Pollack on passing health care reform, cont'd

Pollack follows up his open letter to congressional Democrats with this post:

If the House and Senate bills are abandoned, we may (eventually) win Medicaid expansions for people who need help, expanded tax credits for people who cannot afford coverage, and other measures to cover the uninsured. We may even see more stringent regulation of health underwriting and other toxic practices in the insurance industry.

We will not soon see serious delivery reforms or cost-control measures. Whether the issue is high-cost insurance plans, bundled payments, comparative effectiveness research, overpayments to medical device makers, drug companies, specialists, and Medicare Advantage plans, there will be very limited political will to match what is in the current bills.

We will not be able to get these things because we will fracture the political coalition required to enact these painful measures, because the operative lesson of last summer will be that death panel demagoguery trumps real policy argument, and because there are fewer policy levers and fewer political incentives to address these difficulties outside a comprehensive bill.

Last Friday, I and others pled with anxious House members to step up in passing comprehensive reform. Senators: Now I am pleading with you.

President Obama: Now is the time for you to step up, too. Some in your administration are starting to send good signals. Others remain unduly tentative. Fight for this thing as if your legacy is on the line--because it is. I believe you have about 48 hours to fix this up. [emphasis is mine]

In its entirety. Not sure I agree 100% here, but close enough. PTFB.

Breaking down the health care breakdown

Although health care reform is not dead,* there is clear panic in the Democratic ranks, crowing in Republican circles, and annoyance at politics as usual from enlightened independents.

Over at The Hill, Jeffrey Young provides an excellent, concise breakdown of the 10 reasons why health care reform is a toxic political asset for the Democrats. He cites poor leadership (Obama), stonewalling (GOP), poor messaging (Dems), extrinsic factors (the economy, stupid), distasteful backroom deals (the so-called Cornhusker Kickback and Louisiana Purchase) and general Democratic soilage on timing, legislation, and politics.

*I would add a big, fat #11: political will (cojones). Growing a pair is the only way for the Dems to salvage HCR.

What year is this?

Gather Weekly: unemployment, piracy stocks, health care

This week's Gather articles (12/1-12/5):

Health care reform

• Senate Dems seek to limit tax deduction on compensation for health insurance executives
• Politics, Lumbergh style: Senate will vote on health care bill amendments this weekend
• Glimmer of bipartisanship: several Dems join GOP in health care bill amendment
• But what about the death panels? AARP backs Dems' health care bill

Web

• Mashable's Pete Cashmore on 10 Web trends to watch in 2010
• Explosive growth of social networks: infographic

Sports

• The Importance of the World Cup 2010 Draw: Preview and Breakdown

Economy

• Is the tide turning for unemployment? Initial jobless claims fell to one-year low last week
• The new green economy: marijuana market booming in Humboldt County, CA
• The 10.2% solution: Obama hosts jobs summit today at White House to address unemployment

Politics & legislation

• Duct tape legislation: House bill will fix deadline glitch in unemployment benefits extension bill
  
• Gay marriage bill defeated in New York state Senate
• Capitol Hill's taxing agenda: Congress ponders tax legislation to end 2009
• Democratic leaders advocate additional unemployment benefits extension
• House to extend unemployment benefits, estate tax break before Xmas; jobs bill delayed until 2010

International

• Somali pirate "stock exchange" lets investors fund, profit from piracy

Books

• Christmas gift ideas: NYT Book Review's 10 Best Books of 2009

Pithy Commentary

The best line about the Tea Party march on Washington that I've read thus far comes from Nate:

Kibbe wasn't "in error", as Malkin gently puts it. He lied. He did the equivalent of telling people that his penis is 53 inches long.

Simply phallacious.

President Obama's Health Care Speech

My recap and some thoughts on Obama's speech:

"Last night President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on the issue of health care reform. But he wasn't speaking mainly to Congress; he was . . ." [read the full post here.]

Changing the Conversation

President Obama is planning to make a speech to a joint session of Congress next Wed, September 9th. Thus far the effort at health care reform has suffered from a failure of leadership from the Oval Office, and the open dialogue about this complex issue that I had so naively hoped for has devolved into the typical polarization of American politics, with disinformation, confusion, outrageous claims, and dangerous hyperbole taking the place of intelligent, reasonable discussion.

Obama was hands off at the beginning of this process, putting the legislative onus on Congress. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that strategy has failed miserably. Echoing Nate's thoughts on the matter, I agree that Obama needs to deliver a major address to the nation to firmly establish what his administration stands for, dispelling incorrect notions and actually sell a plan to the American people, which certainly hasn't happened over the last few months.

I look forward to having POTUS take the helm again. It remains to be seen whether he can steer us out of this storm.

Money Is the Root

Articles like this depress me given the importance of pending historic legislation.

There has to be a better way.