Health Care Industry In Talks To Shape Policy
Well,,,,,,,,,We already have seen clearly what THEY think, haven't we?!?!?!??!?!?!??!??!?!?
by Robert Pear
WASHINGTON
Since last fall, many of the leading figures in the nation’s long-running health care debate have been meeting secretly in a Senate hearing room. Now, with the blessing of the Senate’s leading proponent of universal health insurance, Edward M. Kennedy, they appear to be inching toward a consensus that could reshape the debate.
Many of the parties, from big insurance companies to lobbyists for consumers, doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, are embracing the idea that comprehensive health care legislation should include a requirement that every American carry insurance.
While not all industry groups are in complete agreement, there is enough of a consensus, according to people who have attended the meetings, that they have begun to tackle the next steps: how to enforce the requirement for everyone to have health insurance; how to make insurance affordable to the uninsured; and whether to require employers to help buy coverage for their employees.
The talks, which are taking place behind closed doors, are unusual. Lobbyists for a wide range of interest groups — some of which were involved in defeating national health legislation in 1993-4 — are meeting with the staff of Mr. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, in a search for common ground.
Mr. Kennedy is fighting brain cancer, and participants in the talks said his illness had added urgency to the discussions.
While President Obama is not directly represented in the talks, the White House has been kept informed and is encouraging the Senate effort as a way to get the ball rolling on health legislation.
Kennedy aides summarized discussions of the stakeholders, known as the “workhorse group,” in a recent memorandum obtained by The New York Times.
“While there was some diversity of views,” it said, “the sense of the room is that an individual obligation to purchase insurance should be part of reform if that obligation is coupled with effective mechanisms to make coverage meaningful and affordable.”
The ideas discussed include a proposal to penalize people who fail to comply with the “individual obligation” to have insurance.
“There seems to be a sense of the room that some form of tax penalty is an effective means to enforce such an obligation, though only on those for whom affordable coverage is available,” said the memorandum, prepared by David C. Bowen, a neurobiologist who is director of the health staff at the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
The proposal for an individual mandate was one of the few policy disagreements between Mr. Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton in their fight for the Democratic presidential nomination. She wanted to require everyone to have and maintain insurance. He said he wanted to “ensure affordable coverage for all,” but would initially apply the mandate only to children.
The 20 people who regularly attend the meetings on Capitol Hill include lobbyists for AARP, Aetna, the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the Business Roundtable, Easter Seals, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and the United States Chamber of Commerce.
Their motives vary. Some say the moment to overhaul the health care system has arrived because of a confluence of events, including Mr. Obama’s election, the growing number of uninsured and the relentless increase in health costs. Some want to protect the interests of their members and could ultimately oppose the legislation, depending on its details.
While a fragile consensus is slowly emerging, it is not unanimous. The Business Roundtable, representing big corporations, would place “an obligation on all Americans to have health insurance coverage” and says the government should offer financial aid to help low-income people buy it.
On the other hand, James P. Gelfand, senior manager of health policy at the United States Chamber of Commerce, said: “Forcing individuals to purchase insurance in the current market would be a disaster. Before we even have that discussion, we need to make health care more affordable and improve its quality.”
The current efforts contrast with the Clinton administration’s approach in 1993-4. The Clinton White House demonized health insurance companies, accusing them of “price gouging” and profiteering. Mr. Kennedy is trying to keep insurers and other stakeholders talking together in the same room. Getting affordable health insurance is now a top priority for small-business owners, who helped kill the Clinton plan................
Much More: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us...alth.html?_r=1
Leave it up to them and there will be nothing left but insurance premiums!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Psychoblues
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Psychoblues
