Research Briefing

Democrats’ High Hopes For Government-Run Health Care Running Into Harsh Political Realities

CBO: GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE WILL INCREASE DEFICIT, COSTS

CBO Director Criticizes Dems’ Plans For Not Making Necessary “Fundamental Changes” To Reduce Costs. “Under questioning by members of the Senate Budget Committee, CBO director Douglas Elmendorf said bills crafted by House leaders and the Senate health committee do not propose ‘the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount.’ ‘On the contrary,’ Elmendorf said, ‘the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health care costs.’” (Lori Montgomery, “CBO Chief Criticizes Democrats’ Health Reform Measures,” The Washington Post, 7/16/09)

STATE AMA, DOCTORS FIGHTING GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE

Doctors, State Medical Associations Oppose Government Health Care Takeover. “[A] coalition of state medical associations and specialty organizations is breaking from the country's largest physicians' group to mount its own push against the inclusion of a public insurance option in any overhaul bill … The draft letter, written by members of the Medical Association of Georgia, says flatly that the physicians' groups unequivocally oppose a government-administered insurance plan, as well as use of government- funded effectiveness tests, or ‘comparative effectiveness research,’  to dictate which medical procedures should be eligible for coverage. David Cook, executive director of the Georgia group … said the AMA ‘really doesn't say “yes” or “no”’ to the question of slamming the door on the proposal, which President Obama pitched to the organization during its annual meeting in Chicago last month. ‘We are opposed to the creation of a public option under any circumstances,’ Cook said.” (Carrie Dann, “Physician Unrest Flares over AMA Stand,” National Journal, 7/16/09)

SNOWE: OBAMA BEING OVERLY AMBITIOUS ATTEMPTING TO RUSH BILL THROUGH

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) Says Government-Run Health Care A “Costly Endeavor” That Will Not Be Passed Before August. “Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine,  a key member of the Senate Finance Committee, emerged from a meeting with President Obama Thursday afternoon sticking to her guns that health care reform legislation should not be voted upon before Senators break for recess on August 7, despite a strong push from the president that the bill be completed by then. ‘We shouldn’t be restrained by an artificially compressed timeline,’ said the Maine moderate … After all, she said, ‘this is a costly endeavor’ never before undertaken by Congress.’” (Jake Tapper, “Snowe Dampens President Obama’s Timeline On Health Care Reform,” ABC News’s “Political Punch” Blog, 7/16/09)

DEMS REVOLT: OBAMA VS. SENATE VS. HOUSE

Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK) Says Obama Is “Political Liability.” “The first Congressional Democrat (to my knowledge) is now on the record declaring Barack Obama a political liability. ‘It would be a lot nicer if we had someone who was in the middle,’ he said. ‘Bill Clinton won our district. A lot of people don’t remember that, but he, in 1996, carried this district. I think if you have someone who governs from the middle, who’s pragmatic, who works with both parties.’” (Glenn Thrush, “Boren Goes Nuclear On Obama,” Politico, 7/15/09)

Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR) Says He Has Votes To Block Government-Run Health Care. “U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., a leader of fiscally conservative House Democrats, said Wednesday a House plan to overhaul the U.S. health-care system is losing support and will be stuck in committee without changes. ‘Last time I checked, it takes seven Democrats to stop a bill in the Energy and Commerce Committee,’ Ross told reporters after a House vote. ‘We had seven against it last Friday; we have 10 today.’” (Martin Vaughn, “Centrist Dem Leader: Has Committee Votes To Block Health Bill,” Dow Jones Newswire, 7/15/09)

DNC Runs Ads Targeting Their Own Senators, Pressuring Them To Support Government-Run Health Care. “A wing of the DNC announced this week that it would launch a new television ad to press Democratic senators from Arkansas, Indiana, Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Nebraska and Ohio. The ad, funded by Organizing for America, a wing of the DNC that was formed from the grass-roots operation of Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, urges senators to back an overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system. The campaign is the first significant effort by the Obama administration to use its political operation at the DNC to ratchet up pressure on Democratic centrists.” (Alexander Bolton, “Reid Calls DNC Healthcare Ads 'Waste Of Money,'” The Hill, 7/16/09)

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (NV) Slams Ads As Waste Of Money. “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) slammed the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for wasting money by running television ads to pressure centrist Democrats to support the president’s plan for healthcare reform. ‘I think it’s a waste of money,’ Reid told reporters Thursday. ‘Democrats running ads against Democrats?’” (Alexander Bolton, “Reid Calls DNC Healthcare Ads 'Waste Of Money,'” The Hill, 7/16/09)

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) Criticizes Obama For Being Unhelpful. “’Basically, the president is not helping us,’ Baucus said of his opposition to capping the tax exclusion on health benefits. ‘He does not want the exclusion. That is making it difficult.’” (Carrie Budoff Brown, “Baucus: Bipartisan Health Care Deal Close,” Politico, 7/16/09)

Sen. Ben Nelson Criticizes Tax Increases To Pay For Government-Run Health Care. “‘Taxes is a four-letter word’ with voters, said Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) Even families not ranking in the top 1 percent of earners ‘hope they're going to be there someday,’ he said. ‘So they don't necessarily think it's fair.’” (Lori Montgomery And Ceci Connolly, “Health-Care Plan Would Add Surtax On Wealthy,” The Washington Post, 7/15/09)

Senior Aide To Blue Dog Worried Leaders Are Jamming Legislation Down Their Throats, Like Cap-And-Trade. “Many centrists say that much of the frustration stems from the vote on the climate change bill just before the Fourth of July break, and the feeling that it was ‘jammed down the throat’ of centrist lawmakers… ‘They went home and got beat up about energy,’ said a senior aide to a Blue Dog lawmaker. ‘Now you’re going to jam healthcare down their throat and send them home for a month?’” (Mike Soraghan, “Blue Dogs Threaten To Bring Down Pelosi’s Healthcare Bill,” The Hill, 7/15/09)

Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) Says House Went Too Far To The Left. “’I feel like the House has moved this issue so far to the left, we’ve taken ourselves out of the discussion entirely,’ [Jason] Altmire said.” (Alex Wayne, “How To Pay For Health Plan? Tax The Rich Or Not?,”  CQ Today, 7/13/09)

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) Calls Health Bill “A Budget Buster.” “’It still looks like a budget buster,’ said Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), who complained that despite the $1 trillion cost it would still fail to cover every American.” (Steven T. Dennis And Tory Newmyer, “House Health Bill Under Fire,” Roll Call, 7/16/09)

Rep. John Tanner (D-TN) Thinks More Should Be Done To Find Savings. “Moderate Democrats also are wary of the House leadership's consideration of a plan to finance the legislation with surtaxes on the wealthy, congressional aides said. Rep. John Tanner, a moderate from Tennessee, suggested more work needs to be done to find budget savings, instead of raising taxes. He said in an interview that the more ‘you can wring out of the system’ in savings, ‘the less money you have to raise.’” (Greg Hitt and Laura Meckler, “Discord Hinders Health Bill,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/14/09)