THE FRIDAY RUNDOWN: If You Ignore It, Maybe It Won’t Go Away
As February looms, it’s becoming a matter of days, not months, before the Supreme Court begins hearing the case against the federal health reform law.
IT’S OH SO QUIET: Democrats, led by President Obama, have come to a collective hush on the federal health reform law. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Obama spent little time discussing the federal health reform law.
In fact, Obama’s speech included just 44 words on the overhaul, far fewer than in his previous addresses. During the address, he said that the makeup of the overhaul — which he noted relies on a “reformed private market, not a government program” — is a sign that he is willing to work with Republicans.
Obama also said he “will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage or charge women differently from men.”
LET’S TALK ABOUT … REFORM … BABY: Meanwhile, Republicans seemingly are shouting their objections to the overhaul from the rooftops. On Wednesday, House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chair Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) said that the GOP will release an alternative to the federal health reform law after the Supreme Court rules on the law’s constitutionality.
Pitts said the plan likely will include proposals that Republicans have long supported, such as:
- Giving tax breaks for health insurance to workers instead of employers;
- Limiting medical malpractice suits;
- Allowing insurers to sell plans across state lines (Politico, 1/25); and
- Creating state-based high-risk pools funded by the government instead of requiring private insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions (“Healthwatch,” The Hill, 1/25).
Pitts said, “There are others we will be discussing and will have ready in response to the Supreme Court decision,” adding, “We think that a free-market alternative is much better as far as making health insurance affordable and available to everyone.”
He noted that the plan would have to be crafted according to how the court rules. Pitts said he believes that the court might strike down the individual mandate but uphold the rest of the law.
(NO LONGER A) LONELY MAN: Pitts isn’t the only one who thinks the overhaul’s individual mandate will be struck down by the high court.
A new Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll, released on Wednesday, found that 55% of U.S. residents believe the Supreme Court will rule that the individual mandate is unconstitutional. According to the poll, 55% of surveyed residents believe other reform law provisions still will be implemented if the mandate is struck down. Meanwhile, 30% said a ruling against the mandate would lead to the dismantling of the entire law.
The survey also found that nearly 60% of U.S. residents saying they expect the high court justices to consider their personal ideology and politics over legal analysis when ruling on the individual mandate.
OUR TAKE: A number of writers already have surmised why Obama was so quiet about health reform in his State of the Union address. Suffice to say, keeping quiet about the overhaul is a smart move. No amount of lobbying by the White House is going to influence the Supreme Court justices on the matter, no matter what U.S. residents think.
The GOP’s strategy is just as clever. Republicans can use the plan as part of their strategy for the 2012 election regardless of the court’s ruling. If the Supreme Court strikes down the law or certain provisions, Republicans will have a replacement. If the court upholds the entire law, Republicans still can capitalize on the renewed attention on health reform the ruling creates and present a concrete alternative to voters.
By Anthony Wilson, Editor
