HEALTH CARE: The political prescription

MAKING IT WORK IS KEY

President Obama said Wednesday he was unable to guarantee that health care reform won’t change how Americans get medical treatment, but he said any changes would be necessary and positive.

In a nationally televised news conference dominated by the health care issue, Obama delivered lengthy statements in response to Republican attacks on proposals he favors. He also attempted to ease the concerns of people left confused by the fierce debate in Washington.

He repeatedly emphasized that the spiraling costs of the current system would bankrupt the nation while denying coverage to millions more Americans. Asked directly if he could guarantee that an overhauled health care system won’t change how people receive treatment, Obama said no. ”The whole point of this is to try to encourage what works,” Obama said, addressing concerns that reform would take away the ability of people to choose their doctors and treatment.

President Obama’s key domestic policy objective is to reform the US system of healthcare. And the next few weeks will be crucial in determining whether he can deliver the fundamental reform that has eluded his predecessors.

“I am going to keep pressing until we get this done,” President Obama told a town hall meeting in Virginia in early July as he went on the offensive. The rising cost of health care for individuals, which has made it unaffordable for an increasing number of Americans, was a key issue in Mr Obama’s election campaign and crucial to his victory. Now a number of bills are already making their way through the US Congress, and the President would like to sign a comprehensive plan this year, despite intense opposition from Republicans and lobby groups.

President Obama responded to Republican opposition to health care reform, saying that political motives are behind efforts to block progress on the issue. Republicans “who openly announce their intentions to block this reform” would “rather score political points” than confront the ailing health care system, Obama said in a Rose Garden statement.

Republicans responded that Democratic proposals so far would fail to deliver what they promise and eventually lead to a government takeover of health care. Delaying action now “is so we can be smart about the action we have to take,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.

But as the cost of healthcare reform has risen, along with a $1.7 trillion (£1 tn) US budget deficit, Mr Obama has had to abandon some of his early pledges, and consider increasing taxes to pay for reform.
His $1 trillion 10-year plan has drawn the ire of budget hawks, who want tough measures to reduce the deficit. “There remain questions about whether this is the right time to be engaging in such an expensive agenda item,” says Maya McGuineas of the Committee for a Responsible Budget. “We’ve already been hit with sticker shock of just how much this budget deficit is going to cost.”

Amid the sharpened debate, a leading House Democrat said Tuesday the chamber may not vote on a bill before Obama’s deadline of August 7, when Congress goes on recess. Obama and his chief spokesman indicated the deadline was more a target for progress, rather than a make-or-break moment.

“We’re going to come back here after the August break and have a lot of work to do on health care,” said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. At issue is overhauling a health care system beset by spiraling costs while leaving 46 million Americans uninsured.