Healthcare Fight Not Over, Say GOP'ers

Although President Barack Obama will soon sign the main health reform bill passed by the House last night, Republican lawmakers aren't convinced that their window of opportunity to 'kill the bill' has closed. Hours after the House passed the Senate's bill, as well as a subsequent reconciliation bill, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) drafted legislation to repeal them.

“Americans across the country are outraged that liberals have made an unconstitutional bill full of special interest bribes the law of the land. Democrats will pay a price for their overreach. This fight is far from over. Now the work begins to repeal this monstrosity and restore the principles of freedom that made America a great nation," said King in a statement released Monday morning.

King's effort will most likely enjoy support from at least a few on the other side of Capitol Hill.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has already said he will introduce a repeal measure in the Senate, and during an appearance on ABC this morning Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) vowed "we're going to repeal this."

Realistically, Republicans will more than likely have to win control of both Houses this fall in order to have a shot at repealing the soon-to-be laws. Additionally, without 60 seats in the Senate, Republicans would have to use the same reconciliation process they have assailed Democrats over the past few months for using. However, while attaining a super-majority is out of the question, Republicans are betting on the fact that Obamacare will pay dividends for their candidates later this year.

One such candidate is Rev. Isaac Hayes (R), a youth Minister from Chicago, who sees healthcare as a way to defeat Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) in his race to get re-elected to the House.

"I believe the process by which health insurance reform has been jammed down our throats will be the centerpiece of the November election...America knows this is a government grab of one-sixth of the economy and they are encouraging Republicans to repeal this bill the moment we are sworn in as the 112th Congress," Hayes told Talk Radio News Service on Monday.

New Health And Human Services Report Claims Health Care Reform Will Create Jobs, Boost Income

By Laura Smith - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Friday lauded a new report compiled by HHS that claims health care reform will boost employment and raise individual families' incomes.

“Lots of families are looking into the future and asking what is it that happens to them when Congress passes health reform. The biggest change is that under reform families will have a lot more security and stability in the health insurance system than they have today,” Sebelius said.

The new report, entitled “Protecting Families and Putting More Money in Your Pocket: How Health Insurance Reform Will Lower Costs and Increase Choices,” states that "lowering health care costs by one percent will create 320,000 jobs nationwide and raise median family income by $6,800 by 2030."

The secretary also outlined the benefits the Senate's pending health care reform bill will bring to American families.

“If you lose your health insurance, it’s a lot easier to find a new policy. You don’t have to make 25 different phone calls to find coverage. It will be a new market place, called an exchange, where you can compare plans and rates and make some choices,” Sebelius stated.

She added, “there are basic rules that will apply to companies offering plans in the exchange. They can’t deny coverage because of pre-existing conditions, they can’t deny coverage once you have it, you can’t put a cap on benefits. That’s a huge change for American families, even those who have insurance today.”

Increasing Deficits Causing Concern Over Health Care Plan

The Congressional Budget Office’s new estimate that the federal deficit will reach $7.14 trillion over the next ten years isn’t making Americans feel any more comfortable about supporting President Obama’s healthcare reform plan said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) in a conference call on Tuesday.

“We are running trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, and with these updated numbers that CBO is coming out with, clearly the fiscal picture has worsened...and I think that animates a lot of people’s concerns about an expansion of healthcare.”

Thune, who has held a few town hall events on healthcare in his home state during the August recess, said that the country’s fiscal situation is causing some folks to oppose certain elements of reform, such as the public option provision endorsed by Obama.

“A real concern on people’s minds is ‘Why are we looking now at doing something that will add costs, build on programs that are already halfway to bankruptcy...and on an unsustainable trajectory.’”

Thune, of course, was referring to Medicare, the government's heath insurance program for senior citizens. He did, however, say that Senate Republicans are open to supporting Medicare spending cuts that would “find savings” for the plan.

Thune reiterated his support for a recent report put out by the non-partisan National Federation of Independent Business Association. The study concluded that the three healthcare bills that have passed the House would increase taxes, and as a result would harm small businesses across the country.

Thune stated confidently that no Republican will support a comprehensive healthcare bill, although he suggested that a more incremental bill could achieve bipartisan backing in the Senate. However, Thune sounded skeptical that Democrats would allow Republicans to be a part of the legislative process once the bill shifted back to the House.

Thune also expressed doubts over the possibility that Democrats may attempt to pass legislation through the process of reconciliation, which would require lawmakers to split the bill into pieces and then vote on the different parts individually.

“As a policy matter, they could do it. As a political matter, it’s really difficult. Americans don’t want to see something jammed through,” said Thune. He added that although reconciliation is hard to understand, many of his constituents would oppose its use by Democrats on the grounds that “something as large as healthcare could be passed on a party line vote.”

Thune articulated that Republicans want healthcare reform to address issues like tort reform and long-term sustainability of Medicare. He maintained that Republicans are supportive of provisions that would prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage to customers with pre-existing conditions, but suggested that most in the party are wary of a bill that includes any sort of mandate on individuals to obtain health insurance.

Prevention Necessary Component Of Health Care Reform, Say Top HHS Officials

By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service

A focus on prevention and wellness is key to quality health care reform, according the the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and three top HHS officials participated in a webcast Friday to clarify the Obama administration's health care reform message.

“This is a public health opportunity, not just a physician opportunity. We believe prevention should occur not just between a doctor and a patient and not just at an individual level, but at the family level, the neighborhood level, the community level,” said Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. “Public health and prevention is now a major theme for every person in this country and we all have an investment in it.”

Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, said what seems like simple steps, such as, immunization or counseling for an addiction, can save money in the long-term.

The officials also highlighted aspects that the administration claims are essential to comprehensive health reform including: reducing long-term growth of health care costs, a guaranteed choice of doctors and health plans, improved patient safety and quality of care, affordable quality coverage, and the ability to maintain coverage when you change or lose your job.

“We’re not just focusing on saving costs, but saving lives,” Sebelius said.

Doctors, Senators Push For Cure To Health Care System

By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service

Doctors from around the country visited the U.S. Capitol Thursday to promote health care reform and to present their diagnoses on the current health care system.

“We are too close to achieving health care reform to stop now,” said Dr. Jim King, a family physician. “Family physicians cannot understand why we would ever want to continue a health care system that reduces productivity, accelerates costs increases and promotes inefficiency. Why would this status quo be acceptable to anyone?”

King said health care in this country will deteriorate greatly if Congress doesn't produce a system that works for everybody.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) issued a diagnosis of his own, saying, “Our health care system is chronically ill. It cannot survive as it currently exists.”

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said both the doctors and the American public know that the nation needs reform. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y) agreed, but noted that Congress can’t be expected to snap its fingers and have it done. Rather, real change will take time, he said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he believed the media had created a false deadline for getting legislation passed before the August recess. Reid said he wants the bill passed before the end of the year.

Reid added that his focus is working on coming up with enough votes in the Senate to override a filibuster.

“I’m pretty good at arithmetic. I know how to count to 60,” he quipped.