Progress Illinois

Looking for reactions on President Obama's health care address last night, WFLD's Good Day Chicago dialed up a pair of Illinois Congressman, Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Peter Roskam. Their responses are interesting in so much as they illustrate fairly well the current politics at play in Washington.

Jackson, who hasn't made many media appearances since his name was brought up in the Blagojevich indictment, praised the president for selling the American people on the importance of "more stability and security, on quality and affordable choices for all Americans, and reigning in the cost of health care for our families, our businesses, and our government." When asked whether intra-party disputes about legislative details could thwart reform, he said lawmakers on the center-left need to join together and pass universal coverage now or risking losing their seats next year. Watch it (the relevant section begins at 1:30):

JACKSON: I certainly think that [the Democrats] do [have enough votes] and I certainly hope that they do or the 2010 election cycle is going to be very difficult. It's an off-presidential election year. Central to the Democratic Party’s platform for the last 40 or 50 years has been the idea of universal coverage for all Americans. And the idea that the President of the United States or this Congress under Democratic control would back away from covering all Americans would certainly be a form of suicide for the Democratic Party.

Roskam wasn't quite so excited by what he heard. The Wheaton Republican said the cost of HR3200, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office, "took the breath away from members of the House Ways and Means Committee on both sides of the aisle." (Jackson quickly responded that the Democratic proposals are will be "paid for up front," a fact verified by both the President and the CBO). Roskam also claimed Americans are nervous that a government-sponsored health plan would ultimately drive private insurance into the ground (this clip starts at 3:20):

ROSKAM: I think there’s a whole host of Americans who currently have coverage who are very concerned they are going to lose their private health insurance if we move to the government option, and that’s born out by study after study.

This is a common theme during Roskam's health care rants. But since he's is so fond of the CBO, let's look at their data and see if it bears out his fears. The same analysis of the tri-committee bill above found that about 10-11 million individuals will enroll in the public option by 2019. Why is the number so low? Because only those that that are unemployed, self-employed, or work at businesses with 10 or fewer employees (about 30 million Americans) will be eligible for the Health Insurance Exchange, which would house the government-run plan. Of those 30 million, many will instead choose instead to purchase regulated plans from private insurance companies. This updated flowchart from Donkeylicious blogger Nick Beaudrot provides a nice visual reminder of how the main bills floating through Congress would affect all Americans.

This is the essence of the debate. On one side, we have a lawmaker pushing for universal access as a constitutional and human right. On the other, we have a lawmaker relying on distortions and misinterpretations to block reform. That's the main reason there won't be a bipartisan bill.