costs. We cannot afford this president. No more Obama in 2012.
Posted by: Dave | July 23, 2009, 12:21 pm 12:21 pm
Well I just love how the dem’s keep blaming the repub’s for the mess. The dem’s have been in power for over 2 years and look what a mess we have now. They haven’t done a thing they promised to do when they came in power. Oh excuse me, yes they have done something, spent billions and billion of the taxpayers money on a hopeless solution to the recession. Now they want to take over health care. They can’t even handle Social Security, Medicare, and the VA, how in the world do they think they can fix the health care system. Oh yes, more taxes. One thing is for sure, if they do manage to pass this new healthcare reform through, you can bet your bottom dollar that they won’t be going to the same doctors and hospitals and standing in the same lines as you and I. Like I said before they elected him, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
Posted by: andtheycallmestupid | July 23, 2009, 12:32 pm 12:32 pm
The CBO’s non-party related job is to crunch numbers. The president publicly admitted he did not know the details of the bill; and yet, he knows more than the CBO? If he thinks he does, “where’s the beef?”
Posted by: deanbob | July 23, 2009, 12:57 pm 12:57 pm
Why doesn’t the president offer TORT reform? That would cut costs.
Posted by: deanbob | July 23, 2009, 12:59 pm 12:59 pm
Whos talking about Socialized Medicine I dont Hear that out of the President or Congress
No Angie,
YOU don’t hear anything at all. The FACT is that HR3200 is NOT a heathcare plan at all. You should really try reading that thing, oh, i forget why should anyone read it, after all even the Presdient doe snot understand what is in it! Yet, he has been raving for weeks it was going to be done before the summer break!
It IS in FACT only a “Guideline”, which has built into it an 18 month period for the Sec of H&HS to “adopt an initial set of benefit standards”
So given that, WHY the rush? Why not actually take time to create the damn thing and then let the people see it?
We do need changes, and hell, I don’t know anyone that would not love to have their health insurance cover it all and only pay $100/month. Of course in order to do that, you would have to “somehow” lower ALL the cost structures in the entire healthcare system.
Since that is NOT going to happen, then the cost is going to have to be spreadout amongest everyone. It would kinda be nice to have some idea what that might be.
We hear all the time about this “magic” of moving around money already in the system. Acording to Obama, this piece of “magic” will pay for 2/3 of a plan that does not yet exist. We NEVER hear what that money is specifically, or where it is right now.
Posted by: Mike_C | July 23, 2009, 1:10 pm 1:10 pm
What makes any sane person think that the government can manage healthcare. Look at what the government has done to Social Security, Medicare, Public Housing, and the VA Hospitals. With this kind of a track record they have proven that they aren’t even capable of successfully operating the local burger stand. To start with where will the money come from and not cause an increase to the government debt any more than it is? In his first 170 days in office Obama has increased the debt of the government by 901.25 Billion dollars. At this rate he will increase the debt of the Government by 1.82 Trillion dollars in his first year alone and 7.74 Trillion dollars by the end of his 4 year term in office. If he is elected for a second term with the same rate of spending then the government debt will increase by 15.48 Trillion dollars. Since the debt owed by the Government was 10.6 Trillion dollars when he took office an additional 7.74 Trillion will almost double the debt in just 4 years to 18.34 Trillion dollars and at the end of his second term it will have increased to an unthought-of 26.08 Trillion dollars. The interest alone on this amount of debt will consume more than half of the entire federal budget. This does not even include what Obama wants to put into healthcare which has been estimated may actually cost upwards of 1.6 Billion dollars by the Congressional Budget Office. This is money that the Government does not have and cannot conceivably have without raising taxes to the point where everyone in the country will be paying a much higher tax rate than they are currently paying. No matter how you want to put it any healthcare reform will require government involvement which will lead to required government spending so the money is an important issue, if it’s not there then healthcare will have to wait until such time as it is available. Obama promised change but this is ridiculous he makes all who came before him look minor on their spending while in office. Time to stop spending and do what should have been done long ago, cut spending which is not specifically authorized in article 1 of the constitution. There is NO money for healthcare; there is NO money for education reform or any other dreams in the upcoming budget. Look at what the government has done to Social Security, Medicare, Public Housing, VA Hospitals, Chrysler, GM, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
When Medicare was created in 1965, benefits were relatively limited and retirees paid a substantial percentage of the costs of their own care. In 1965, Congressional actuaries expected Medicare to cost $3.1 billion by 1970. In 1969, that estimate was revised to $5 billion, and it actually came in at $6.8 billion. Things have gotten worse since, and Medicare today costs $455 billion and rising. Medicaid was intended as a last resort for the poor but now covers one-third of all long-term care expenses in the U.S. — that is, it has become a middle-class subsidy for aging parents of the Baby Boomers. Its annual bill is $227 billion, and so far this fiscal year is rising by 17%. SCHIP was pitched a decade ago as a safety net for poor kids, SCHIP is now open to families that earn up to 300% of the poverty level, or $63,081 for a family of four. Any new federal health plan will inevitably follow the same trajectory, no matter how much Congressmen might claim they’ve guaranteed otherwise, the CBO is skeptic of the cost reported by Congress. The Lewin Group consultants estimate that 119 million people who now have private insurance could potentially be captured by the government under the Obama public option. This is on top of the 90 million already in Medicare or Medicaid. This would guarantee a spending explosion that would over time lift federal outlays as a share of GDP into the upper 20% range or higher. This health-care debate isn’t like the “stimulus” bill, which was largely about short-term spending and deficits. This one is about whether to turn 17% of the U.S. economy entirely and permanently into the arms of the government.
Contrary to what many believe Congressmen do not have FREE health insurance. Their employer is the federal government and like many employers, it provides him with an insurance plan from a private insurance company (AETNA, Blue Cross, Health Net, Kaiser, etc). Congressmen have been required to get their health insurance in this manner since passage of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1983. In this case the federal government utilizes the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) plan to provide a choice of different private insurance plans to choose from, the federal government as the employer pays a portion of the monthly premium and the Congressman as the employee pays the remainder. The Congressman is responsible for any co-pays or deductable payments when service is provided by a healthcare provider. The governments only other involvement with the FEHB is to negotiate rates and benefits for each plan once a year. If you want to view the plans and their limits, deductibles, and co-pays just Google “FEHB” and go to the site and see what the different plans are.
Congressmen do not continue to participate under FEHB unless they meet the requirements to retire and collect a retirement annuity from the government. Additionally if they do not meet the retirement requirements and move to another job they do not take the insurance with them, if they move to another job within the federal government then they can continue their insurance under FEHB.
If the government were to open these plans to the public the monthly premiums for a family plan would roughly be between $425.00 and $1300.00, for an individual the monthly premium would roughly be between $177.00 and $550.00. One of the differences in the plan costs is the level of benefits provided and the amount the patient pays when receiving healthcare.
While I’m on a roll another common misconception is that members of Congress do not participate in Social Security. Once again you would be wrong, federal government employees hired after 1984 and ALL members of Congress no matter when they were first elected are required to participate in Social Security. These same people also participate in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) which is where they receive their retirement benefits when they retire. The employee has the Social Security (and Medicare) withheld from his check just like you do every pay period. Additionally they have an additional sum withheld which goes into the FERS retirement fund and if he chooses he can have an additional sum withheld and placed in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), The TSP operates similar to a 401k and has several funds which the employee can choose to have his money held in (many federal employees lost money when the economy collapsed as the TSP is mainly in stocks).
The actual retirement for a Congressman is determined by a formula which looks at his salary for the highest three year period prior to retirement and then uses a formula which uses his age at retirement and number of years served. The initial retirement to a Congressman can be no greater than 80% of his final salary. Due to Cost of Living increases over the years and if the retired Congressman lives long enough it is possible that he will eventually reach a point where his retirement pays more than when he was in office, but this is the rare case not the normal case. To achieve retirement the employee must have a minimum number of years (just like the rest of the world) and have a minimum number of years served (just like the rest of the world). Once again if you want to learn more Google FERS and TSP which should get you to the proper pages on the internet, none of this is hidden data it is there for anyone to read.
Bottom line is not that members of Congress don’t care about healthcare because they have outstanding insurance and don’t care about Social Security because they don’t participate. The reason is that if you check the net worth on our members of Congress you will find that 90% of them are wealthy enough that the FEHB insurance or Social Security means nothing to them, they can have better with their own money. As an example when Senator Kennedy underwent surgery at Duke University recently his FEHB insurance did not cover the entire procedure but as it was the best available he paid the remainder from his own pocket.
Posted by: Sandcrab1612 | July 23, 2009, 1:31 pm 1:31 pm
Healthcare reform has been in the shadows for a long time–last cut down by the GOP during the Clinton administration.
I admire a president who has moved ahead, tackling some heavily debated issues. speaks his mind with thoughtfulness and conscience. Certainly a refreshing change from silence, hidden agendas and thoughtless rhetoric from the previous administration.
Healthcare reform is a multilayered issue, and not easy to address – our “care for profit” system is so enmeshed in our society and economy, so change will be difficult.
The GOP [as well as a few the Democratic leaders] in the pockets of large health corporations will continue to raise alarm because they want to keep the very wealthy, very wealthy.
There’s no time like the present to take this issue head on.
Thank you President Obama. Healthcare capitalism has left the country in a state of substandard health and care delivery.
Posted by: gus amaral | July 23, 2009, 2:30 pm 2:30 pm
Many saw Bill Moyers program withg the health care executive admitting that the Michael Moore movie “Sicko” was right on the money and that the Canadian Health Care System and the one in Britian are MUCH better than the one in the US. I for one have expwerianced this sucky system here and it stinks. And the few who don’t want health care reform are usually easily duped, working for the healthy care or insurance industry or plants sent to make it look like the American people aren’t greatly suffering. I could care less what it is called. “Socialism” or whatever misnomer they want to apply to the BS put out. We are suffering out here. And Obama is trying to help us.
I, for one, will remember who was for and who was against this health care reform and work to get those against it unelected just as hard as I worked to get those who destroyed our economy in the mess that they left President Obama.
I and many Americans are tired of propaganda and BS. We want reform NOW!!!
And those who want a fight. Well, I for one fought for this country as a Marine. And by the Creator, I’ll fight for this also, if I have to. You greedy big business blood suckers could care less about us. So what you say goes right of my back like water.
Posted by: Dave | July 23, 2009, 2:32 pm 2:32 pm
Congress is just starting to hear how angry the voters really are. Wait until 2010 and they will see that anger at the polls. Pelosi, Reid and Obama are leading this country down a dangerous path
Posted by: mark Watson | July 23, 2009, 3:39 pm 3:39 pm
I hear so many say that Canadians and Europeans come here for our medical skills. I challenge you to prove that. Why? Because I know personally, people who live in both of those areas and they all say that the system as it is in America, is the most screwed up, broken, mismanaged attempt at health care that they have ever seen. Facts and figures prove that point. We are the richest country yet poor when it comes to healthcare. More people are either without, or losing their care daily. Our mortality rate is high, our premiums higher. Socialized medicine is not what Obama is selling. Organized, straight up healthcare is. No one should be profiting like they do now off of healthcare. It is a right, not a luxury. But as it stands now, the poor do not have. The sick are loosing, and those of us in the middle, well we receive sub-par medical help, and it is getting worse. Now is the time to do something. At least Obama is making an attempt, which is more than anyone else can say these days. Give it a try. It cannot be worse than what we currently have/do not have.
Posted by: John | July 23, 2009, 4:07 pm 4:07 pm
European investors approve of Obama’s policies. Misery loves company. They are enjoying our transition from a free enterprise system to socialism. It’s affirmation of the substandard economy and government control they’ve created for themselves. Our conversion to socialism levels the playing field for them. And why aren’t we hearing more about the dismal failure of healthcare delivery, thanks to the government’s takeover of healthcare in Hawaii?
Posted by: mmonroeliveson | July 24, 2009, 12:07 pm 12:07 pm
Angie in Pa; I’m not a Republican but I am a conservative. Let me first say we need healthcare reform. Those of us who currently have healthcare insurance must ration care for ourselves because of high premiums that obligate our income and co-payments, deductibles and exclusions if we actually see a doctor. I’m opposed to extending freebie healthcare to those who are uninsured without first bringing down the current cost of healthcare. Our healthcare expenditures are falling into a dark hole that leads to the pockets of litigation attorneys, healthcare providers who submit fraudulent claims and insurance companies. Now the government wants to build another bureaucracy that will become part of the dark hole. Our elected politicians consider those areas untouchable apparently. It’s time for some tough choices and hard work and sacrifice on their part. All they’re interested in is securing political clout for their own re-elections. The ultimate expense to us is outside their consideration. Yes, people need access to affordable healthcare and many don’t have that other than emergency room visits which is an expense passed on to every American taxpayer and every insured American. Some changes need to be made but not just any changes and there’s alogical way to attack the problem. The way to fix the problem is to fix the causes of the problem, not to throw money at the effects.
Posted by: mmonroeliveson | July 24, 2009, 12:24 pm 12:24 pm
obama….a joke
Posted by: gordon | July 24, 2009, 1:35 pm 1:35 pm
deanbob; Surely you don’t anticipate a bunch of attorneys to tackle tort reform do you? Lawsuits are their hustle.
Posted by: mmonroeliveson | July 24, 2009, 1:55 pm 1:55 pm
I predict in the end we’ll get a bill that addresses healthcare reforms that should cost the people less than $100 billion. By the time all the tributes to their constituents back home have been funded (the pork parts of the bill)the bill will in fact cost us another trillion now and many more trillions down the road. The lawyers and insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies and hospital corporations will all make out. The taxpayers, the insureds and the doctors the reform should benefit will all take a beating.
Posted by: mmonroeliveson | July 24, 2009, 2:02 pm 2:02 pm
Good ones Ron – and also I have reiterated time and again – Obama said he had wonderful healthcare – twice – okay – why not give his healthcare to all of us? If not that way – why don’t the fat cats in Washington give up their health care, that they have now and join in the one that Obama approves…one thing I don’t like is that I don’t want my tax dollars paying for abortions….
Posted by: artinthewild | July 24, 2009, 2:42 pm 2:42 pm
Incidentally – I read where one reporter asked Obama about something in his healthcare and Obama said he wasn’t familiar with that – makes one wonder if he’s familiar with any of it…
Posted by: artinthewild | July 24, 2009, 2:43 pm 2:43 pm
Would like to know what really on Obama Agenda. Why is Obama trying to push through so much in a short time period? What is he trying to do really & what is his true purpose of being president. What is he keeping from the media that he doesn’t want no one to know. These are question I would like to know honestly. The people of America has the right to know what is he really up to.
Posted by: Amy | July 25, 2009, 11:01 pm 11:01 pm