I am in Washington, D.C., at the National Association of Health Underwriters annual "Capitol Conference." With President Barack Obama making his final (?) push for passage of the Senate reform bill - calling for a House vote March 18th - it is timely to be at “ground zero.”
Newly elected Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) was one of our first speakers. He was followed by the somewhat infamous (as in "Corn husker Kickback") Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.). Congressman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) rounded out the morning session.
Besides all three speaking at our NAHU event, I was struck by how different they seemed from their media portrayals. Frankly, Sen. Brown wasn't all that gifted or charismatic as a speaker. (Although the ladies in the room obviously found him to be pretty hot!) No, his message was just straight talk about being sick of politics as usual. It was I think that message that got him elected not some slick style.
Sen. Nelson displayed a workable understanding of the complexities of health care reform; I particularly liked his comments about preserving the role of the agent/broker in a revitalized system. (Of course, he was preaching to the choir.)
Rep. Pence was terrific. I think I'd most enjoy having a beer with him.
It seemed interesting that with Congress' approval ratings so low, all three came across as honest sincere guys.
Also, all three shared this assessment of the "reconciliation" process: don't hold your breath! Here's what they said. The Senate has passed a bill. The House will be asked to pass the same bill next week. If they do so - and that is a BIG if - HR 3590 (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) becomes law when the president signs it. And he surely will.
Those who expect HR 3590 to be changed/fixed after passage are drinking the Kool Aid. Once it is law, it's done.
Just thought you ought to know what the insiders think.
Jon Rauser is president of The Rauser Agency Inc., Milwaukee. He writes an ongoing blog about the health care industry at www.rauserhealthreview.com.
11 Comments
I recommend everyone call your congressman and other congressmen and voice strong objection to government run health care. It's a pig of a bill that is going to reduce the quality of health care and we simply can't afford it. These people in government are just trying to wear us all down and we can't let that happen. When did the government ever take over anything that ended with a positive result???
When Brian? In 1965 they established Medicare, and though not perfect we could expand that to 100% of our population and cut $400 billion per year from our health care costs.
As a former business owner I was seeing 17% per year increases in health care costs… money that I would have much preferred spending on new employees and expanding my business. The Medicare-for-all system would be the best corporate bailout ever, and it would go to 100% of employers rather than just the bankers. But the political money from bankers far outstrips that from small businesses. Go figure.
Lohman keeps forgetting that Medicare/Medicaid is $37 TRILLION in the hole. Yeah, they work great today, kind of like a jet flying over the Atlantic with 3 gallons of fuel left in the tank- sooner or later it will be crash and burn time.
Has government ever come under budget on any major program? These are the same people that are currently bankrupting the country! To believe the government can save money on health care is preposterous. I assume it will be run by government employees that can retire in their early fifties with full pensions and benefits and with salaries above those in the private sector. On top of that we will get the bureaucratic indifference and incompetence from the same people that run the post office, the DMV, the IRS, the TSA, the stimulus and cash for clunkers. No thanks. Contact your congressman and let them know you don't want them running our health care system.
PS Lohman- you said in a prior post you were against this health care bill. What changed your mind? The back room deals? The cornhusker kickback? The Louisiana purchase? The lack of transparency? The Connecticut hospital deal? The Florida medicare exemption deal? The union health care plan political payback deal? The Obama CSpan lie? The Obama lie about keeping the plan your currently have? The fake CBO numbers with taxes for ten years and expenses for six? The added indirect medical taxes scam? The backroom deal with big pharma? The fake Medicare/Medicaid fraud savings idea? The $500 billion in Medicare cuts? Which one was it?
No, Mr. Marsh, I am still against this bill and favor a Medicare-for-all system that would save the country $400 billion per year. But we have fools out there that would rather see the insurance industry stay in the loop and share some of their profits with the politicians that made it all happen.
Marsh: where do you come up with stuff? Maybe you need another layer of tin foil on the hat. Or maybe you need to put the downstroke on that Montana property where you can grow your own tomatoes using personalized fertilizer. $37 trillion in the hole? What's your source for this number? And I can't even keep up with all the other plots and plans you've listed. I'd check on them myself, but all the government employees I know are retiring at age 35 and moving to Belize.
Yea, Bob, Marsh has his head where the sun don't shine. The guy appears just as little bit wacko to me. Our total Medicare cost is (I'm guessing) $1 trillion per year out of our total $2.7 trillion, so becoming $37 trillion in debt the Republicans couldn't even muster.
Here you go Welke: http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/03/news/economy/104239768.fortune/index.htm This is an old article and the number is now up to $38 trillion. Please have some one smarter than you read it to you- just ask anyone to help.
Absolutely, adjustments must be made to how we pay for Medicare, but it won't include the 39% increases our friends at Aetna require. Increase the age limit to 67, eliminate the $104K cap on wage taxes, and return our tax levels on the wealthy to the 35% range will be a good start. But also eliminate the pork barrel and other wasteful government spending (like on private Blackwater mercenaries who receive triple what our own troops are paid) and we'll be able to afford the needed community services.
But political graft gets in the way. Aren't our politicians great?
Welke & Lohman- Apparently its hard to refute facts, you just go on spewing more dumb stuff. Also, name-calling is always a good debate tactic. It is interesting Lohman that you admit problems with Medicare funding are due to our bloated, corrupt government not able to manage itself properly. The same government you want to hand over our health care system to. Keep digging.
You are letting your lack of intelligence show. Medicare is the most successful public-private effort ever, and that's why the insurance industry has pumped $200 million into lobbying and campaign contributions to kill it. It is not perfect but it is better than the private vulture industry who's top CEO rips off $14.5 million in income. You are incorrect with your claim of what I admit to, Mr. Marsh, but I wouldn't let truth stand in your way of making stupid remarks.
So $38 Trillion in the hole is successful? Bernie Madoff was "successful" until his ponzi scheme collapsed.