Breaking News
Health Care Reform May Have to Wait Until 2010
A key Democratic lawmaker says health-care reform will take time and that a new government-run plan will have to be a key feature of any proposal.
Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), who serves as chairman of the health subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, said on a conference call earlier Wednesday that Democrats were unlikely to vote on a comprehensive health-care reform proposal until early in 2010.
When President-elect Obama appointed former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to become Secretary of Health and Human Services last week, he described health-care reform as a priority for his administration that was an “emergency” given the ongoing economic crisis.
But on a conference call organized by the liberal group Institute for America’s Future, Stark said that there was still a lot of “deferred maintenance” on the current health-care system that would have to be completed prior to a total overhaul, including expanding S-CHIP, dealing with Medicare compensation for doctors, and promoting health information technology.
In addition, he said hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, and all other players in the health-care system would have to have their say. He hopes that the Obama administration will present Congress with a series of guidelines for reform, then the House and Senate will each come up with several different plans that would have to be reconciled.
“You’re not going to do that in 100 days,” he said, but hopes that they would have a plan by the end of next year. Giving that the following year is an election year, he said, “I’m not sure I like the idea of voting on it later than the early part of 2010.”
The subject of a call was a new report issued by Jacob Hacker, co-director of the University of California Berkeley School of Law Center on Health, Economic and Family Security, arguing that a new government-run plan modeled after Medicare would have to be a part of any proposal for it to be able to achieve cost savings.
The idea would be to have that as an option on a national government-run health-care exchange in which individuals could also choose among private plans.
During the call, Stark agreed that any proposal that did not include a new public option would be a non-starter.
“In the absence of a public plan that people could opt into, you would have to so strictly regulate the other plans, that they in effect would all have to become public plans,” he said.
He was dismissive when asked about Republicans protesting the fact that since government is running the exchange, it could rig the rules of the game to steer more Americans into choosing the government plan. He said that if Republicans “want to just frustrate any effort” to passing health-care legislation, then Democrats would call a vote.
Departing from the plan Obama offered during the campaign, Stark said he thought a mandate requiring that individuals purchase health insurance was crucial because you couldn’t lower health-care costs without forcing healthy individuals to enter the market.
The insurance industry has said it was willing to accept new enrollees who had pre-existing conditions, but only if the government imposes a mandate. However, insurers are leery of any new government-run plan. Stark shrugged off their concerns.
“You won’t get the insurance companies on board I don’t think, but they are the easiest to roll, because nobody likes insurance companies,” Stark said. “Somebody has to be the bad guy.”
He also struck a mocking tone when asked about doctors who complain about how much they get paid under government-run health-care programs.
“To somehow suggest that whatever some heart surgeon wants for a transplant in Los Angeles, and has to make $600,000 to $700,000 a year, as opposed to maybe they make $400,000 a year with Medicare fees, doesn’t get much sympathy from me,” he said.
Later in the call, he added: “I have been tussling with this for over 20 years, and I have yet to see a physician come into my office talking anything about their patients — the first thing they say is that they are going broke…That’s like my kid saying they’re going to hold their breath and turn blue if they don’t get their second dessert.”
About the Author
Philip Klein is The American Spectator’s Washington correspondent. You can follow him on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/Philipaklein
Letter to the Editor View all comments (31) | Leave a comment
Related Articles
More Articles by Philip Klein
More Articles From Breaking News
http://spectator.org/archives/2008/12/17/health-care-reform-may-have-to
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Howard| 12.17.08 @ 2:13PM
Government health care will have the efficiency of the Post Office. Can we get the Senate health plan instead. Another Ponzi scheme, with plenty of benefits and insufficient resources.
Derrick| 12.17.08 @ 3:36PM
Nice report Mr. Klein. Stark is living on another planet mentally.
John G. Hubbell| 12.17.08 @ 5:06PM
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the same wise and competent political "leadership" who "rolled the dice" on mortgages and created our curent and undeniably thrilling financial debacle fashioning and running our health care programs? Isn't it exciting?
ThinkTank| 12.17.08 @ 5:46PM
Seems everyone who posted here has health coverage.
I guess the message is: to hell with those who don't.
Merry Christmas
CharlieBravo| 12.17.08 @ 8:04PM
If Obama was smart he would roll his plan out the gate early. The Dems will mostl likely lose seats in 2010 Stark may lose his chairmanship. Stark is so arrogant he thinks he can go up against the 700 million dollar man Obama. Obama cannot afford to push off health care like the Clintons he will lose credibility with his base and his poll numbers will fall. When that happens the Congressional Democrats will take it on the chin.2010 will be a good year for Republicans.
canuck| 12.18.08 @ 6:54AM
Government is already the organized crime of healthcare. Hospitals get about 82 cents of every dollar of cost from Medicare. My system shifted $117 Million last year to sick but insured patients to cover government shortfalls...or $815 per bed per day. This is not a business plan to be made up on volume. Medicare will cut reimbursement further as they introduce Pay for Performance and Never Events, both designed to cut the amount they pay for care.
Doctors will just retire. If you look at the age distribution, particularly in the surgical specialties, the over age 55 group is huge. A ten percent drop in available surgeons will seriously limit care.
Don't count on our training programs, the Clintons cut them to the bone...the next generation of surgeons is now training in India.
JP| 12.18.08 @ 8:11AM
I think it is plain to anyone who can count. Our goverment(s) are broke, and Obama has already indicated how he will spend the last nickle of our national wealth. The Federal goverment already is in hock $10 trillion, and Obama has already indicated that he is willing to borrow another $2-3 trillion on "infrastructure". At some point, the Federal goverment will have a difficult time paying back the interest on that money. At some point, the holders of all of those notes will figure that out as well -and when that happens, Katy bar the door.
We are in the last days of the liberal-babyboomer fantasy world. Pelosi wants to run the auto industry (her hopes are to produce cars no one will buy); Dashcle wishes to run our health care system -despite the fact that he is niether a doctor nor a hospital administrator; and Schummer and Dodd wish to run our banks, despite thier own rotten track record running public finances. None of these people have ever run anyhting for profit before. These people are in a true Walter Minty fantasy world -all funded by the taxpayers.
George Thompson| 12.18.08 @ 8:51AM
At the Saddleback Forum held this past August, Barry Obama answered a question as to when a baby was entitled to human rights by saying that the answer was above his pay grade. Excuse me, he's a graduate of Harvard Law School and at the time a U.S. Senator, the top pay grade in the Legislative Branch. He was running for U.S. President, arguably the top pay grade in the world. What in the hell was he talking about? So basically he admitted he is unqualified for the job he held then and for the job to which he is now elected. When he was a member of the Illinois Senate, Barry voted to allow newborn babies to die if they were the product of a failed abortion. He felt they would be a burden. Once a baby is born, failed abortion or not, it is a citizen of the United States and entitled to all the legal rights of an American. It says so in The Constitution of the United States of America (Amendment 14). What a jackass! And people actually want him to reform health care. Am I the only person scared by the prospect that the person soon to be in charge of reforming our health care believes it’s acceptable to allow burdensome citizens to die.
JAZZ| 12.18.08 @ 9:28AM
The health care programme will take about two years to implement. The main problems is how it will be implemented.
I think people earning over 250.000 per year and upwards do not need social health care plan. It should be based on low income families, the system needs to be based on need not greed.
If Wall Street is anything to go by, there is no doubt that health care is a major issue. There are those who think as long as I am O.K the rest don't matter, which is selfish, and un Christian. Civilazation is based on helping those less fortunate than ourselves.
The issue of building new Hospitals and equipment and new technology has to be in the picture too. Then there is wages and doctors nurses and admin staff, how they will be paid. This is a major project.
Then there is the problem of illegal immigrants, and people who travel with no insurance. Then there is how it will be funded. If America were to give up the illegal wars for 20 years it could be funded.
But many of these wars America is tricked into, if the American administration was to engage with various groups, it may be easier to establish what is real and what is fake.
Areas where false flags, pose a problem these needs to be investigated. And impliment an on going investigation, to protect the American people.
To have smart government, that should mean no more tricks. These tricks are costing lives, and from the lessons learnt from the Iraq war, it can bankrupt a country.
The government needs to look at whose interest it actually serve. Because it's not the people of America. The biggest threat is the implications it has to the rest of the world.
When the Americans gets involved in these illegal wars around the world it's having major implications on the rest of the world, in lives and resources.
While we are caught up in false flags, areas where resources is needed is neglected. As Obama said what is needed is smart government, but which government is smart enough to implement this style of government.
Most who were smart enough to see the problem, and was bold enough to tackle the problem either by words or deeds have been murdered.
So the questions of the past and the solutions, are still out there. The solutions are more simple than we think, but no man in or out of office dare to tackle the problem.
Most honest politicans know what the problems are but are afraid, for the safety and welfare of their families.
The situation to solve the Crime gangs that has been in the CIA, and who have been head of these gangs of crooks needs to be taken out of the equasion, militarily, removed and vetted people with no ties to the crime families in America is the only solution.
These secret societies needs to be removed to acheive democracy, and they should be arrested, and no more of them elected to high office. Some say it's like having a monachy, in America though there is no king or Queen. But the issue what people fail to see, America has failed because of these people who feel they are born to lead, and many do, because they come from the ranks of these societies.
Obama is placed to throw the American sent of corruption, and criminal activities in the ranks of high office. And people could really choose a leader by voting. The fact of the matter this is a smoke screen. Obama will have his ideas, and focus on showing the people his choice of people, but the reality is it all apart of the bigger picture of deception.
The trick is simple, it's like looking in the mirror, you see your reflection, but are you in the mirror?. The running of any country is difficult because it's live, things are changing as we speak.
What makes it more complicated is the criminal eliment, that America cannot shake off, and to shake it off would take a revolution. And the vast majority is not able to conceive, the problems facing America today.
One may think it is as simple as printing money and giving it to Wall Street, it is far more complicated. The one who prints the money controle the country, till America can turn that around it matters not who is in the White House, what matters is who control the budget, and the money.
The idea that one can print money at will, can buy up things that are solid, like gold land, companies, the laws is no longer of any importance. It's like saying I live in a house, that's fine the problem is who owns the house?.
The health care plan is good but who owns the Hospital, who gets the money the Hospital makes from the sick people, whose interest do they serve yours or their own.
JAZZ| 12.18.08 @ 10:17AM
George Thompson.
I read your article, it's interesting. Abortion, with all due respect, lets look at who is having abortions. Mr Thompson life is a harsh reality, the people who are having abortions are careless people who don't take life seriously in the first place.
If you don't want children, responsible people use contreceptives, in a loving warm relationship. Responsible people choose to have relationships with other responsible people.
Now don't think I condone these crimes against children, because I don't, but what is lacking is education, again and again. What you expose your children to is what you get as a result.
For example, you have a young family and all they see on TV is sex and violence, raised on a diet of sex and violence why be surprised when your kids are having sex at a tender age, and get them selves introuble and are afraid to tell their parents.
The parents are the issue, not Obama, Obama is not in your house every night, you are, you set the example. The right examples don't produce abortions, they produce responsible people as adults.
The government is not responsible for what your children do, you are.
The fact that other parents are failing in the upbringing of their children, means there needs are not being met, educationally, from the point of view of sex education.
The authorities have the responsibilities, of determination of what is the best and most humane way of abortions being carried out, is the issue. Mr Thompson prevention is the key, if kids and uneducated adults do not have unprotected sex, then you can't produce unwanted children.
The children is the victims, 18 years of poverty, is child abuse there are many ways to look at this issue. Obama is not the problem, he is not the one getting these people pregnant.
Switch the TV off, family spend time togeather speak to each other. Read books discuss issues faced by the wider public, look at the results. Teaching responsiblity to your family. Any fool can produce children it takes responsible people to raise them.
No disrespect to you Mr Thompson, did abortion go down under George W Bush?
John| 12.18.08 @ 11:22AM
That Stark guy has no freaking idea what it is like to be a doctor today.. he will destroy what's left of our profession. Doctors are now quitting in droves and scaling back their practices to take only cash...
There will be a larger shortage of doctors on top of what is a crisis right now. Go ahead Stark make my day and lower the fees even lower.. I will respond by raising mine and going cash and boutique medicine.
I have absolutely no respect for politicians who can't run anything but pontificate about everyting
Stan Redmond| 12.18.08 @ 11:57AM
In reply to Thinktank: You're a fool. That's the same tired old argument liberals have used forever. "You don't want to fund so you must hate !
Jazz: Nice try saying we are unchristian because the poor don't have health insurance. No where in the bible, at least the one I've read, say's Thou shalt not steal unless it's theft through, threat of force, by the government to give to someone else. The government is not the savior or God. And, to many's dismay, neither is Obama. Then for you to lecture us about personal responsibility? Your liberal slip is showing.
JAZZ| 12.18.08 @ 12:12PM
John.
You are a doctor, it's a respectable profession, as many other profession. John your first duty is to save lives, and the most important duty. Never forget that.
Money is only a form of exchange of goods and services. A man in your profession must lead by example.
I have had the same doctor for 30 years, and a man who is my Doctor and a man I respect, don't ever lose your self respect, because after that no one needs to respect you.
Dustoff| 12.18.08 @ 12:23PM
Jazz.
I'm a retired fire medic and know many docs.
You want to talk about health care.
LET'S go for it.
28 years in the bz
Dustoff| 12.18.08 @ 12:32PM
Hey Jazz, when we all can have the same health coverage as congess does. Let me know... Because H*LL well freeze over first.
JAZZ| 12.18.08 @ 1:25PM
Dustoff.
Thank you for your challenge, but I am sure you will appreciate, I cannot boast on my experience or knowledge.
I will however stick to my stance on the level which I see as conseivable.
No one who earn more than 250.000 per year should get social health care it should be for low income families.
With due respect, I am in no position to comment on what CONGRESS gets as way of health care, I have never been in that position.
I would openly suggest, it's a political ploy.
George Thompson| 12.18.08 @ 1:36PM
Jazz,
I have arrived! I have been criticized by an illiterate Obamatized person. Though, I can find no connection between your criticism of my earlier post and what I wrote other than the word "abortion". And I was not discussing abortion, only Barry's preferred solution for any children born in spite of a failed attempt to kill them before birth. My post is about the irony of choosing a supporter of murdering U.S. citizens to solve the "health care" crisis.
If you disapproved of my earlier comments, you really won’t like the following paragraph:
In our pending Obama dystopia, in which a Constitutional professor who believes that it is acceptable to allow U.S. Citizens to die because otherwise might be a burden has been charged by a poorly informed electorate with solving the so-called health care crisis at a time the Executive and Legislative Branches of the U.S. Government has pretty much bankrupted our nation, we should prepare for the future foreseen by Harry Harrison in his 1966 prophesy “Make Room! Make Room!” This classic was the basis for the 1973 Science Fiction movie: “Soylent Green”. While the book depicts a likely scenario that might result from overcrowding and a shortage of resources, the movie is best known for its presentation of a possible solution to these problems. In the movie “Soylent Green”, a euphemism for a mixture of soybeans, lentils and plankton, is a food product manufactured by converting euthanised persons into edible wafers intended for human consumption. This is change we can believe in, just be wary of any announcements from our brave, new government inviting us to “go home” again.
JAZZ| 12.18.08 @ 2:10PM
George Thompson
I am sorry, but you sound like a very bitter twisted individual. What qualifications did Ronald Reagan have to be President?. He was an actor.
You seem to think you know what the qualification is, perhaps you should list it, and the next time the vacancy comes up as you feel you are more qualified, how about applying for the job.
How many degrees do you need, and in what subjects. And write to all the news papers in America to advertise the job, and state the qualification required. That would solve your problem of qualifications, that way you will not get any more actors, people like George Bush, and with abit of luck include, criminal checks of the entire family.
If you want to argue about the system your best approach is to find ways to change the system, to keep out Blacks and un-desirables, because that sounds more like your problem.
You can't change what other people do, you can only change the system to stop them doing it. You need to discover what your problem is and a way to adress it. Other peoples lives is none of your business, you have a responsibility to deal with you.
Derek P| 12.18.08 @ 2:33PM
JAZZ, dude, where do you get your pot from man because it is STRONG!!! Thanks for again being my daily entertainment on this site.....BTW, you can't agree with any article on here so are you just here for pounding or what?
burt| 12.18.08 @ 2:39PM
Jazz , a typical brain dead leftist peddling old tired smears. Reagan was a two term Governor of California which has budget larger than 3/4 of any country . Versus , Mayor Daley / Soro's sock puppet who during is CNBC interview revealed he does not even know what a capital gains tax was and served as a Daley bagman to steal votes using the Dem front grouip named Accorn in South Chic-town. The radical left that destroyed healthcare in Canada and Europe want to dismantle our great system that everyone sneaks over here to use and now even Europe has moved to set up private hospital and private insurance . But Jazz and his fellow radicals in Congress want simply CONTROL over ever single aspect of our lives and can not handle the fact people still have the freedom of healthcare choices in the USA . Only the leftist elites will get private healthcare but the masses get crappy
healthcare for the sake of the GREAT LEFTISTS CAUSE !
L. Ross| 12.18.08 @ 3:29PM
Jazz.
I'm with Derek P. You should write for a sitcom. Funny, funny stuff.
JAZZ| 12.18.08 @ 4:00PM
The good thing is I'm not up for election, I would not win any support from you guys.
What's wrong with affordable health care for all?
Is it fear, of the unknown?. Do you think it may be too good for you, could it be fear of equality.
Or could it be the fear of being in the same hospital as a black person. Could it be that you people are too institutionally racist to accept change. What is this big fear, no one discuss rationally what it's about. Why it's a bad idea, if it was such a bad idea why did so many people vote infavour of it?
If you lost your job, and could no longer afford your private insurance, would you want to risk the life of your child by not having health insurance coverage.
But the fact remains you are all still in the minority. To win an election you need to appeal to the people. Appealing to minority right winger you can never win any major elections. Your message is one of extreamist. You can't attract anybody else.
You are getting scumb bags in your party, people that will lose interest in the Republican Party, you are not doing yourselves anygood. You slag off potential supporters. You have become your own worse enemy.
James Hovland| 12.18.08 @ 8:09PM
Insurance mandates are exactly the kind of government control we don't want.
Insurance is a waste of money that has corrupted our political system. America spends the most on Health Care yet ranks 39th because of waste and greed. Look at how the insurance companies are spending our money on lobbyists, political contributions and tons of anti-government propaganda. The insurance companies are pouring money into this reform because they can, and if they don't, they'll be left out. All while the price of insurance is experiencing a sharp rise.
Continuing to support this type of corruption and waste will destroy the already weakened Republican party. Fear of "Socialism", or fear of "government control" will not save your Capitalist buddies this time. Fear is of the unknown, there is no other kind. Fear requires ignorance, something that was easy to maintain when all we had is TV, Radio and News Papers. Just like the insurance companies strangle hold on Health Care, the Republican's platform is failing because of the information era.
The world has changed more than people realize. We have access to information like never before, news archives, social networks, global communication, opinions galore, and a comment section on every corner. Welcome to the information era.
James Hovland, a product of freedom
stmichrick| 12.18.08 @ 10:37PM
JAZZ;
Think about this; NO FREE LUNCH.
This nations healthcare is not the best in the world (just ask the rich folks from other countries who come to the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, etc) because we decided our doctors or Big Pharma make too much money. Much of what other countries have in technology comes from here, where investors risk CAPITAL to create medical breakthroughs.
Medicare is headed for bankruptcy and you want to COMPOUND that?
Get a grip.
Jason | 12.18.08 @ 11:45PM
Well it's good to know that Stark knows exactly how much physicians should be earning. How do you know what a heart surgeon should be making Pete? How??? You think they're going to keep working as hard as they do after you give them a 33% pay cut? Say hello to the brain/talent drain. Let's give you a 33% pay cut and see what you do!!
When all of Stark's dreams become reality and we have a severe physician shortage, we'll have to start importing more physicians from hostile nations, and they'll be blowing us up, like they do in Great Britain. Thanks Stark, you're an absolute genius.
Jason | 12.18.08 @ 11:51PM
Hey Pete!
Why don't we pay heart surgeons $30K per year? That would save a boatload of money. Why only drop their salaries to $400,000? Why do you think heart surgeons should be so filthy rich? You disgust me Pete.
http://rightklik.blogspot.com/
JAZZ| 12.19.08 @ 8:51AM
I read some of the comments, and many of them were very interesting.
People in the health care business are concerned about their wages. Its a good point, but I have not heard anything about wage cuts.
Doctors leaving the profession, due to fear of having to do more work for less pay.
People who are not certain about how these new changes will affect them, should seek out the information when it becomes available.
To be realistic, there is over two years before the health care programme becomes a reality.
Someone thought they may end up with foreign Doctors having to be imported in to America, and these Doctors may try to blow them up.
I can understand your concerns, but one of the good thing that has resulted from this, people are talking, expressing their fears.
If education is raised in America you will produce your own Doctors and health professionals and so on. But so far all I have heard about is reducing cost to businesses offering health insurance to their staff because it is very costly. And making healthcare cost more affordable.
Sawbones| 12.19.08 @ 9:28PM
For those of you who criticize socialized healthcare systems, have a look at this document - it shows that with its current system, the US is paying more money for less medical provision.
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2007/09/12/WORLD_HEALTH_1209_graphic.pdf
Bill| 1.20.09 @ 1:01PM
I feel really bad for both Obama supporters and Bush supporters. People support their party (democrats or republicans) so strongly that they will support the shit that represents their party. They support even if they don't agree with their party leader. What a bunch of hypocrites who have ideals equal to war monger Bush. They parties are the same. They both support unjustified preemptive war, welfare for the rich, and lining their own pockets. They put their wealth and interests above all of Americans. You people are so dumb. Try reading some history books from different people's perspectives instead of the history books by Nazi America. We are a fascist nation and so was Nazi Germany. Before you get your panties in a bunch, look up the definition of fascism for yourself. Also, don't forget the patriot act and patriot act 2 which supports the fascist nation. Hitler passed his own patriot act and justified by excuses such as terrorism. I'm sure most of this will be over people's head on this board and they will pass it off as crazy talk. That' fine, walk with the sheep people or wake up. Also, Reagan was never qualified for President. A b actor who was actually illiterate in early days. The economy was horrible in his term and he also loved selling weapons to so called enemies. We sell arms to these countries and then blow the shit out of them. Oh, because we make money off goverment war contracts, lol.
Pingback| 8.19.09 @ 9:36PM
Health Care BS - STARK CONTEMPT FOR HEALTH INDUSTRY links to this page. Here’s an excerpt: