The White House Bipartisan Healtcare Meeting | An Independent Voters View

As a community Service I have accepted the invitation from the White House to share the live Video Feed of the Bipartisan Healthcare Reform Meeting on my Blog Hammerjammer U.com. It will begin at 10:00 Am EST on 25 February 2010. I also included the link to the White House site that outlines the basic proposal and I encourage you to spend the time to review The White House proposals and the Republican proposals as there are links included on the White house site as well.. I will post comments after the meeting, I encourage you to submit yours here or at my Blog as well. Thanks

Initial Commentary Pre Meeting-

My initial thoughts on this meeting are mixed, and even more so after reading the White House Proposals. While it does include the idea of insurance exchanges like the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan, it does not include a national exchange or portability. There is not enough detail for the Congressional Budget Office to score it yet, (as of Tues 23 Feb).

It also still includes the insurance mandate, and proposes to close the Medicare Prescription Drug doughnut hole, without mentioning the costs to do so, or where the money will come from. Initial estimates I have read or heard so far indicate that it will add over 150 Billion to the costs initially and may as much as double them over a ten year period; taking it from 1 Trillion dollars as proposes to over 2 Trillion within 10 years.

Some of the initiatives are easily agreed upon and do really provide a place to start, such as no exclusions for pre-existing conditions, and medical record technology improvements. But there is only minor lip service played to Malpractice Litigation reform.

So my conclusions at this point are that I think the Republicans may still have much to contribute if in fact this meeting is meant to be truly bipartisan. If instead it is meant to be a stall and/or a set up as some seem to think, than I think it will become transparent during the course of the meeting. There is plenty of room for improvement and with the OMB and CBO in attendance the truth of the matters may come to the fore. It is up to us to watch this unfold and let our reps know what we think, use the tools below and continue to make our democracy work!

Bipartisan Health Reform Meeting

The Invitees are included below the invitation also asked each of the four Congressional Leaders to bring four additional members of expertise or interest.

Bipartisan Health Reform Meeting

Blair House

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Members of Congress Invitation List:

Senator Harry Reid, D-NV, Majority Leader

Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY, Republican Leader

Senator Richard Durbin, D-IL, Majority Whip

Senator Jon Kyl, R-AZ, Republican Whip

Senator Max Baucus, D-MT, Chairman of the Finance Committee

Senator Chuck Grassley, R-IA, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee

Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

Senator Mike Enzi, R-WY, Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

Senator Christopher Dodd, D-CT, Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA

Representative Steny Hoyer, D-MD, Majority Leader

Representative John Boehner, R-OH, Republican Leader

Representative James Clyburn, D-SC, Majority Whip

Representative Eric Cantor, R-VA, Republican Whip

Representative Charles Rangel, D-NY, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee

Representative Dave Camp, R-MI, Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee

Representative Henry Waxman, D-CA, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee

Representative Joe Barton, R-TX, Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee

Representative George Miller, D-CA, Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee

Representative John Kline, R-MN, Ranking Member of the Education and Labor Committee

Representative John Dingell, D-MI, Chair Emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee