Not surprisingly, after the successful vote for cloture on H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (See, DM 10820), several Republican Senators have released statements decrying the next step in the legislation.
Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) released a statement saying in part: "This bill will fundamentally change the way health care is delivered by creating a new multi-trillion dollar entitlement program that massively grows the size and role of the federal government, significantly increases taxes, especially on small businesses, and cuts Medicare by over a trillion dollars. The legislation fails to bring health care cost growth down, expands government by $2.5 trillion, and passes on to future generations a government they can't afford. It is not good for the nation's fiscal health or for people's health care."
Bob Bennett (R-UT) also stated his concerns: "Tonight's vote wasn't a vote for reform. Those who voted to proceed to this bill voted to raise premiums, raise taxes, cut benefits to Medicare, and inflate the national debt. Tonight's vote was a vote to further burden state budgets by implementing the largest expansion of Medicaid. Tonight's vote was a vote in favor of putting Washington bureaucrats between doctors and patients."
Senator James Risch (R-ID) commented: "There is no question our health care system needs reform, but moving forward on a bill that increases the cost of insurance premiums, raises taxes and cuts Medicare benefits to meet an arbitrary deadline is wrong. Our health care system impacts the life of every American and any changes to it need to be carefully considered with consequences known, not rushed through so the President can check off another box on his list of campaign promises."
On the Democratic side, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) got down to brass tacks regarding both the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and on mammograms, in light of the recent change in the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force new guidelines on mammography usage (See DM 10771). Reid stated that the Act will make mammograms more accessible: "We can respectfully disagree on policy and best practices. But scientific facts are indisputable, and here's one that so many families in Nevada know first-hand: Mammograms save lives. Like other preventative measures, screening for breast cancer is one of the best ways to fight it. It's the reason why the Senate's health insurance reform bill makes prevention a priority...the task force's recommendation will have absolutely no impact on the bills we in the Senate write, debate or vote on." (See DM 10840.)
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats released a letter received from a group of representatives in consumer, labor and employer organizations, economists and health policy experts addressed to Senators Reid, Max Baucus (D-MT), Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) stating strong support for the Act. The letter stated in part: "As representatives of consumer, labor, and employer organizations, economists and health policy experts who have spent years dedicated to increasing health care coverage, improving quality, and "bending the cost curve," we applaud the Senate for creating a deliberate and meaningful proposal that will expand access to insurance, ensure better quality care and value for our health care dollars, and make unprecedented strides in addressing the growth in health care costs.
...The bill's innovative provisions in the way health services are delivered and paid for in the Medicare program are vital to preserving and protecting Medicare for the long term. They are also highly significant to the cost containment efforts in the private sector. We believe that what you have put in the legislation can and must create the foundation for aligning efforts between the public and private sectors as we test and expand new models of payment focused on improving value for all patients and payers. Our goal must be to improve quality and reduce cost growth for all Americans in both the public and private sectors."
Not much word from the White House as yet, but Press Secretary Robert Gibbs stated that the President will continue to play a role in getting the legislation through the process, and would continue to talk to legislators about the importance of getting the legislation completed.
"We've never been closer than we are now," Gibbs said. "We've never had a vote in the full House or the full Senate. And we're going to start debate next week in the Senate, the second part of that process already having gone through the House...the President is pleased that we're continuing to make progress on a bill that would make health care more affordable for people that have it, provide increased accessibility for those that don't, provide some important insurance reforms, as well as bend the cost curve and chance the deficit over the next 10 years."
Finally, the Kaiser Family Foundation released its Kaiser Health Tracking Poll for November 2009 which demonstrates little movement in public opinion about health reform. In the new findings, affordability was a key priority for Democrats, Republicans and Independents, deficit neutrality was a key priority for Republicans and independents and providing enough government financial help for uninsured people to obtain health insurance ranked as a top priority for Democrats. A public option ranked near the bottom of the list among all three political persuasions in priority. Nonetheless, a good majority of Americans support a public option (59%).
Concerns expressed by supporters of reform included access to health care, cost of health care, and a need to fix the health care system. Opponents also cited costs rising because of reform, a belief that other priorities were more important than reform, and that the government becoming too involved in health care.
Senator Gregg: http://gregg.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=1975ed5f-802a-23ad-4c88-85c1c1690237&Issue_id
Senator Bennett: http://bennett.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=a5a1f735-fd62-438e-b494-e3d6789b22ad
Senator Risch: http://risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=cbd31375-612a-4d24-b1ce-3e68bb74eaf2
Senator Reid: http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=320194&
Senate Democrats: http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=320226&
The White House Press Briefing: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/briefing-white-house-press-secretary-robert-gibbs-112309
The KFF Poll: http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/posr113009pkg.cfm
