They knew they had a very big [public relations] problem, and they knew this day was coming. They knew they had to be perceived as coming to the table with solutions. It was a departure from their previous point of view. But they knew they would be slaughtered if it weren’t.
Former Cigna Corp. public relations executive Wendell Potter • Describing the change in tactics that the health care industry has tried to help shape the health care bill in such a way that keeps them in the mix. Many are surprised that the health care industry hasn’t gotten the snot beaten out of it by congress, but the reason is that they’ve been working extra hard to make universal health care something that keeps them in the mix. So yeah, greeeeaaaaaat. • source
We can open up our health insurance markets to real competition and make an important contribution to the health reform efforts under way in both houses of Congress.
Democratic Congressman John Conyers • On the House Judiciary Committee’s decision to strip health insurers of their antitrust exemption. This is a BIG DEAL, because it means that big insurers can’t collude or price fix or do willy-nilly like they’ve been doing in the past. It means that the insurers will be subject to state AND federal regulation. They’ve had their antitrust exemption since 1945, which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid calls “antiquated” and “an accident of American history.” The legislation will be included as part of the broader health-care legislation. • source
The Senate couldn’t push through a Medicare payment bill. An attempt to prevent the 21% reduction of doctors’ Medicare fees couldn’t get through the Senate tonight, with both Republicans and centrist Democrats suggesting the $250 billion price tag was too much. They needed 60 votes to get the bill, supported by the American Medical Association, onto the Senate floor. They got 47. This may be a harbinger of things to come. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is suggesting that much. Have we called him a toolbag lately? source
The preliminary estimates we’ve seen from the CBO enable us to make our choices knowing that whatever choice we make will reduce the deficit and will pay for the bill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi • On reining in the cost of the health care bill while paying back the defecit. Currently, there are three separate bills that need to be merged together, but after the Congressional Budget Office took a look at the bills, they now feel they can reasonably combine them into something ready for a vote on the House floor. Hopefully, the Senate can get their stuff together, too. • source
The Finance Committee’s bill will be combined with a bill passed in July by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. source
After that, the Congressional Budget Office and Senate Democrats will do vetting of the combined bill to make sure it passes muster. source
Finally, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promises, the bill will be voted on by the full Senate by the end of the month. Then the House gets it. source
I’d rather have company. But it’s a different political world we’re in. . . Most people represent either red states or blue states.
Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine • Discussing her status as the lone GOP member of congress willing to stick her neck out to get health care approved. Unlike a lot of Republicans, Snowe doesn’t really have much to lose. She won with 74% of the vote in 2006, and many are supportive of her stance in the state. • source