MORE THAN half the US population of 304 million planned to watch President Barack Obama’s speech before a joint session of Congress last night, the Pew Research Center reported. The high expected viewership translated both intense interest in the healthcare debate and the confusion that has enveloped it.
Mr Obama continued to work on his speech throughout the day, his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said. In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, Mr Obama promised that Americans “will have a lot of clarity about what I think is the best way to move forward” after his speech.
“Security” and “stability” have become the White House mantra on healthcare. Mr Gibbs told CNN the goal of last night’s speech was for all Americans to “know that this plan provides safety, security and stability to the millions of people who have health insurance. Secondly, for those that don’t have health insurance but need affordable coverage, he’ll lay out a plan so they can get that as well.” Right-wing talk show host Bill O’Reilly conveyed the hopes of Republicans when he said: “If Obama bombs, not only does healthcare die, Obama’s administration dies.”
The question of a government-provided or “public” option that would compete with private insurers dominated discussion right up until the president’s speech. Mr Gibbs used the example of his home state, Alabama, to explain what Mr Obama has in mind. One company – BlueCross BlueShield – controls 89 per cent of the insurance market there, he said. If a family or small business is turned down by BlueCross, they have nowhere to go; a public option would provide an alternative for them.
Mr Gibbs insisted the controversial public option would not affect “the vast majority of Americans,” up to 180 million people who receive insurance through their employers, nor those covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the Veterans’ Administration.
Republicans portray the public option as the first step in a government takeover of healthcare.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Harry Reid met with Mr Obama on Tuesday afternoon to discuss last night’s address. Ms Pelosi said she believed the House would not pass a Bill without a public option.
But Democratic senator Max Baucus, chairman of the powerful Senate finance committee, said yesterday that the Senate would not pass a Bill with a public option. Senator Baucus intends to release draft legislation next week, to be considered the following week by his half-Republican, half-Democrat “gang of six” panel.
No Republican voted for draft legislation that was passed in July by three House panels. Mr Baucus’’s “gang” provides the last hope of bipartisan support for healthcare reform, but omens are not good. The Baucus plan would cost $880 billion (compared to $1 trillion for other plans) and would raise revenue by taxing insurers, drug companies, clinical laboratories and medical device companies. He would make low-income families eligible for Medicaid, and impose fines on individuals and families who fail to buy coverage.
Mr Baucus continues to advocate non-profit, member-run co-operatives as an alternative to the public option, though the co-op solution has been largely discredited by analysts.