Obama guarantees health care overhaul will pass

He has guts, and talks a good game. President Barack Obama guaranteed Thursday that his health care overhaul will win approval and said any bill he signs will have to reduce rapidly rising costs, protect consumers from insurance abuses and provide affordable choices to the uninsured — while not adding to the federal deficit.




Obama listed those four "bullet points" as his basic requirements in response to a question from a caller to a Philadelphia-based talk radio show. Host Michael Smerconish interviewed Obama at the White House during the show and Obama took questions from several listeners.

Another caller said he sensed the administration's "knees are bucklin' a little bit" under criticism of the proposals. Obama said he was as determined as ever and "I guarantee you, Joe, we are going to get health care reform done."

Obama is struggling to regain the momentum on his top domestic priority — a comprehensive bill that would extend health coverage to nearly 50 million Americans who lack it and restrain skyrocketing costs. Opponents of the overhaul have drowned out supporters at lawmakers' town halls around the country this month, and backing for Obama's effort has slipped in opinion polls. Congressional Democratic leaders are preparing to go it alone on legislation although bipartisan negotiations continue in the Senate.

The president insisted Thursday that there has been no change in the administration's position that a government option for health insurance coverage should be considered as part of legislation to overhaul the system.

Responding to a question from Smerconish, Obama said, "The press got excited and some folks on the left got a little excited" when the administration last weekend made statements indicating that a federally run health insurance option was just one of several alternatives.

"Our position hasn't changed," he said.



Later Thursday, he visited the Democratic National Committee headquarters for a rally designed to re-energize activists who were instrumental is his drive to the presidency.

"Winning the election is just the start," he told an audience at the DNC and thousands watching online and listening by telephone. "Victory in an election wasn't the change that we sought."

Obama said lies had spread about Democrats' plans, including claims Washington would create "death panels" or pay for health insurance for illegal immigrants.

"C'mon," a mocking Obama told the cheering crowd. "We can have a real debate because health care is hard and there are some legitimate issues that have to be sorted through and worked on."

While Obama says he's still looking for Republican support for a comprehensive health care bill, Democrats privately are preparing a one-party push, which they feel is all but inevitable.

On Wednesday, Obama urged religious leaders to back his proposals, arguing that health coverage for Americans is a "core ethical and moral obligation." Polls continued to show slippage in support for the president's approach, although respondents expressed even less confidence in Republicans' handling of health care.

Vice President Joe Biden met with health care professionals in Chicago on Thursday and planned to announce nearly $1.2 billion in grants to help hospitals transition to electronic medical records. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was joining him.

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Thursday that Obama is struggling to get a health care bill because he has been too deferential to liberals. Romney, who may challenge Obama in 2012, said on CBS' "The Early Show" that "if the president wants to get something done, he needs to put aside the extreme liberal wing of his party."

Some Democrats say a strong-arm tactic on Senate health care legislation that would negate the need for any GOP votes might be more effective than previously thought.

The legislative tactic, called "reconciliation," would allow senators to get around a bill-killing filibuster without mustering the 60 votes usually needed. Democrats control 60 of the Senate's 100 seats, but some moderate Senate Democrats have expressed reservations about Obama's plan.

Two Democrats — Robert Byrd of West Virginia and Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts — are seriously ill and often absent. Kennedy sent a letter Tuesday to Massachusetts leaders asking that they change state law to allow someone to be quickly appointed to his seat in Congress "should a vacancy occur."

While always contentious, reconciliation lets the Senate pass some measures with a simple majority vote. Non-budget-related items can be challenged, however, and some lawmakers say reconciliation would knock so many provisions from Obama's health care plan that the result would be "Swiss cheese."

Still, Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., warned Republicans Wednesday that reconciliation is a real option. The White House and Senate Democratic leaders still prefer a bipartisan bill, he said, but "patience is not unlimited and we are determined to get something done this year by any legislative means necessary."




Administration officials and congressional Democrats were deeply discouraged this week when key Republican lawmakers seemed more critical than ever about various Democratic-drafted health care bills pending in the House and Senate. They said they still hope Senate Finance Committee efforts to craft a bipartisan compromise can succeed, although private remarks were more pessimistic.

Obama is ready to give up on the 'public health care option'

I wonder does this mean he is admitting defeat? How will this affect the poor and middle class?

President Barack Obama's administration signaled on Sunday it is ready to abandon the idea of giving Americans the option of government-run health insurance as part of his ambitious health care proposal.

Facing mounting opposition to the overhaul, administration officials left open the chance for a compromise with Republicans that would include health insurance cooperatives. Such a concession is likely to enrage his liberal supporters but could deliver Obama a much-needed win on a top domestic priority opposed by GOP lawmakers.

Officials from both political parties reached across the aisle in an effort to find compromises on proposals they left behind when they returned to their districts for an August recess.

Obama has been pressing for the government to run a health insurance organization to help cover the nation's almost 50 million uninsured, but Republicans remain steadfast in arguing against it.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that government alternative to private health insurance is "not the essential element" of the administration's health care overhaul. The White House would be open to co-ops, she said, a sign that Democrats want a compromise so they can declare a victory on the showdown.

"I think there will be a competitor to private insurers," Sebelius said. "That's really the essential part, is you don't turn over the whole new marketplace to private insurance companies and trust them to do the right thing."

Obama's top spokesman refused to say a public option was a make-or-break choice for the administration.

"What I am saying is the bottom line for this for the president is, what we have to have is choice and competition in the insurance market," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., chairman of the Senate's budget committee, pushed the co-op model as an alternative.

"It's not government-run and government-controlled," he said. "It's membership-run and membership-controlled. But it does provide a nonprofit competitor for the for-profit insurance companies, and that's why it has appeal on both sides."

As proposed by Conrad, the co-ops would receive federal startup money, but then would operate independently of the government. They would have to maintain the same financial reserves that private companies are required to keep to handle unexpectedly high claims.

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said Obama's team is making a political calculation and embracing the co-op alternative as "a step away from the government takeover of the health care system" that the GOP has pummeled.

"I don't know if it will do everything people want, but we ought to look at it. I think it's a far cry from the original proposals," he said.

Republicans say a public option would have unfair advantages that would drive private insurers out of business. Critics say co-ops would not be genuine public options for health insurance.

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, said it would be difficult to pass any legislation through the Democratic-controlled Congress without the promised public plan.

"We'll have the same number of people uninsured," she said. "If the insurance companies wanted to insure these people now, they'd be insured."

Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., said the Democrats' option would force individuals from their private plans to a government-run plan, a claim that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office supports.

"There is a way to get folks insured without having the government option," he said.

Obama, writing an opinion piece in Sunday's New York Times, said political maneuvers should be excluded from the debate.

"In the coming weeks, the cynics and the naysayers will continue to exploit fear and concerns for political gain," he wrote. "But for all the scare tactics out there, what's truly scary — truly risky — is the prospect of doing nothing."

Congress' proposals, however, seemed likely to strike end-of-life counseling sessions. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has called the session "death panels," a label that has drawn rebuke from her fellow Republicans as well as Democrats.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, declined to criticize Palin's comments and said Obama wants to create a government-run panel to advise what types of care would be available to citizens.

"In all honesty, I don't want a bunch of nameless, faceless bureaucrats setting health care for my aged citizens in Utah," Hatch said.

Sebelius said the end-of-life proposal was likely to be dropped from the final bill.

"We wanted to make sure doctors were reimbursed for that very important consultation if family members chose to make it, and instead it's been turned into this scare tactic and probably will be off the table," she said.

Obama is up to his old tricks

Where is this man tie? President Barack Obama is using political tactics and rhetorical devices honed in his White House campaign to regain the upper hand in the health care debate over increasingly vocal and organized critics.
In person and over the Internet, Obama is trying to counter intense public skepticism over Democratic plans to overhaul the health care system. It's his top domestic priority and arguably his most challenging political fight yet.
Familiar tools from the Obama candidacy include the town hall meetings where he rolls up his sleeves and discards his tie and jacket; a rapid-response Web site to counter critics' claims; and a populist pitch against the entrenched powers in Washington.
Plus he's got the bully pulpit, which he used Saturday.
"I know there's plenty of real concern and skepticism out there," he said in his weekly radio and Internet address. "I know that in a time of economic upheaval, the idea of change can be unsettling, and I know that there are folks who believe that government should have no role at all in solving our problems."
Carefully trying not to alienate opponents even while taking them on, he cited "legitimate differences worthy of the real discussion that America deserves." But as Democratic allies face taunts and insults at town hall style gatherings, Obama asked his audience to "lower our voices, listen to one another and talk about differences that really exist."
In the GOP's address, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch pressed for a bipartisan solution.
"Ensuring access to affordable and quality health care for every American is not a Republican or Democrat issue — it is an American issue," he said.
He said he also encourages a respectful debate, but "there is nothing un-American about disagreements. In fact, our great nation was founded on speaking our minds."
Obama seeks legislation that would provide coverage for millions of uninsured people while controlling costs. Critics say proposals in Congress would spend too much and give government too big a role.
Conservative activists and Obama opponents have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks — and may be outmaneuvering a White House known for its organizational abilities.
In campaign mode, Obama is hosting question-and-answer sessions that proved valuable during the presidential race. The Democratic National Committee and Obama's allies are spending millions on advertising campaigns to influence public opinion, much like they did last year. Associates are going out to make the case. The White House is using Internet tools honed during his groundbreaking bid to rally supporters.
Obama is trying to energize his estimated 13 million grass-roots supporters through his campaign apparatus, called Organizing for America. But there are indications that those who turned out in to help elect Obama aren't doing the same to get a policy passed — evidence of the difficulty in the transition from campaigning to governing.
In Pittsburgh, Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett told liberal bloggers at a conference that the president can't accomplish his goal without them. "I cannot say to you how strongly we depend upon you and your outreach and your network to energize people who are on the ground, not just for health care, but for all the tough issues that are lying ahead," she said.
Earlier in the week, White House senior adviser David Axelrod asked supporters to forward a chain e-mail to counter criticism circulating online. The White House also began a "Reality Check" Web site "to help Americans clear up health care lies and misinformation."
DNC Chairman Tim Kaine said "reform opponents" have stepped up their game because they can tell the White House has "made more progress on health insurance reform than we made in the previous 60 years."
Those efforts were reminiscent of the Obama team's attempts during the 2008 campaign to debunk Internet rumors about his faith and upbringing.
The DNC has created a Web video — "What You Won't See on National Cable News" — to highlight civil town hall meetings, and Obama also plans to speak to backers by telephone during a health care event Wednesday.
Over the past week, he's fielded questions from audiences in Portsmouth, N.H., and Belgrade, Mont., and scheduled one in Grand Junction, Colo., during his family's tour of national parks. Thus far, he's faced polite crowds, a stark contrast to the taunts and jeers that Democratic lawmakers have endured at similar sessions during their August break.
Much like in the campaign, he's using people's stories to illustrate his points.
Obama talks about Lori Hitchcock of New Hampshire and Katie Gibson of Montana, who couldn't get sustained coverage because of their medical conditions. "These are the stories that aren't being told," he said in his weekly address.
He's railing again against interest groups and lobbyists, and asking his legions of supporters to "rise to this moment" and get the job done.

Insurance Companies are holding us hostage!! Obama said it!!

This man is growing on me...U.S. President Barack Obama, pushing for healthcare reform during a trip to the West, said on Friday the country was "held hostage" by insurance companies that deny coverage to sick people.
Obama, on a multi-state swing to tamp down vociferous opposition to his top domestic priority, targeted insurance companies for dropping customers who become sick or forcing patients to cover huge costs.
"We are held hostage at any given moment by health insurance companies that deny coverage or drop coverage or charge fees that people can't afford," Obama told a crowd of some 1,000 people in Montana.
"It's wrong. It's bankrupting families. It's bankrupting businesses. And we are going to fix it when we pass health insurance reform this year," he said.
In a half-work, half-play trip with his family that will include stops at the Grand Canyon and other national parks, Obama, a Democrat, aims to emphasize the benefits of his nearly $1 trillion plan to overhaul the insurance industry, expand healthcare coverage and cut costs to consumers.
Protesters and supporters lined up outside the venue for his first town hall-style meeting in Montana, a traditionally conservative state, but the crowd inside was mostly supportive of the president.
One man challenged Obama on how he would pay for the reform.
"You can't tell us how you're going to pay for this," the man said. "The only way you're going to get that money is raising our taxes ... (and) you said you wouldn't do that."
Obama repeated his promise not to raise taxes on people earning $250,000 or less a year, but he acknowledged that the government would likely end up having to find $30 billion a year to cover the cost of getting coverage to the uninsured.
"You are absolutely right I can't cover another 46 million people for free," Obama said, thanking the man for asking his question respectfully. "We're going to have to find money from somewhere."
CONCERNS
Another questioner, who identified himself as someone who sold health insurance, asked the president why he was vilifying insurance companies.
Obama said some companies had been constructive, citing Aetna as a firm that had worked with the administration on the issue of pre-existing conditions.
Obama has been fighting against Republican criticism that his plan amounts to a government takeover. The issue has sparked emotional and sometimes hostile questioning from citizens at similar question-and-answer sessions with lawmakers across the country.
Obama's town hall meetings in Montana, which supported Republican presidential candidate John McCain in the 2008 election, and Colorado on Saturday will be his second and third such events in less than a week.
They come as poll numbers reflect concern about the U.S. budget deficit. Republicans contend that the plan would be an expensive mistake, especially as the country tries to emerge from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
"People are concerned about several things: one the cost, and number two, they won't have free choice," said Montana Republican Party Chairman Will Deschamps in telephone interview with Reuters.
"This thing is sinking like a rock in a stream," he said.
Screaming demonstrators have disrupted some recent public meetings on healthcare held by members of Congress from Obama's Democratic Party. They captured media attention and overshadowed debate on the plan's complex details.
"The people that make the most noise get the most press," said David O'Connor, 63, a Democrat at the Montana event. "I think we definitely need healthcare reform of some kind