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The Spectacle Blog

Health Care Hits Major Snag in House

By Philip Klein on 7.10.09 @ 11:46AM

Up until this point, health care has faced the most difficulty in the Senate, while things have gone relatively smoothly in the House. Not anymore. The House Democrats were set to release their health care bill today, and begin the process of marking it up, or rewriting it, on Monday. But Roll Call reports that the legislation has now been "delayed indefinitely" because of a letter sent by moderate Blue Dog Democrats demanding major changes. According to CNN, 40 of 52 members of the Blue Dog coalition signed the letter, a big enough chunk to endanger the legislation if Republicans stick together. The major concern of the Blue Dogs is the design of the government-run plan. While not being dead against it, they are opposed to setting the reimbursement rates at the very low Medicare levels. But what makes things really tricky is that the House Progressive Caucus, which boasts 80 members, has said it wouldn't support a plan unless it included a "robust" government plan -- which means one modeled after Medicare. Last month, I wrote at length about how this dynamic could rip apart President Obama's health care push.

View all comments (7) | Leave a comment

Tim| 7.10.09 @ 12:00PM

It's difficult to design a vegetarian shark.

Dan| 7.10.09 @ 12:32PM

Phil was way ahead of the curve on that one.

Good man!

Deano| 7.10.09 @ 12:59PM

You want to make health care affordable... first, tort reform (something the Liberal "lawyers party" will never consider). Take lawyers hitting the lottery out of the cost of healthcare, and get malpractice rates under control. Notice how nobody's even looked into what those usury rates ultimately cost consumers.

Tim| 7.10.09 @ 1:41PM

Deano
Exactly!

Obama will publicly parse whether or not it is cost effective to give grandma her new hip but it will be a cold day in hell before we hear him pondering reimbursements for J.P. Moneybags Esq.
If Doctors have to accept government set rates, why not attorneys?

I'd like to see somebody in congress try to tack "Attorney fees to be set by Government" onto a bill. You wouldn't necessarily even have to limit what victims get, just what their attorneys can expropriate.

Curtis Davis| 7.10.09 @ 7:49PM

I think we all should strike a deal with our congress critters on health care reform. Whatever it is that they want to impose on us (against our will) they will accept as their own health care solution. That's right, congress critters, give up your current gold plated health care benefits, and join us hoi polloi in the munificence of your mandated coverage.

Nah, never happen.

Vote the bums out, and let's start over.

hsr0601| 7.11.09 @ 6:48AM

If you, as opponents to the much-needed, long overdue health care reform, get lost in the deep, steep mountains, or if you are drowning in the water by all your fault, the rescue team run by government will lift you out of such critical status at the huge cost of tax-payer's money as a human life and health can never be exchanged with anything on earth.
And it may be a major roll of government to protect people from any dangers and that's why every modernized state has public 'shared responsibility' policy in place, I guess.
Those who have a different view over this reform, Please keep what you like and respect the others' choice and diversity that the U.S. is proud of on the basis of democracy.