President Obama Goes to Bat for New Health Care Legislation
A recently proposed Senate health committee bill requires that the government provide financial assistance through the support of premiums for individuals and families. Limits are set at family incomes of four times the federal poverty level, which is about $88,000 for a family of four. This represents a broad cross-section of the middle class. This is just one part of a broader Senate bill that is still under development.
Sen. Chris Dodd a Democrat from Connecticut standing in for the committee’s chairman Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass says that this time the Senate has produced legislation that he thinks, by and large the American people want. Kennedy, who's made health care legislation a lifelong priority, is currently under treatment for brain cancer.
Ranking Republican Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming however, argued that by adding to the deficit, the bill would break Obama's promises.
After pressing the senate, Obama took to the Rose Garden. This is the third day in a row that the president has worked to promote his program of health reform. In addition there has been a television ad campaign by Obama's political operation, which is targeting moderate lawmakers of both parties.
A week from Monday is the date set be Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for floor debate to begin. That timetable could slip however, with the Senate Finance Committee still struggling to reach consensus.
So as to try to reach a settlement with regard to how to pay for the bill and other issues, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., met Wednesday with Democratic committee members.
After the meeting Baucus said that they were not yet quite in agreement. Obama is pressuring Baucus to have a bill ready by the weekend, but Baucus didn't want to say whether he'd agreed on a timetable commitment with the president.
Baucus, who's aiming for a bipartisan deal said that they are pushing as hard as they can, and that he is very sympathetic with the desire to get this accomplished as soon as possible and that's his goal as well.
A series of 30-second television ads on health care is being carried out by Obama's political organization. They will begin airing in Washington on Wednesday and on cable TV nationally. On local stations in eight states including North Dakota, Nebraska Arkansas, Maine, Indiana, Louisiana, Florida, and Ohio, a version will be run to push senators to give backing to the health care effort. They will continue to run for two weeks.
Private citizens describing problems they have had with the medical system will appear saying it's time for action. Organizing for America is sponsoring the ads. They are Obama's campaign organization, which is now a part of the national Democratic Party. When contacted the group would not reveal the cost of the ads.
Answering back is the Republican National Committee. They are using a fundraising appeal entitled ‘Hillarycare revisited,’ by which the RNC warns about Obamacare saying that the government is already running car companies, banks and mortgage companies and that's enough. The Republicans believe that the American people do not want government telling them when and where, not to mention, whether, they can receive medical treatment for their families.
