Democrats Writing Healthcare Bill Behind Closed Doors, Gregg Accuses

By Laurel Brishel Prichard
University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Sens. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said Thursday that the health reform bill must first become a law before reconciliation can be used to amend it.

“So much of this bill may be subject to the Byrd Rule and may go in one way and come out another way, assuming it comes out at all,” Gregg told reporters during a brief session.

Senate Republicans have secured 41 signatures on a letter demanding that reconciliation only be used on legislation involving budget adjustments, and not major policy changes, said Alexander.

“If any sentence is deemed that the policy is more significant then the budget adjustments that it applies to...it will be knocked out, the paragraph will be knocked out, and the section will be knocked out,” said Gregg.

Alexander reiterated a GOP desire to deal with reforming the nation's healthcare system in a "step-by-step" manner. Gregg agreed, and argued that a more piecemeal approach would yield a more transparent process.

“The simple fact is [Democrats] are hiding the bill. This is another one of those processes where it's being written in a hidden room, behind a hidden room, behind a hidden door,” said Gregg.

Voters Will Revolt Against Democrats Over Healthcare, Says Top Republican

By Antonia Aguilar
University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) responded to President Barack Obama”s speech on health care reform on Wednesday, assailing the President over the cost of his plan.

“He didn’t mention that the size of this measure, when fully implemented over a ten year period, is 2.5 trillion dollars in new spending,” said McConnell.

McConnell countered Obama's argument that the majority of the public supports passing reform, saying the election of Republican Senator Scott Brown (Mass.) illustrates how opposed the public is to the bills passed by Democrats in both the House and Senate.

“This is really not an argument between Democrats and Republicans, it is an argument between Democrats and the American people,” he said.

McConnell also warned of the potential ramifications of passing of health reform, saying “every election in America this fall will be a referendum on this issue."

Democrat Pingree: Public Option Is The Key To Health Reform

By Chingyu Wang - Talk Radio News Service

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) and leaders from the organizations Democracy for America and Progressive Change Campaign Committee argued Thursday that the majority of Americans would prefer having the controversial 'public option' be a part of healthcare reform.

"New Research 2000 polling shows voters in state after state hate the current Senate bill, overwhelmingly support the public option, and want senators like Tom Harkin, Byron Dorgan, Claire McCaskill, Jim Webb, and others to fight harder for the public option," said Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) Co-Founder Adam Green.

According to a recent New York Times poll on public option, 59% of Americans support the public option, Green added.

Pingree said he believes the public option, essentially a government-administered insurance plan, is necessary to reduce the nation's deficit, as well as to inject competition in the marketplace. The combination of a public option plan and a repealing of the antitrust exemption for health insurance companies will greatly improve things, added Pingree.

"It's important for this bill for reducing the deficit, and for really injecting competition into a field," she said. "The House took its historical vote yesterday on repealing the antitrust provision -- the exemption that insurance companies have had; we took an important step but the public option will take it all the way."

Weiner said he was hopeful that the public option would be discussed during Thursday's healthcare summit involving Members of Congress and the President, stating his desire that the politically poisonous provision wouldn't be neglected in the name of bipartisanship.

"We have to not see this urge for bipartisanship as being a substitute for our elective responsibility to make good law," said Weiner. "The Republicans have expressed their imperatives, which is to try to stop the President from being successful."

Anthem Customers Say Their Provider Began Raising Premiums In 2009

By Chingyu Wang - Talk Radio News Service

WellPoint, Inc., California's largest individual health insurer, as well as the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross, was accused of profiteering during a hearing on Wednesday before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Though the news that Anthem Blue Cross in California had decided to raise premiums broke recently, several witnesses from the state of California testified that their provider has been raising its premiums since March 2009.

"In March 2009, Anthem raised those premiums to $231 per month, or $2772 or year - an increase of 26%," said Jeremy Arnold, a self-employed writer from Los Angeles. "In January 2010, Anthem informed me that my rates were going up again, to $319 per month, or $3828 per year - a further increase of 38%."

Committee Members expressed alarm over the fact that WellPoint increased some rates as much as 64% to help pay for large executive salaries and employee retreats.

"Between 2007 and 2008, WellPoint spent over $27 million to host 103 executive retreats," said Congressman Gene Green (D-Texas). "In 2008, during the high of the recession, WellPoint paid over $1.3 million to host 360 attendees at the Four Season Hotel in San Diego."

The committee cited data showing that WellPoint paid its top executives over $347 million in 2007 and 2008 combined. In 2008, WellPoint paid $115 million to 85 senior executives, according to the data.

WellPoint President/CEO Angela Braly, who received stock compensation valuing $8.5 million, and a salary of $1.1 million in 2009 alone, defended the rate increases, attributing them to market conditions.

"The increases in premium costs are driven by prices charged by clinicians, hospitals, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and other suppliers in health care that are accelerating much faster than general inflation," Braly said.

Braly also invoked the struggling economy during her defense of the rate hikes, explaining that because younger and healthier policyholders have dropped their insurance, "there are fewer policyholders among whom to spread risk, and those remaining have higher health care costs. The result is higher premiums for those left in the pool."

Hoyer: Hitting Restart Button On Health Care Reform Would Not Be Efficient

By Sofia Sanchez University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Tuesday that requests from Republicans to restart efforts to reform the U.S. health care system are unrealistic.

“We have had very fullsome consideration of this bill and starting over does not seem a path that would be very efficient at all,” said Hoyer.

The Majority Leader also discussed the differences between the Republicans' and Democrats' legislative approach to health care, saying “the Republican bill will only cover three million Americans as opposed to the Democrats' bill which will cover 31-35 million Americans.”

Hoyer added that he hopes the Health Care Summit at the Blair House Thursday will bring about an open forum for both Republicans and Democrats to present their best ideas for health care reform.

Hoyer also commented on the small signs of bipartisanship surrounding the jobs bill, most notably the five Republican senators have helped bring it to a final vote.

“I think it’s a good sign,” said Hoyer.

The Senate is expected to pass the bill this week.