Research Briefing

Activity On Government-Run Health Care Just Masking Enormous Disarray Among Democrats

OBAMA EXCITED ABOUT SEN. MAX BAUCUS’S VERSION OF HEALTH CARE EXPERIMENT:. “[T]he fifth and final committee responsible for health care reform has passed a proposal … This effort was made possible by the tireless efforts of Chairman Max Baucus and the other members of the Senate Finance Committee … this bill goes a long way towards offering security to those who have insurance and affordable options for those who don’t …” (President Barack Obama, Remarks On The Senate Finance Committee’s Vote To Approve Health Insurance Reform, The White House, 10/13/09)

BUT DEMS, UNIONS, LEFT-WING GROUPS START TO LAUNCH ATTACKS ON BAUCUS …

Former DNC Chair Howard Dean Said Baucus Bill “Not Health Care Reform” And Would Have Voted Against It. JOE SCARBOROUGH: “[I]f you would have been on the finance committee yesterday or the day before, you would have voted against the Baucus bill?” HOWARD DEAN: “I would have. From a procedural point of view, it makes sense to move the bill along. It gives several billion dollars of the taxpayers’ money to the insurance industry. This is not health care reform.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 10/15/09)

• Dean: “This Bill Is A Step Forward Procedurally And It Scored Well But It Is Not Reform, And It Will Not Help The Democrats In 2010.” (Howard Dean, “This Bill Is Not Reform,” The Washington Post’s “Health Care Rx” Blog, 10/13/09)

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) Says Baucus Bill “Fell Short,” Insists His “Yes Vote Is Not An Endorsement Of This Bill As It Stands.” “It is regrettable to say so, but I believe the bill fell short of what people need and expect from us. I have made no secret of the fact that I think we could have dug deeper, gotten more creative and worked together much better. … But let me be crystal clear – this yes vote is not an endorsement of this bill as it stands today.” (Sen. Jay Rockefeller, “Statement: Sen. Rockefeller On Finance Vote,” Press Release, 10/13/09)

157 House Dems Oppose Baucus’s Health Insurance Tax. “As Congress continues to consider revenue sources for America’s Affordable Health Choices Act and other health insurance reform proposals, we strongly encourage you to reject imposing an excise tax on so called high cost insurance plans.  Such a tax would impact regions with high health care costs in the short-term, and, in the long-term, inevitably extend to more and more middle-income Americans across the country.” (Rep. Joe Courtney et. al., Letter To Speaker Pelosi, 10/7/09)

27 Unions Launched Ad Campaign Against Baucus Bill. “Unions had largely supported President Obama’s effort to revamp the nation’s $2.6 trillion health care system, but 27 labor groups have launched a campaign against key provisions in the bill passed this week by the Senate Finance Committee. … Unions want Reid to include a government-run insurance program in the merged bill and remove a tax on high-priced insurance policies. Gerald McEntee, head of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), estimates half of its 1.6 million members would be affected by the tax.” (John Fritze, “Labor Unions Turn Against Parts Of Health Bill,” USA Today, 10/15/09)

• AFSCME Head McEntee: “We Worked For All These People. We Worked For Obama… What Do We Get For It? We Not Only Don’t Get Anything For It, We Get A Slap In The Face.” (John Fritze, “Labor Unions Turn Against Parts Of Health Bill,” USA Today, 10/15/09)
• That’s Why They Ignored Obama’s Chief Of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s Request Not To Run The Ad. “‘Our union and other unions worked like hell to elect Democrats to the House, Senate and White House,’ said American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees President Gerald W. McEntee, explaining why the labor groups defied a request from White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel not to run the ad.” (Noam Levey, “Healthcare Triumph Gives Way To Heightened Battle,” The Los Angeles Times, 10/15/09)

HCAN Launched Ads Attacking Baucus’s Health Insurance Taxes. “Health Care for America Now (HCAN) – the nation’s largest health care campaign – launched a new print and television advertising campaign today saying there is a right way and a wrong way to pay for health care reform. HCAN says rather than taxing the health care benefits of middle-income families, we should ask those making more than $250,000 a year to pay their fair share …” (“New Television And Print Ads: Taxing Health Plans Is Wrong Way To Pay For Health Care Reform,” HealthCareForAmericaNow.org, 10/15/09)

MoveOn.org Also Using Ads To Attack Baucus Bill. “Off Capitol Hill, MoveOn.org continued airing TV ads on cable blasting the Finance Committee bill, and organized labor is running a full-page newspaper ad this week criticizing the measure for failing to include a public option or require employers to provide their workers with health care.” (Patrick O’Connor and Chris Frates, “No Snowementum: Centrist Democrats Still Not Sold On Health Care,” Politico, 10/14/09)

AND DEMS SPLIT ON HOW TO MOVE FORWARD

Rep. Jim Marshall (D-GA) Says Dems Rushing Plans That “Don’t Fix The Fundamental Problem We Have With Health Care.” “Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.) lamented the rush to pass health reform legislation during a speech before the Liberty Council Democratic Committee on Saturday, according the the Liberty County Coastal Courier. ‘It is truly unfortunate that we are at a point where our party is going to try and push a bill through,’ he said at a party banquet. ‘I’m afraid those bills don’t fix the fundamental problem we have with health care in this country.’” (Michael O’Brien, “House Dem Says Health Bills Won’t Fix Broken System,” The Hill’s “Briefing Room” Blog, 10/14/09)

Vulnerable Dems Afraid Of Voting For Public Option. “The public option is a fault line, with a majority of House Democrats and senators including Rockefeller and New York’s Chuck Schumer lined up on one side and Democrats from Republican-leaning states, such as Senators Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Kent Conrad of North Dakota, on the other.” (Kristin Jensen And Laura Litvan, “Senate Has ‘Miles to Go’ on Health Care After Vote,” Bloomberg, 10/14/09)

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) Knows Differences Between Different Senate Bills Will Create Problems. “‘I know this isn’t going to be easy.’ … Dodd said that he wouldn’t discuss what was said in the meeting, but he did illuminate the central tension between the Finance and Health Committee bills.” (Patrick O’Connor & Chris Frates, “No Snowementum: Centrist Democrats Still Not Sold On Health Care,” Politico, 10/14/09)

Some House Dems “On A Collision Course” With Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) appears to be on a collision course with moderates over the long-term costs of the health care overhaul she is shepherding through the chamber.” (Tory Newmyer and Steven T. Dennis, “House Heads For Showdown,” Roll Call, 10/8/09)

Because After 60-Plus Hours Of Meetings In September, Taxes Most Divisive Issue Among House Dems. “Throughout September, House leaders held more than 60 hours worth of caucus meetings with rank and file Democrats. … But the tax question could be even more divisive within the Democratic Caucus, pitting union allies against business-minded centrists who believe that a tax-the-rich strategy will backfire by hitting small business.” (Mike Soraghan, “House Leaders Set To Wrestle With Taxes To Pay For Healthcare,” The Hill, 10/3/09)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “We’re Pretty Much Committed To The Surtax… I Mean, That’s In The Bill.” (Patrick O’Connor, “Pelosi: Surtax ‘In The Bill,’” Politico’s “Live Pulse” Blog, 10/6/09)

But Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) And Over 30 Fellow Dems Oppose Any Tax Increases. “More recently, Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.), a member of the Blue Dog and New Democrat coalitions, collected 32 Democratic signatures in a letter making the case that a healthcare overhaul could be done with no tax increase whatsoever. Altmire says the cost of the health plan should be limited to the savings that can be found in Medicare.” (Mike Soraghan, “House Leaders Set To Wrestle With Taxes To Pay For Healthcare,” The Hill, 10/3/09)

• Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) And 20 Fellow Dems Expressed Opposition To Surtax From The Start. “As soon as the surtax plan was unveiled in July, Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), a New Democrat from a wealthy district, led the charge against the tax. He circulated a letter with the signatures of 20 fellow freshman protesting the burden it would place on small businesses.” (Mike Soraghan, “House Leaders Set To Wrestle With Taxes To Pay For Healthcare,” The Hill, 10/3/09)