How will health care reform affect Pres. Obama's legacy?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
"The time for talk is over. It's time to vote."
So says President Barack Obama about Health care reform, which has consumed almost the entire first year of his presidency.
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As this thing moves toward some sort of resolution - one way or another - it seems it will leave an indelible mark on Mr. Obama's legacy.
After nearly a year of debates, town hall meetings and angry Tea Partiers, closed-door meetings in Washington, thousands and thousands of pages of legislation, and a televised day-long summit - it's not clear if the Democrats have the votes to turn the president's signature issue into law.
Even though Democrats are poised to use a procedure called reconciliation in the Senate - where they need only a simple majority - it's far from a done deal. Over in the House - Nancy Pelosi may not have the necessary votes either, with some Democrats worried about abortion and others just worried about getting re-elected.
Critics say President Obama left too much power in the hands of Congress; he didn't step in early enough and assert his leadership. Instead he waited until the bill had become a mangled mess with everybody's fingerprints on it, except his.
Now the president is out there nearly every day giving campaign-style speeches... but it might be too little too late. A large majority of Americans don't want the current bill.
There are still more than two years until the president would be up for re-election; and it's worth pointing out that although Bill Clinton failed to pass health care reform during his first term... he went on to be re-elected.
Here’s my question to you: How will the fate of the health care reform bill ultimately affect Pres. Obama's legacy?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Should Dems try to ram health care reform through with 51 votes?
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor picks up a copy of the Senate's health care reform plan prior to the start of a bipartisan meeting hosted by Pres. Obama. (PHOTO CREDIT: SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
As predicted, that day-long televised health care summit wasn't much more than political theater.
The Democrats are taking a hard look at using a 51-vote shortcut in the Senate to ram a health care bill through. It's a procedure known as reconciliation and it is supposed to be used only for legislation that affects taxes and the deficit.
Democrats are trying to figure out how the complicated process could work, and whether they even have enough votes in both houses to make it happen.
The plan would be for the House to pass the bill that's already gone through the Senate, and then for both houses to pass a package of changes that mirror the president's plan. Under those rules, the Democrats would only need 51 votes in the Senate.
But there are problems. Plenty of them...
For starters, Senate Democrats aren't even sure if they would have the 51-vote simple majority needed. They could also face a big-time backlash from the public for trying to jam this thing though.
Over in the House - Democrats may not have enough votes either. The one Republican who voted for the health care bill last time already says he'll vote "no," not to mention Democrats facing tough re-election races who may change their votes to "no."
And, abortion might be the biggest obstacle of all. There could be as many as a dozen house Democrats who'd vote against the senate bill because they say it's not strict enough in making sure tax money doesn't pay for abortions.
Here’s my question to you: Should Democrats try to ram health care reform through the Senate with 51 votes?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
Chances of health care reform with 8 lobbyists for each Congress member?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Lobbyists are one major reason why our government is broken.
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And you don't have to look any further than health care reform to see that we have the best government money can buy:
- Consider this: More than 1,700 companies and organizations hired about 4,500 lobbyists last year to work on health care reform. That translates to eight health care lobbyists for each member of Congress.
- According to this report by the Center for Public Integrity: The health sector spent more than $540 million on lobbying last year. The health industry has given $45 million dollars in campaign donations for the 2010 election cycle; and it spent more than $200 million on TV ads related to health care reform last year.
You think anyone in Washington hears the voice of the common man? Think again.
The fingerprints of lobbyists are all over this legislation. As one expert put it, "They cut it. they chopped it. they reconstructed it. They didn't bury it. I don't think they wanted to."
Lobbyists apparently succeeded at blocking the public option and softening the effect of cost-cutting measures on health care companies.
The American medical association says it helped kill some fees for doctors and a tax on cosmetic surgery - among other things.
At the end of the day, we're talking about legislation that can be called "reform," while what it really is is a three-card monte game designed to protect all the vested interests in the debate except the taxpayer.
Here’s my question to you: What are the chances of health care reform when there are eight lobbyists for every member of Congress?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Should gov't control what health insurance companies charge?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
President Obama is finally out with his own detailed plan when it comes to health care reform. Some have been asking for this for months.
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But the timing is a little suspect. The president's grand plan comes just four days before the televised, bipartisan, health care extravaganza... where Republicans are supposed to bring all their ideas to the table for fixing health care.
Yet it sounds like if the Republicans aren't on board... the president will get the Democrats to jam through this plan without approval of the GOP.
The White House Communications Director says the president "expects and believes the American people deserve an up or down vote on health care"... and, if the Republicans are intent on filibustering, the Democrats might use a procedural move called "reconciliation" - where they only need a simple 51-vote majority.
Meanwhile as part of the president's plan, the federal government would get new authority to regulate the health insurance industry - almost like a public utility. This comes in the wake of outrage over recent premium increases of up to 39 percent by one California health insurance company.
The health and human services secretary - along with state authorities - would be able to deny substantial premium increases, limit them... or even demand rebates for consumers. In the past, oversight of insurance companies has been left up to the states. But the president's proposal calls for a new seven member Health Insurance Rate Authority to monitor the industry and come out with an annual report setting the guidelines for reasonable rate increases.
Here’s my question to you: Should the government be able to control how much health insurance companies charge?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Televised health care debate too little, too late?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It was a campaign promise of President Obama's - and he's taken a lot of heat for not following through.
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Well, Mr. Obama now says he plans to hold a televised, bipartisan health care meeting on February 25. This move toward transparency comes after the president got strong reviews on the televised question-and-answer session he held with Republicans recently.
President Obama says he wants to go through "all the best ideas" that are out there on health care - including those of Republicans - and move forward with reform.
Leaders of both parties are praising the move - but Republicans say they want to start from scratch on health care reform, something the president says he won't do. Also, some worry this live, televised, half-day meeting will only prolong the process - the Democrats already have plenty of disagreements among themselves in the two versions of the bill.
Since the Democrats' loss of Ted Kennedy's Massachusetts Senate seat, White House officials have been sending mixed messages on health care; saying they might break the bill into smaller parts, or keep it all together, or hold off on action; or just "punch it through" Congress.
Meanwhile it's not clear how much the president's offer to open up the health care meetings will matter this late in the game. A lot of Americans have been turned off by the secret, closed-door nature of negotiations. They expected more from the candidate who vowed to broadcast it all on C-Span. And, don't forget, this televised meeting would probably never happen if Republican Scott Brown wasn't the newest Senator from Massachusetts.
Here’s my question to you: Is Pres. Obama’s plan for a televised, bipartisan health care meeting too little, too late?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Health care reform better off with women in charge?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Congress could pass health care reform if the men were "sent home." So says Democratic Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter from New Hampshire.
In a town hall type meeting this weekend here's what she said to the voters:
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"We go to the ladies room, the Republican women and the Democratic women, and we just roll our eyes at what's being said out there. And the Republican women said when we were fighting over the health care bill, if we sent the men home we could get it done this week."
Shea-Porter added that she wasn't trying to "diss" the men in Congress, but that females understand how to care for relatives and that they could find "common ground there." The congresswoman suggests that Maine's two women senators - Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins - "work very well together."
Critics are slamming Shea-Porter, calling her comments "bizarre, sexist and arrogant" - along with "divisive, uninformed and totally embarrassing." They say opposition to health care has nothing to do with gender.
A group of Republican women members of Congress came out with a statement that the conversations this congresswoman "claims to be referencing have never taken place with any of us."
Never mind that. Now that the Democrats have lost their super-majority in the Senate, health care reform - which seemed within their reach just a few weeks ago - is now slipping away.
The Democrats are trying to figure out other ways - any way - to get the measure passed. Time to think outside the box.
Here’s my question to you: Would health care reform be better off with women in charge?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Should Congress give up trying to pass health care?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
A majority of Americans want Congress to put the brakes on health care reform.
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A new USA Today/Gallup Poll shows 55 percent of those surveyed say lawmakers should suspend work on the current health care bills and consider alternatives. Only 39 percent say they want Congress to try to pass the current bill.
32 percent say the president and Democrats are right to make health care reform their top priority right now. 46 percent say health care is important, but other problems should be addressed first; and 19 percent say it shouldn't be a top priority.
Meanwhile, President Obama is vowing to press ahead - even though he acknowledges health care reform has "run into a bit of a buzz saw." Party leaders like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi insist health care will move forward - but other lawmakers, much like the American public, are losing their appetite for fast action.
Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Dodd says his colleagues should "maybe take a breather for a month, six weeks" to regroup after the loss in Massachusetts.
There's no question this week's election has made the road to health care reform more difficult. Pelosi has ruled out what was the preferred option for some Democrats - the House passing the Senate bill as is. She doesn't have the votes.
And, although there's a sense that a scaled-back health care bill might be the best route for Congress to take - even that might be easier said than done with the current political winds blowing across Washington.
Here’s my question to you: Should Congress give up trying to pass health care?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
How should Democrats proceed on health care?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The Republicans' victory in Massachusetts could very well be the final nail in the coffin for the Democrats' health care reform.
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Exit poll data from one Republican firm shows the health care bill was the single most important issue to Massachusetts voters. This poll found 52 percent of those surveyed are opposed to health care reform; and 42 percent say they cast their ballot to help stop the overhaul.
Without the 60 vote filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, the Democrats are left with a few options - none of them all that good... and most involving complicated legislative procedures.
The house could pass the bill that cleared the Senate as is - but several House Democrats are suggesting they won't go for that.
The House could also pass the current Senate bill and then try to fix it with a procedure that only needs 51 votes to pass the Senate.
Or the Democrats could scrap what they have and just try to pass a bare-bones bill that includes some of the most popular initiatives.
Several senators - including democrat Jim Webb - are calling for health care reform to be suspended until Scott Brown is sworn in.
And it appears President Obama may be getting the message... he says that the Senate shouldn't jam health care through before Brown is seated: "People in Massachusetts spoke. He's got to be part of that process."
Here's my question to you: How should the Democrats proceed on health care now that they no longer have the votes to pass it in the Senate?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Unions invited into secret health care negotiations
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
President Obama said over and over during the campaign that cameras would be allowed to cover the health care negotiations. He lied. No cameras permitted at the secret talks to reconcile the Senate and House versions of health care reform. And for good reason.
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The White House and Congressional Democrats have cut a deal with union leaders to limit the reach of a tax on high-end health insurance plans. Health plans covered by union contracts will be exempt from the 40-percent tax until 2018... $60 billion worth of exempt.
Taxing so-called "Cadillac" plans was supposed to be one of the ways to pay for this massive overhaul - but under this deal, taxes will only raise $90 billion instead of the expected $150 billion over 10 years.
Union leaders were at the negotiating table for three days... while of course cameras weren't.
President Obama and the Democrats are digging their graves here - with what critics are calling a "sweetheart deal."
This is nothing but naked politics... union leaders had warned earlier that Democrats could lose their support if the final health care bill included a tax on Cadillac Plans. So the leadership paid them off to the tune of $60 billion. All done out of sight of the news media and the public.
Meanwhile - the fate of health care reform could depend on who wins that special election to replace Senator Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts. A lot of people feel health care reform could be dead if the Democrats lose that Senate seat today.
Here’s my question to you: Are you surprised unions were invited into secret health care negotiations?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
What are the chances health care reform happens?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It's turning out to be a piece of legislation that nobody wants - not the public, not a consensus among the members of Congress. Nobody. Except maybe the pharmaceutical and insurance companies.
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Amid dire warnings from Senator Chris Dodd that the health care reform bill is quote "hanging on by a thread" comes news from a major poll that the public has lost interest.
After months of debate - a couple of 2,000-page monstrosities passed the House and Senate - and our illustrious political leadership has dragged those documents behind closed doors, out of sight of anyone, in an attempt to reconcile them into a single law.
Apparently it's not going so well.
CBS news found only 36-percent of Americans approve of the way the president is handling health care - an all-time low. 54-percent disapprove. Congress' numbers are even worse.
But the bulk of the political damage, whichever way this goes, is likely to accrue to the president. He has spent most of his first year in office obsessed with health care reform - many say at the expense of other pressing issues. Now that he's on the verge of getting something, the appetite for what was once a grand idea has soured considerably.
Here’s my question to you: After months of debate, what are the chances health care reform happens?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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