Obama To Visit Capitol Hill To Persuade House Dems On Health Care

freddie mertz

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Thu Jan-14-10 09:59 AM
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Obama To Visit Capitol Hill To Persuade House Dems On Health Care

Edited on Thu Jan-14-10 10:12 AM by freddie mertz

Obama To Visit Capitol Hill To Persuade House Dems On Health Care
RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR | 01/14/10 09:33 AM |

WASHINGTON — Striving to close the deal on health care, President Barack Obama planned a trip to Capitol Hill on Thursday to urge rank-and-file House Democrats to yield on key issues still standing in the way. Democratic bargainers were considering raising more money from drug makers and other provider groups to help pay for care.

Obama's late afternoon visit comes amid intense White House negotiations with Democratic leaders aimed at settling core differences between the House and Senate that must be resolved before the sweeping overhaul legislation can pass.
Wednesday's unusually long meeting at the White House – it began at midmorning and ended after sunset – underscored the urgency they and Obama feel about completing legislation on which they have staked so much.

(snip)

The White House said the leaders covered all aspects of the legislation but released no details about where progress had been achieved or when the laborious process would end.

"We're getting close," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said late Wednesday.

Hoyer and others said Wednesday's talks ranged over numerous areas of disagreement. A key point was Obama's demand for a tax on high-cost insurance plans, a proposal designed to slow the rise in health care costs. Several union leaders were also at the White House during the day, although it was not clear whether they met with lawmakers.

(snip)

Union officials familiar with the negotiations said the White House would like a deal on the high-cost insurance plan tax by Friday. Options being considered to lessen the impact on union members included raising the threshold at which the tax would be levied – it's $23,000 for family plans in the Senate-passed bill – and exempting collective bargaining agreements negotiated before 2013 from the tax.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/14/obama-to-visit-capitol-hi_n_422996.html

But, but, wait!...I thought Obama didn't have any influence in Congress, and just had to sit on his hands while the public option was discarded, along with the Medicare buy-in. He couldn't lift a finger when it came to Lieberman and Nelson's obstructions. Just wasn't in his power.

But NOW we find that he can actually get into a car, go to the Capitol, and personally assemble with House members to twist arms to get the bill he wants.

I guess he would rather apply pressure to the progressive Democrats in the House, who passed something much closer to what he claimed he wanted, but had to sit by silently while the conservative Dems in the Senate threw hissy fits to get whatever they wanted cut or added to the bill. Maybe it's time he came out and told the American people exactly what he wanted in this bill.

Maybe he should put this meeting up on C-Span, so we can watch the negotiations for ourselves and see who is asking for what.

Nevermind.