NY Times - "Obama Strategy on Health Legislation Appears to Pay Off"

This article does not comport with the corporate media strategy of attacking President Obama's strategy as misguided and declaring health care reform dead. These cynical News Corp (Fox News, Wall Street Journal) inspired talking points are so pervasive that even DUers recite them endlessly even as the insurance industry tries to kill reform. So, I am somewhat surprised that a NY Times author notices that we are actually closer to comprehensive Healh Care reform than ever before.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/health/policy/02health.html

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Obama Strategy on Health Legislation Appears to Pay Off

WASHINGTON — After months of plodding work by five Congressional committees and weeks of back-room bargaining by Democratic leaders, President Obama’s arms-length strategy on health care appears to be paying dividends, with the House and the Senate poised to take up legislation to insure nearly all Americans.

Debate in the House is expected to begin this week, and the Senate will soon take up its version. Democratic leaders and senior White House officials are sounding increasingly confident that Mr. Obama will sign legislation overhauling the nation’s health care system — a goal that has eluded American presidents for decades.

The Senate Finance Committee chairman, Max Baucus of Montana, described “a sense of inevitability, the sense that, yes, we’re going to pass health reform.” In interviews, senior advisers to the president said the progress on Capitol Hill vindicated Mr. Obama’s strategy of leaving the details up to lawmakers, though they are wary of sounding overconfident.

“You don’t see any shimmying in the end zone,” said Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff. “No spiking the ball on the 20-yard line here.”

The bills have advanced further than many lawmakers expected. Five separate measures are now pared down to two. But the legislative progress has come at a price. In the absence of specific guidance from the White House, it has moved ahead in fits and starts. From here on, the challenges will only grow more difficult.

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The media has repeatedly highlighted delays and attacks, but it never has really acknowledged that President Obama is getting closer to the goal of a major reform of health care. Instead, critics have been given the most voice without any discussion for the need for comprehensive health care reform.

they did everything they COULD to uplift Bush as a saint. And now they're doing the opposite to Obama, and some are actually being dumb enough to fall for it.

People keep saying that Obama is not front and center and not leading. What the hell?! Did they not read the House bill and the 4 out of 5 bills, or even Reid's statements that there will be a public option. I mean he was pushing for it and got it. Obama actually got everything he was asking for. It wasn't everything on the left was demanding, or the demands of the single payer people. But he's getting the baseline stuff which opens the door for amendments and more legislation so we can move closer and closer to "single-payer" style medical care. Some people don't like incremental, but we don't have a government that sees that as best and with the amount of BlueDogs and Conservadems, not including the Republicans, who don't want such a thing...I think we got a good deal.

The House version doesn't have a public option - instead, it has a "pauper's option" where those who are currently uninsured can get a government-run insurance program. If you're currently being screwed over by UnitedHealthcare or Humana or Blue Cross Blue Shield, no government-run option for you.

As for the Senate version, it has an opt-out provision for the states, and I have no idea how many people will be eligible for the Senate's "public option" who are saddled with bad insurance.

They've got lawyers right now trying to find as many loopholes in the new restrictions as they can. Big Insurance itself is not going to change. That's why we need a real public option.

their advantage and continue to prey even more on the American people.

The health insurance companies will only get worse. They believe they can do whatever they want, and so far that appears to be true. The health insurance bought off virtually everyone especially and including Obama.

eom

they're coming faster than I can put 'em in there lol

eom

;)

Obama was right. The PO is just a piece of everything healthcare reform entails. You people like to harp on it and harp on it while ignoring all the other regulations that are going to force the insurance companies to bend over and grab their ankles.

Keep pretending like this is some handout to private insurance if you want... but for all your pretending you sure do look foolish when you look at how private insurance companies are reacting to the overall reform effort, not just the PO part of it.

health plan that is affordable to ALL americans. yippie.

You can bitch and moan about not getting single payer or the way the PO is gonna be introduced. At the end of the day, most people have their eyes open enough to see how the private insurance companies are hating whats about to happen to them, with or without a public option. Maybe the bill is just long and complicated for you to truly understand what the ramifications are going to be or maybe you just prefer to be a smarmy little ass who will complain regardless of the end result reality.

Others, sadly, did nothing but moan and complain, and haven't stopped.

I wonder if the author realizes what a sick analogy that is, since YES it is going to pay off big time for insurance industry.

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wahoo.

taken apart on several sites.