WASHINGTON — As Congress begins work on putting President Barack Obama’s goal of universal health coverage into law, administration officials and allies sought to sidestep an unpopular tax on existing benefits and Republicans’ objection to a government competitor to private plans.
Cabinet officials and Obama allies on Sunday sought to rein in lawmakers, who were expected this week to introduce specific plans that run counter to Obama’s political promises. Many urged lawmakers to consider a cooperative program that would expand coverage to the 50 million uninsured Americans with taxpayer support without direct governmental control.
The concessions could be the smoothest way to deliver the bipartisan health care legislation the administration seeks by its self-imposed August deadline, officials said.
"There is no one-size-fits-all idea,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on ABC’s "This Week.”
"The president has said, ‘These are the kinds of goals I’m after: lowering costs, covering all Americans, higher-quality care.’ And around those goals, there are lots of ways to get there,” Sebelius said.
While supporters from Obama’s left have advocated a government-run option, presidential aides and congressional leaders in both parties have sought a speedy compromise.
Leading that pack: the cooperative approach, similar to rural utilities that have government financial support but operate independently. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., who chairs the Budget Committee, has offered the co-op idea as a way to avoid a bruising and protracted political wrangle on Capitol Hill.
Conrad’s plan drew interest from moderate Republicans, and Obama’s team also sees such a compromise as an option.
But the answer for Republicans: Unacceptable.
"I think that ... a government plan is a nonstarter,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. "There are a whole lot of other things we can agree to do on a bipartisan basis.”
To reach that bipartisan solution, Democrats were likely to make concessions to find the $1 trillion the plan would cost over the next decade.
One way to get there would be to tax health benefits for families whose coverage costs $15,000 a year or more in premiums paid by employer and employee combined.
But Obama personally opposes the move, which is politically unpopular.
by the associated press
Cabinet officials and Obama allies on Sunday sought to rein in lawmakers, who were expected this week to introduce specific plans that run counter to Obama’s political promises. Many urged lawmakers to consider a cooperative program that would expand coverage to the 50 million uninsured Americans with taxpayer support without direct governmental control.
The concessions could be the smoothest way to deliver the bipartisan health care legislation the administration seeks by its self-imposed August deadline, officials said.
"There is no one-size-fits-all idea,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on ABC’s "This Week.”
"The president has said, ‘These are the kinds of goals I’m after: lowering costs, covering all Americans, higher-quality care.’ And around those goals, there are lots of ways to get there,” Sebelius said.
While supporters from Obama’s left have advocated a government-run option, presidential aides and congressional leaders in both parties have sought a speedy compromise.
Leading that pack: the cooperative approach, similar to rural utilities that have government financial support but operate independently. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., who chairs the Budget Committee, has offered the co-op idea as a way to avoid a bruising and protracted political wrangle on Capitol Hill.
Conrad’s plan drew interest from moderate Republicans, and Obama’s team also sees such a compromise as an option.
But the answer for Republicans: Unacceptable.
"I think that ... a government plan is a nonstarter,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. "There are a whole lot of other things we can agree to do on a bipartisan basis.”
To reach that bipartisan solution, Democrats were likely to make concessions to find the $1 trillion the plan would cost over the next decade.
One way to get there would be to tax health benefits for families whose coverage costs $15,000 a year or more in premiums paid by employer and employee combined.
But Obama personally opposes the move, which is politically unpopular.
by the associated press
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