OBAMA: Heads to Philadelphia, St. Louis To Push for Reform Legislation
President Obama is scheduled to travel to Philadelphia on Monday and St. Louis on Wednesday in an effort to generate public support for health reform legislation and encourage lawmakers to cast a final vote on the overhaul, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports (Pace, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 3/8).
Obama’s tour is a continuation of more direct efforts by the president to guide the reform process, following his bipartisan health reform summit and the release of his own overhaul proposal (American Health Line, 3/5). The president on Saturday during his weekly Internet and radio address said that lawmakers are “very close” to securing an overhaul (Zeleny, New York Times, 3/5). As a result, Obama has set a March 18 deadline for the House to pass a Senate version of reform legislation (HR 3590), before he leaves for a trip to Asia (AP/Washington Post, 3/7).
Members of the Obama administration believe the public is more apt to embrace the president’s message if he is not in Washington, D.C. An administration official said, “There’s no doubt that being on the road is better for him than being seen in some anonymous marble hallway,” adding, “Washington is seen as a place of inaction.”
According to observers, Obama’s road lobbying might be coming at a time when the public is more receptive to the message. White House officials and Democratic pollsters said recent polls have shown an increase in support for health reform. Geoff Garin, a Democratic pollster, said that recent data acquired from focus groups suggests that, “however skeptical voters are of health reform, they’re now saying just go ahead and pass it just to get something done.”
However, three polls from late February indicate that opposition to Democrats’ health reform plans ranged from 47% to 52%, while support ranged from 41% to 44% (Thrush/Budoff Brown, Politico, 3/8).
Obama Condemns Insurer Actions
Obama also used his weekly address to criticize health insurers for failing to give “straight answers” on why they are “arbitrarily and massively” increasing their premiums. He used insurers raising rates as a primary reason for the need for reform, saying, “If we do not act, [insurers] will continue to do this” (Colvin, Reuters, 3/6). The White House recently has criticized health insurers after it was revealed that several insurers in multiple states have planned double digit premium hikes, including an up to 39% increase for some individual policyholders enrolled in California’s Anthem Blue Cross, a subsidiary of WellPoint. The Obama administration has argued that its health reform efforts are necessary due to the drastically increasing premiums (American Health Line, 3/5).
Obama cited a new analysis by New York investment bank Goldman Sachs that recommends investors buy shares in insurers UnitedHealth Group and Cigna because insurance rates are increasing while competition is down. White House officials said the analysis would act as a “centerpiece” for the administration’s argument for reform (Herszenhorn, New York Times, 3/6).
– Matthew Wayt
Note: This is an abridged version of the story that appeared in American Health Line this morning. For complete access to the full version, plus all of AHL’s other stories and content, subscribe to AHL.
