Health Care Round-Up: Foster's Town Hall, Pressuring Lipinski, WTTW's Roundtable
Some members of Senate Finance Committee may be looking to pare down the size of the upper chamber's health care package and the White House is deliberating
if they would accept such a deal. Back home, lawmakers are staking out
their positions as well. Here's the latest in ...
Some members of Senate Finance Committee may be looking to pare down the size of the upper chamber's health care package and the White House is deliberating if they would accept such a deal. Back home, lawmakers are staking out their positions as well. Here's the latest in local health care news:
Foster's Tele-Town Hall
Rep. Bill Foster, a potential swing vote, clarified his stance on many health reform issues during a tele-town hall meeting with constituents last night. The Geneva Democrat reiterated his support for a public option, albeit one that operates on a level playing field with private insurance companies. He also expressed openness to a few funding mechanisms, including a surtax on the top 1 percent of the nation's wage earners or a tax on high-level health insurance policies that currently are provided tax free. For reformers, this should come as a good sign.
The National Republican Congressional Committee isn't too happy with his willingness to back reform, targeting him earlier this week with a ridiculous ad that falsely claims House Democrats are going to cut Medicare by $500 billion dollars.
Pressure On Lipinski
Rep. Dan Lipinski, another supporter of a "level-playing field" public option, is starting to send out signals that the cost of the health care package could determine his vote. In early August, the 3rd district representative issued a statement acknowledging that "it is critical that this bill constitutes real reform and avoids pouring more money into a broken system." On Tuesday, he penned a column in the Southwest News-Herald echoing the same theme. As the August recess comes to a close, organizers from the Campaign for a Better Health Care are looking to apply some pressure to the Democrat to endorse a more robust public option, which the Congressional Budget Office thinks would save money. From a press release:
The people of Illinois' 3rd Congressional District, like all Americans, deserve real reform. Call Congressman Lipinski today - tell him:
-You want quality, affordable health care that you can rely on and you expect him to support HR3200.
-You expect him to be on the side of hard working Americans, and not on the side of the insurance industry.
-Health care reform must ensure our freedom of choice - WE want to be the ones to choose a robust public option or a private plan, whichever is right for us and our families.
WTTW's Roundtable
WTTW's Chicago Tonight devoted its entire show on Tuesday night to the subject of health care, convening a panel that included Sen. Dick Durbin and representatives from the American Medical Association, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois, and the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council. There were plenty of interesting moments throughout the hour. For instance, the insurance industry rep at one point attempted to claim that his company was not technically a for-profit entity, despite the fact its top executive makes in excess of $10 million per year. Below is another relevant exchange, in which Durbin responds to an audience member's suggestion that he consider a bill allowing people to buy health insurance policies across state lines, a major plank of the Republican alternative authored by Rep. Mark Kirk. Watch it (full video here):
Real People Continue To Demand Real Reform
The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law and United Action for Power and Justice have released the latest videos in their Real People Demand Real Reform video series. Check them out below, the first which deals with "affordability and stability" and the second which details the experiences of small business owners with the health insurance industry:
Comments
Quite a few angry anti-reform comments against the Speaker and Rep Hoyer on USA Today. Over 3,400 comments and it look like it is running about 9 to 1 denouncing the attitude of Congress.
I am trying to remember when I have seen a backlash this large. There are not many examples. The seniors chased Dan Rostenkowski in the late '80s when Congress added a specific Medicare tax and folks choked on the 1994 Clinton health initiative. That does not bode well. In the first case, Congress rushed back to D.C. and purged the law they just passed. In the second case the Democrats lost the majority, somewhat connected to health reform.
Congress can just steam roll the naysayers this time. The people do not trust this Congress. Congress's approval rating may drop from 30% to 18%. This is a representative Republic and not a pure Democracy. They can just vote it in without using any cash advance.
If Obama wants to sell Health Care to the Republicans, he could just relabel it as "Mental Health Care for Liberals". All sane people would love to eradicate the Liberalism disease ASAP.
The beauty of the reform bill is that it provides a wonderful little concept called freedom of CHOICE. A real money-saver that insurance companies do not want people to have when they are sticking you with 35 percent or more and making you feel like they are really doing you a favor. The bill provides OPTIONS. Individuals choose what they want, the best bang for their buck. Many do that now through their employers (i.e., PPOs, HMOs, HSAs, etc.). Nothing different here. Congress is FINALLY making certain the have-nots are getting the same opportunities has the haves (how intimidating does that sound!!!).
All truly sane people appreciate Liberalism. The only 100 percent effective cure for such cruel intolerance especially when people refuse to listen to the truth.
ALISON, MPA
Philosophe Forum
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