Who knows, but maybe the President of the United States is actually smarter than I am.
The Administration successfully parlayed the WellPoint rate hikes in California — increases that in fairness were logical and justified at least to some extent — into a symbol of the need for reform by highlighting the financial burden on small businesses and families trying to afford healthcare coverage (and once again demonizing millionaire health plan executives).
Now the President has backed opponents of reform into a corner by agreeing to incorporate into his revised healthcare proposal four additional Republican ideas. These ideas, which Republicans stressed in last week’s bipartisan healthcare summit, include a greater emphasis on combating fraud and waste, alternatives for resolving medical malpractice disputes, increased Medicaid payments to doctors, and the inclusion of HSA plans in insurance exchanges.
The subtext is that the Administration has compromised (and compromised again), and now it’s the Republicans turn. Don’t hold your breath. Republicans have refused to compromise all along, and my guess is they will continue to refuse to compromise. Their strategy is obstruction.
Obama, meanwhile, has laid the groundwork for Democrats to push through reform — even if it requires the use of reconciliation — without appearing too bad in the eyes of the public. When faced with the inevitable conservative cries of outrage, the President can just say, “Hey, we tried to compromise and look what happened.”
All of which seems like pretty shrewd politics, especially considering that six in 10 Americans already blame Republicans for not compromising enough on healthcare reform. Of course, winning the U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts would have been a better strategy, but hey, any port in a storm.
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Hospitals should become very concerned about the change in direction..Reduction of payment rates by the feds and the state and the insurers not allowing the cost shifting ,will put hospitals behind the curve..The curve being the usuage of health care resources going higher and payments going lower..If the country all of a sudden became healthier,took their medications,didn’t get older and chose not to have a chronic illness,the admissions to hospitals would drop and payment rates would follow the same track..these two lines are not going in the same direction..more closures to come..
Republican have not been invited into the discussion by the Dem party leaders of the House or the Senate. Further, the Dem party has control of the White House, Senate and the House so the idea that the Rep party has been obstructionist is a bit disingenuous. IF the Dem party did not have obstructionist members, they could pass the bill without Rep support. So< you expect them to capitulate at this late date given the mood of the public about health care, and given a bill that will do nothing to reign in costs?
I must confess I’m amazed at how many conservatives have emailed me to express their anger over this post.
Republicans have made it quite clear they don’t support Obama’s comprehensive healthcare reform package. Not a single Republican Senator voted for it, and the only Republican Representative who did has said he won’t again — this despite the inclusion of numerous Republican ideas.
And that’s all right. If Republicans are opposed to Obamacare on philosophical grounds, they should oppose it. If Republicans want a completely different type of reform — or no reform at all — that’s all right too.
But “compromise” by definition means getting a little of what you want and accepting a little of what you don’t want. There is no compromise if the Democrats include a variety of Republican ideas in the legislation, but Republicans still reject the package outright. That’s obstruction.
You are correct, however, that Democrats share some of the blame; but even with a majority in the Senate they can’t get anything done without resorting to reconciliation — again because Republicans won’t allow a simple straight-up vote.
Btw, if you want to know what bipartisanship really looks like, consider the vote on The Social Security Amendments of 1965, which created the Medicare and Medicaid programs. In the Senate, 57 Democrats and 13 Republicans voted yes. In the House, 237 Democrats and 70 Republicans voted yes. (Hat tip: Paul Krugman).
Carl,
When I first skimmed your article I thought it was tongue-and-check humor of the present state of affairs in this country. As I read it more closely I realized you are serious.
The President is intentionally tone deaf on this issue; therefore, his or your “intelligence” is not the issue. Obama is smart, but he is naïve, and increasingly arrogant in pressing forward with his ideology. While he now denounces “evil healthcare insurance companies”, Obama cannot get traction with many American’s frustrations with insurance companies—because Americans simply do not buy most of what Obama is pushing.
American’s are learning to watch Obama’s actions and not listen to his words. They patiently gave him the benefit-of-the-doubt about his college days, Rev. Wright, campaign finance integrity, his involvement with ACORN, healthcare reform transparency, taking a scalpel to the budget, etc., etc. They heard his words. Now they watch his actions. They now know his words frequently don’t match his intent, so they simply do not trust him. In fact, they distrust his ideology much more than they distrust insurance companies, which isn’t saying much.
Americans inherently know that his words targeting insurance companies mostly advance his version of class warfare, intended to achieve his goal. They see his reform actions do not expand healthcare insurance choice by allowing insurance companies to more openly compete…allowing consumers to buy freely from insurance offerings from any state [not from The State]. They intuitively know less choice means more cost, and that the government does not create cost reduction, because it seldom increases efficiency. They also now realize his end game is to have the government more involved in everything, especially healthcare options; even as tried and failed in Hawaii, and as presently being tried and now failing in Massachusetts. Americans have quickly learned that Obama’s “actions” are for greater government expansion, and that his “words” are only a means to achieve his larger objective. As one frustrated congressman yelled, “He lies”!
So, whether you [or I] are smarter than Obama is not the issue. The real issue is “Are the American people engaged enough to see what is happening in DC under his Administration? Do American’s embrace Obama’s core ideology that believes “government knows best”? That question has been answered resoundingly regarding Obama’s attempted imposition of his agenda on the American public. Yet, Obama remains tone deaf. This is has nothing to do with him not hearing.
Does this mean Obama doesn’t get it, or is dumb? Not at all. It simply means that despite American’s telling him time-and-again they don’t want the government takeover he is peddling, Obama ideologically refuses to accept that conclusion and continues to double down. He pretends it is the message delivery, not the content itself. “If only these poorly informed Americans knew what I know, which is of course much better for them than what they think they want”, Obama mutters to his grow-government soul mates . It is not his style being rejected. It is his substance.
Republicans are no better. They simply realize that if Obama is determined to fall on his sword of big-government healthcare control, at a time when the country needs fiscal discipline and employment, then they (Republicans) will be more than happy to not interrupt his fall. That is no more political opposition by Republicans than, say, Democrats “daily death count” during the War in Iraq under the Bush Administration. Presenting reality on a repeated basis does not make it more acceptable to those wishing to deny it. For Obama and Democrats, this is just a different fall on a different sword. Republican’s could actually all go on vacation [perhaps they are, would anyone notice?] and Obamacare still wouldn’t pass. We all know he doesn’t need Republican’s to pass his vision. Obama’s own party knows voters are not listening to Obama’s words. By draining his reservoir-of-good-will on this subject, voters are now watching his actions and not listening to his words. In so doing, Obama’s fellow DC democrats realize they are being exposed for printing more money and over spending [taxes to follow soon]. Republican’s alterative is just more spending. Not the change Americans were hoping for. Obama is the leader of the majority in both houses. Excuses and blame-game politics won’t work for him now. As he recently told John McCain, “the election is over”. Perhaps he too should stop campaigning and listen.
Obama’s bill is not the answer. This needs to be done via a transparent, incremental approach, which will mean addressing major issues component-by- component. This could take 3 years or longer, once he ever starts. Such an approach would save the healthcare system most Americans hold dear, and could be accomplished without raising the national debt, or gimmicks. But the bigger-government-end-game would most likely not be provided. That is Obama’s reason for tone deafness. That is why he pushes for quick resolution. Obama’s big-bang attempt via reconciliation would be devastating to the national debt for years to come. If he pushes reconciliation, it will only hurt meaningful reform. In the long run, it will also damage his party, his presidency and the pace of needed healthcare reform going forward.
The election is indeed over. Is the victor willing to accept what the majority of Americans already know?
Gregory P. Swanson
President & CEO
National Medical Logistics
http://www.natmedlog.com
Cell: 804.651.6641