--- On Fri, 8/7/09, Health Action Network <grassro...@wellpoint.com> wrote:
From: Health Action Network <grassro...@wellpoint.com>
Subject: Weekly Update - August 6
To: raiderbri2...@yahoo.com
Date: Friday, August 7, 2009, 1:44 PM
This Week in Health Reform: August 6
The debate over health care intensified this week as House members returned to
their districts and the Senate prepared to adjourn for the remainder of August.
Many House members held town hall meetings with constituents this week which
have added additional fuel to the health care debate.
Public Plan:
House Committee on Energy and Commerce Completes Markup: After weeks of
negotiation, the House Energy and Commerce Committee was the last of three
House committees to complete work on sweeping health care reform legislation.
The committee reported out the bill on a vote of 31-28. All Republicans and
five Democrats voted against the bill. This move clears the way for the
legislation to go to the House floor.
Alternative Plans:
Senate Finance Committee Delays Until September: Senate Finance Committee
members confirmed that they would not complete a draft bill before the August
recess and that negotiations would continue into September. After a meeting
with President Obama Tuesday, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Baucus
(D-MT) has agreed to a mid-September deadline for a bipartisan bill. President
Obama pressured Senate Democrats to move forward with health care reform if a
bipartisan bill cannot be reached; he vowed Wednesday to get a reform bill
through Congress this year even without Republican support. President Obama
will meet with six negotiators from the Committee Thursday at the White House
to discuss the bipartisan effort.
Financing the Plan:
Obama Renews Pledge to Not Raise Middle Class Taxes but Remains Open to Taxing
Health Insurance: White House officials scrambled to retract statements made by
top economic advisors last Sunday, indicating that a tax increase on the middle
class is an option to pay for health care reform. However, President Obama
remains open to a proposal to tax health insurance.
Additional Activities:
Democrats Criticize Insurance Industry: Democrats increased criticism aimed at
the insurance industry. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attacked insurers stating
that its profits were "immoral." America's Health Insurance Plans president,
Karen Ignagni, quickly fired back that those in the health insurance industry
"do not deserve to be demonized or vilified as part of a campaign to distract
attention away from the sinking support for a government-run program."
Debate Moves Outside the Capitol: The health care debate has moved outside the
Beltway. With tactics ranging from town hall meetings and other grassroots
efforts to advertising. Groups on both sides of the issue are mobilizing their
constituencies to participate in local events and make direct contact with
members of Congress in a battle over public opinion.
Administration officials and Democratic members of Congress are in the process
of conducting town hall meetings across the country. In recent days however,
the meetings in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Texas have spurred protests over
details of the reform proposals. Democrats are accusing Republicans of
organizing these "angry mobs," while Republicans indicate that the protests are
signs of opposition.
More than $52 million has been spent this year nationwide on health care
reform-related advertising, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group. But
as legislators return home for the August recess, and the target audience for
these ads shifts from inside to outside the Beltway, the ads previously running
on national cable news will now run on more local markets across the country.
Public Polls Show Rising Concern: As details of a potential health care
overhaul take shape, public opinion polls show increasing apprehension. A New
York Times/CBS poll showed 69 percent of Americans are concerned their care
would suffer if they were on a government-run plan. Wall Street Journal/NBC
News poll showed 42 percent of those surveyed in July thought Obama's health
care plan was a bad idea. This figure rose from 32 percent in June.
Looking Ahead:
Senators will adjourn for August recess Friday taking the health care debate
back to their home states.
The health care messaging battle will continue to heat up as Democrats work to
gain support from the American public and Republicans continue to voice
concerns.
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