News

Supporters, critics of health reform polish sound bites — MedCity Morning Read, Aug. 10, 2009

Congress is on summer break. So the debate over the future of health care has shifted from Capitol Hill to town halls across the country. The shift has supporters and critics of the Democrats’ reform overhaul plans polishing their sound bites and sharpening their attack lines. The debate looks more like a presidential campaign.

By Mary Vanac on August 10, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congress is on summer break. So the debate over the future of health care has shifted from Capitol Hill to town halls across the country. The shift has supporters and critics of the Democrats’ reform overhaul plans polishing their sound bites and sharpening their attack lines, according to the New York Times.

The battle over how to reform health care looks more and more like a presidential campaign. President Obama took the lead in the health care debate in mid-July. Harry and Louise — the television advertisement couple credited with helping to defeat health care reform during the Clinton era — came back around the same time to help pass reform, not to defeat it. Other advertising campaigns have surfaced. So have Internet-driven efforts, the Times said.

President Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress have made health care reform their top priority and have put their political futures on the line to pass reform, the Times said. Congressional Democrats had hoped to spend their summer break whipping up grassroots support for their legislation. Instead, they are finding themselves on the defensive, responding to what Obama calls “outlandish rumors” spread by critics, according to the Times. The tumultuous environment makes bipartisan health reform more unlikely.

For their part, many Republicans see fighting the president as a smart political move, the Times said. They are turning potentially esoteric debates on Medicare reimbursement rates and subsidies for the uninsured into an ideological battle over the government’s role in health care, the newspaper said.

Each side hopes to win by boiling down one of the most complex policy discussions in history into bite-sized chunks so that Americans can digest them. Here is the New York Times’ crack at those chunks:

  • Keep (your current insurance) or lose it? President Obama has said that if you like your doctor or insurance plan, you can keep it under reform. There may be no way that Obama can ensure this outcome. None of the legislation, so far, requires insurers or employers to keep offering the coverage they now provide. The legislation may have the most unsettling impact on people who have bought their own health insurance.
  • Socialized medicine or uniquely American? Republicans harshly criticize Democratic proposals to create a government-run insurance plan, or “public option,” to compete with private insurance plans. Republicans say the public plan would drive private insurers out of business and create socialized medicine, or a government take-over of health care. Democrats say they want a uniquely American plan that has both private and public insurance elements. For now, the Republican criticism seems overblown. Major versions of the legislation rely heavily on the continuation of private insurance plans.
  • Blaming insurers or ensuring blame? Democrats have unleashed a blistering attack on private insurers, trying to convince the vast majority of Americans who already have insurance that the current systesm favors corporate profits, not patients, and that insurers are a main obstacle to passing reform. Insurers say they support some of the most important Democratic reform proposals, including a ban on denying coverage or charging higher premiums based on pre-existing medical conditions. The insurance industry does oppose a government-run insurance plan and could mobilize against reform legislation. But insurers seem to be less of an obstacle than the public’s fear over sweeping change and skittishness among lawmakers.
  • Deficit-neutral or budget-buster? President Obama has insisted that health care reform not add to the federal debt. Democrats have tried to craft “deficit-neutral” legislation by covering the $1 trillion cost of the overhaul over 10 year with reduced spending or new taxes. Though the Congressional Budget Office has not yet analyzed the latest legislation by three House committees, the office has warned that past proposals would add to the federal deficit. Republicans use these warnings to cast doubt on Obama’s claim that the legislation will slow the growth of health spending over time. Democrats say their plan would lead to more savings that can’t be calculated under budgeting rules. It’s hard to say who’s right.
  • Euthanasia and abortion. Conservative critics say the legislation would limit end-of-life care and coverage and even encourage euthanasia. These concerns appear to be unfounded, according to AARP. The House bill would provide Medicare coverage for optional consultations with doctors (not insurers) about end-of-life considerations. Meanwhile, opponents of abortion say the legislation would use tax dollars to subsidize insurance that could cover abortions. Under House Energy and Commerce Committee legislation, health plans — including a public option plan — could choose to cover abortion. However, the plans generally could not use federal money to pay for the abortions, but rather would have to use money paid for premiums.
  • Cutting Medicare or preserving it?  To help pay for coverage for the uninsured, Congress would squeeze huge savings from Medicare, the federal insurance program for the elderly and disabled. The legislation would trim Medicare payments for most services as an incentive for hospitals and other care providers to become more efficient. These cutbacks in payments could reduce Medicare recipients’ access to some types of care.

Mores stories worth a read:

presented by

Topics