Healthcare reform bill is attacked from several directions
23 06 09 - 13:38
State of Play: Health Hearings Heat Up, Public Weighs In
By Ceci Connolly - The Washington Post
Brace for a blistering schedule of congressional hearings this week, as three committees in the House begin examining draft health-reform legislation unveiled last Friday and the Senate health committee continues its work.
At the White House today, President Obama and the AARP will herald a voluntary offer by drug manufacturers to discount the prices of some Medicare prescription medications. There’s been a slow publicity roll-out on the agreement, which all told will squeeze $80 billion out of the drug companies over the next 10 years.
The pharmaceutical industry is aggressively lobbying for a comprehensive health bill that would lock in insurance coverage for up to 50 million new customers.
The real question however is whether the Senate Finance Committee will be able to reach consensus this week on a bill that costs no more than $1 trillion over the next decade, guarantees basic health coverage to the majority of Americans and raises the quality of care nationwide.
Several senators hit the Sunday talk show circuit to deliberate whether to include a new government-run insurance program in reform legislation. Proponents, including Obama, say a nonprofit entity that doesn’t have to pay high executive salaries could offer consumers a more affordable alternative that high-priced private insurance. Opponents, including some moderate Democrats, see the “public-plan option” as the first step toward nationalized health care.
As the national debate on health-care has shifted from what’s wrong with the $2.2 trillion system to specific ideas on how to revamp it, constituency groups are striking a more skeptical tone.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has launched an offensive against any sort of “pay or play” provision that would require businesses to either provide health insurance to employees or contribute to a health fund.
“An employer mandate would exacerbate the already difficult situation of employers and workers,” Chamber Vice President Bruce Josten wrote to the top members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
The insurance industry trade group, meanwhile, reacted quickly and negatively to the 852-page draft bill in the House, targeting a plan to form a new non-profit government-sponsored health insurance program.
“A government-run plan would dismantle employer-based coverage, add additional liabilities to the federal budget, and turn-back-the-clock on efforts to improve the quality and safety of patient care,” according to a statement by America’s Health Insurance Plans. “A better approach is to pursue reforms that can achieve broad bipartisan support, including strengthening the health care safety net, overhauling existing market rules, promoting shared responsibility, and transforming the delivery system to reward quality and value.”
It’s also the season of polls. Yesterday, the New York Times released survey results with some encouraging data for Obama on attitudes toward health-care reform. The poll found surprisingly strong support for a government-run insurance plan that would compete against today’s private plans.
The Wall Street Journal-NBC poll found that slightly more than half of respondents support the Obama approach and 62 percent said they would support a requirement that every American have insurance.