Senate Democrats Say Prevention Essential For Health Care Reform

By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service

Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Tom Udall (D-NM) said Wednesday that health care reform legislation must include extensive measures to promote wellness and prevention.

“As I have said many times... we currently do not have a health care system in America, we have a sick care system,” Harkin said.

The Iowa Senator explained that simply treating illness after diagnosis is much more costly than using the same money to promote preventative treatment.

“Our aim is to recreate America as a genuine wellness society, a society focused on healthy lifestyle and preventing the chronic diseases that take suck a toll on our bodies and our budgets,” Harkin said.

Both Harkin and Udall have been long time advocates of promoting prevention, claiming that for every dollar invested in wellness, several dollars used for expensive treatments are saved.

“Our current system is clearly broken and unsustainable. We really have a disease management system,” Udall said. “We really must get out in front of these diseases.”

Harkin maintained during the press conference that both the Senate and House bills will be done and in conference by Christmas.

Pelosi Trumpets Democrats' House Wins

By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service

While Republicans celebrated their parties numerous victories from Tuesday’s elections, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that she was not disappointed by the results.

"From our standpoint, we picked up votes last night, one in California and one in New York," Pelosi said during a press appearance, referencing the special elections held in New York's 23rd Congressional district and California's 10th.

"From our perspective, we won last night," Pelosi added. "From our standpoint...a candidate was victorious who supports health care reform.”

The Speaker did not acknowledge the fact that Democratic gubernatorial losses in New Jersey and Virginia may have a negative political impact on her efforts to win votes to pass the America’s Healthy Choices Act, the bill to reform the health care system, through the House.

Pelosi instead focused on the Democratic wins in the two special elections for House seats.

World Needs A Commitment From U.S. On Climate Change

By Leah Valencia - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

In Barcelona, policy makers are awaiting a commitment from the U.S. to cut greenhouse gas emissions during preliminary agreements being made ahead of the UN climate conference in Copenhagen next month.

Nick Mabey, CEO of E3G, a nonprofit think tank that promotes green solutions, said Monday that key players have began to advocate ambitious commitments, noting that China and India have discussed lofty international abatement commitments. Mabey said that all that remains is a commitment from the U.S to reduce emissions.

“With the major countries moving on finance and on commitment, this really sets up for the EU-US summit...to see the U.S. come forward and make a very positive statement about its intentions,” Mabey said during a conference call hosted by the U.S. Climate Action Network.

The U.S., which is the second largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world - China is the largest - has yet to commit to a goal to reduce emissions by 2020. This has made it difficult to gain commitments from other developing countries. In contrast the European Union has vowed to cut 1990-level emissions by 20 percent in the next decade.

“The principle for supporting developing countries is committing to finance, as Europe has, and a strong agreement that we can build on in the future,” Mabey said. “This is really an important time where U.S. leadership has to come to the full.”

The current preliminary discussions taking place in Barcelona represent the final negotiating sessions before the United Nations meets in Copenhagen on Dec. 6 for the EU-US climate conference. There, 190 nations will draft an agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

Former CBO Director: House Health Care Bill Will Add To Deficit

By Leah Valencia - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Former Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Holtz-Eakin said Monday that the House health care legislation is not deficit neutral and will not be fiscally sustainable over time.

“The heart of this bill is to repeat two of the greatest policy errors this country has made: To create large unfunded entitlement spending programs and to have a tax law that is not politically viable over the long haul,” said Holtz-Eakin.

Holtz-Eakin said the bill is on track to produce over one trillion dollars of debt in the first ten years. He argued that Democrats are using gimmicks to balance the bill in the eyes of the Congressional Budget Office.

“The best we could do with the health care reform is break even,” said Holtz-Eakin “Genuinely be honest about how much new spending they are proposing and genuinely be honest about raising the revenue to cover it. [Democrats] are doing neither of those things.”

He said the actual gross cost to expand Medicaid would be $1.055 trillion, and other spending provisions in the bill would add up to a gross figure of $230 billion, totaling well over the $900 billion promised by House leaders.

“I think as a result, that these are reforms that are not durable in any deep sense and are not desirable from the point of view of policy.”

House Republican Says U.S. Involvement In Honduras Is Harmful

By Leah Valencia - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) said Wednesday that U.S. intervention in the Honduran elections is punishing American commercial and economic interests in the region.

“During my recent visit to Honduras I was struck by the harmful effect U.S. policy is having on American interests and citizens in that country,” Ros-Lehtinen said.

Conflict began in Honduras earlier this summer when President Manuel Zelaya was ousted and removed from the country on June 28 after he defied a ruling of the Supreme Court to cancel a constitutional change that was deemed illegal.

Following Zelaya's ouster, Interim President Roberto Micheletti took over, causing conflict with those who supported Zelaya and perceived his removal to be a military coup.

U.S. officials and other countries have said that they will not recognize the results of the upcoming Nov. 29 elections in Honduras until the conflict is resolved and Zelaya is returned to power.

However, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen said that the elections are imperative to improving the country's conditions.

“Since when does the U.S. not support free, fair, transparent and constitutionally mandated elections?” Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement last week. “It makes no sense that the U.S. would side with Manuel Zelaya and his ALBA buddies at the expense of Democracy.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent three top U.S. delegates to Honduras Wednesday to attempt to negotiate a solution to the political crisis ahead of elections.