By Jeffrey Young
Published: 02-24-09
President Obama will host a White House summit on health reform next week he said Monday signaling that he means to push forward aggressively on an issue some thought would fall by the wayside.
Weve scheduled a healthcare summit next week Obama said during remarks formally closing a White House summit on fiscal reform. We think that its very important to have some forums he said.
Everybody here understands a lot of the tradeoffs involved in healthcare and that there are no perfect solutions but in the sound-bite political culture that weve got its very hard to communicate that Obama said adding that he wants to educate the public on what these tradeoffs are and why they are necessary to reform the healthcare system.
Obama promised a comprehensive reform of the healthcare system during his campaign and has continued to insist the the issue is a front-line priority despite the recession and the recent massive increases in federal spending on the bailout and the stimulus.
The president also continues to lack a point person on health reform and a secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Obamas close adviser former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) abandoned his candidacy for HHS secretary and health reform czar weeks ago amid controversy about unpaid taxes.
The departure of Daschle who had laid considerable ground work for health reform during the campaign the transition and the early days of the Obama administration seemed a devastating blow to the presidents reform initiative.
In the meantime Democratic lawmakers led by Senate committee chairmen Edward Kennedy (Mass.) and Max Baucus (Mont.) have been developing health reform legislation for months -- thus far without active leadership from the White House.
But by scheduling a White House summit on health reform in early March Obama is sending a clear message to Congress and the public that he is not setting aside his ambitious healthcare agenda. The president also is expected to tout health reform in his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday and in the budget outline he will release Thursday.
Congress has been seeking active guidance from the White House on healthcare as lawmakers move ahead with drafting legislation. Kennedy Baucus and other Democrats have declared they want to pass comprehensive legislation this year. At a summit session on health issues Monday Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) set an ambitious goal: Senate passage of health reform by Memorial Day.
At the fiscal reform summit Obama and members of his administration highlighted the importance of reducing healthcare costs to the economic recovery. Over the longer run putting America on a sustainable fiscal course will require addressing healthcare Obama said.
As we take the steps that we must to get through the crisis were in now we will not lose sight of the long term. We will not lose sight of the need to tackle unmet needs for healthcare reform to deal with the energy policy that we need and so many other challenges that are going to determine what the 21st century looks like Obama said.
Keying off previous remarks by the president White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag connected healthcare costs to entitlement reform. To my fellow budget hawks in this room and in the rest of the country let me be very clear: healthcare reform is entitlement reform. The path of fiscal responsibility must run directly through healthcare Orszag said. We also must recognize that reforms to Medicare and Medicaid will only succeed in the context of slowing the spiraling growth of overall healthcare costs.
That message may not be well received by congressional Republicans. Within minutes of the end of Mondays summit Senate Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) issued a statement suggesting Republicans will look askance at new spending on healthcare as part of reform.
For a lot of people healthcare reform is code for spending more not less. American taxpayers are being asked to swallow a lot right now and it brings to mind the old joke about Wimpys hamburgers. Wimpy said Ill gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. Theres too much of that kind of attitude in Congress and the White House today" Grassley said in the statement.
Baucus sought to allay Republican concern about one point however. Some Democrats and liberal activists want the Senate to use the budget reconciliation process to advance healthcare reform. Baucus rejected that approach.
I am often asked by some Well Max why dont you do reconciliation? My answer is no. My first preference is 60 maybe 70 votes when it is all said and done Baucus said according to a White House press pool report.
Under those rules legislation needs only a simple majority to pass but traditionalist senators look poorly on using the budget to enact major legislation. Republicans also have made clear such a maneuver would be viewed as an affront to the minority party.
