Federal Healthcare Reform: What it Means and Where it is Going

Healthcare reform; this term has been tossed around habitually since the start of the 111th congress. In February the “SCHIP” Bill was signed into law, starting off President Obama’s reign and healthcare reform campaign with a bang. As the excitement and confusion surrounding the Economic Recovery Plan settles down, conversation has turned back to healthcare and many are wondering: what comes next? According to the Obama team this is only the beginning for the important healthcare policy development to come. The drafting of bills concerning universal coverage, Medicaid changes, and a number of other “reform” efforts is already being organized.

On April 20, 2009 Max Baucus, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Ted Kennedy, chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, outlined in a letter to President Obama a timeframe for health reform. They went on to put forward a strategy for overcoming the inner-Party battles that have occurred when significant healthcare reform was attempted in the past. This “turf warfare” has proven to be a great obstacle in past administrations. Without cooperation from Party leaders in the House, Senate and relevant Committees, it is nearly impossible to solidly plan for effective policy capable of being passed into law.
In their letter to the President, Baucus and Kennedy address their plan to tackle this potential threat to reform:

Since our committees share jurisdiction over health care reform legislation in the Senate, we have jointly laid out an aggressive schedule to accomplish our goal. Both committees plan to mark-up legislation in early June. Our intention is for that legislation to be very similar, and to reflect a shared approach to reform, so that the measures that our two committees report can be quickly merged into a single bill for consideration on the Senate floor.

To many, the fight for healthcare reform has been a particularly partisan one. Some feel the Democratic Party currently has an advantage over the Republican Party, is more organized in planning healthcare reform and have come out on top in policy development. President Obama has a powerful base of supporters for his reform. The House speaker, the Senate majority leader and the committee chairmen have agreed to work together, minimizing the turf wars that doomed former President Bill Clinton’s effort in the 1990s.

‘“I thought we would have been much farther along than we are,” said Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), a physician who started the Health Care Caucus this year and wrote a 29-page “primer” for his colleagues. “Senator [John] McCain, for all his faults, had a program a year ago. People became pretty comfortable with McCain carrying the load on that and when he wasn’t successful in November, it left a big void.”’

But the Republican Party is strategizing, and a number of leaders within the Party have already begun work on a draft for a healthcare reform bill more fitting for their priorities.

For more information on federal healthcare policy, DC political trends, and how these actions specifically affect the greater Dallas region, join us at our May 26 Healthcare Hot Topics breakfast, “From D.C. to DFW: How Healthcare Policy is Changing and What it Means for Our Region”. United States Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX, 32nd district) will be giving a program on his involvement and insight into the most current and pressing healthcare policy. There will also be time for questions from the audience concerning applicability to the Dallas area and Dallas businesses.

According to his website, http://sessions.house.gov, Representative Sessions has been a strong advocate for healthcare since his election to Congress in 1996.

Congressman Sessions believes that the federal government must strengthen the market-based health insurance market by addressing the regulatory and tax obstacles that stand in the way of a more efficient and cheaper health insurance market. His health care plan consists of a system in which all Americans are provided with the same tax benefits, access to many more insurance plans than they have now, and special assistance for those who are not able to obtain insurance either due to their conditions or income levels.

Congressman Sessions wants Texas to lead the way in helping individuals that may not otherwise be able to find personal health insurance. Health insurance is and will always remain a primary concern for Congressman Sessions and he will continue to keep health insurance at the forefront of his priorities.

For more information on our May 26 Healthcare Hot Topics breakfast featuring Congressman Pete Sessions please visit our website, dallasregionalchamber.org/healthcare.