February 24, 2010
This Week in Health Reform
Federal Legislative Overview
Congress returned from its Presidents’ Day recess on Feb. 22. While many are waiting to hear from the White House on its new initiatives for passing health care reform at the upcoming bipartisan health reform summit on Feb. 25, top House and Senate Democrats are continuing to negotiate a deal on last year’s health care reform legislation that can be passed using the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process.On Feb. 17, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), an assistant to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, commented, “The House and the Senate have been very close to completing an agreement, but the president wanted to take this opportunity to circle back with our Republican colleagues and give them one more chance.” The most likely way Democrats can pass health care reform legislation through reconciliation is for the House to clear the Senate’s existing bill, and for the Senate to then pass a package of changes to it using the budget reconciliation process. Some of the changes would include modifications to the financing measures and stripping the Nebraska Medicaid provision from the bill.
In addition to the aforementioned provisions that can be moved through reconciliation, there seems to be a renewed interest in resurrecting the government-run health insurance option, also known as the public option. Sixteen Democratic Senators have signed a letter written to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) reiterating their support for a strong public option, stating four fundamental reasons why they support the approach:
* Its potential for billions of dollars in cost savings
* The growing need to increase competition and lower costs for the consumer
* The history of using reconciliation for significant pieces of health care legislation
* The continued public support for a public option
Read the entire letter at: http://gillibrand.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=0600C458-D54C-409E-A95F-FF82963267CC.
White House Health Care Reform Summit
Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius sent an official invitation letter to Congressional leaders for the bipartisan meeting at the Blair House in Washington, DC to discuss health care reform legislation. The letter explains that President Obama will deliver the opening remarks at the summit and moderate a discussion on four topics:* Insurance reforms
* Cost containment
* Expanding coverage
* The impact health reform will have on deficit reduction
The White House has posted the text of a proposed health insurance reform package that will be discussed at the summit. To view the complete text of the proposal, click here. The invitation letter encourages Republican congressional leaders to also post their own comprehensive proposal ahead of the summit, but they have stated that they do not expect to release anything additional before Thursday’s summit.
The list of invitees includes the Senate and House leadership for Democrats and Republicans, as well as the chairmen and ranking members of key committees. In addition, Speaker Pelosi, Leader John Boehner, Leader Reid, and Leader Mitch McConnell each are invited to designate four additional members to participate. The invitation further indicates that a representative from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will attend to provide technical assistance. Also invited are representatives from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation.
The Feb. 25 summit will begin at 9 a.m. (CST) and will be broadcast live in its entirety. In addition to the president, other Administration officials will include Vice President Joe Biden, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Nancy-Ann DeParle from the White House Office of Health Reform.
Archives of: Past Weeks in Health Reform
2/19/10 - This week on Health Care Reform
2/12/10 - This week on Health Care Reform
2/05/10 - This week on Health Care Reform
2/03/10 - This week on Health Care Reform
1/29/10 - This week on Health Care Reform
1/22/10 - This week on Health Care Reform
1/20/10 - This week on Health Care Reform
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