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Obama Calls for Urgency in Passing Health-Care Bill

By HENRY J. PULIZZI
Reuters
President Obama delivers a statement on health-care reform on the South Drive of the White House.
WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama pressed lawmakers to send him a health-care bill before the end of the year, saying overhaul is needed to bolster the federal budget and make care more affordable for consumers and businesses.

“We’ve got to get it done this year, we’ve got to get it done this year both in the House and the Senate,” Mr. Obama said in remarks after an Oval Office meeting with Democrats from the House of Representatives. “We don’t have any excuses, the stars are aligned.”

The president, however, didn’t discuss the specifics of what he would like to see emerge from Congress, or how it should be funded. But he repeated that any overhaul should address three principles: It should bring down costs, allow people to choose their own doctor and health care plan, and give all Americans quality, affordable care.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said health-care legislation would be on the floor of the House by the end of July, ahead of the long August recess. “That’s the kind of urgency and determination that we need to achieve what I believe will be historic legislation,” Mr. Obama said of the timeline.

Health-Care Reform Bill Promised by August
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At a White House briefing on Wednesday, President Barack Obama says House Democrats have agreed to pass a health-care reform bill by the end of July. Video courtesy of Fox News.
Mr. Obama pointed to Tuesday’s report showing that the Medicare fund for hospital care will be depleted in 2017 as evidence that overhaul is needed for the sake of the federal budget. He also repeated concerns about businesses dropping health care in the face of rising costs.

“Our health-care system is broken. It’s unsustainable for families, for businesses. It is unsustainable for the federal government and state governments,” he said.

Earlier this week, Mr. Obama secured a pledge from a coalition of insurers, doctors, hospitals, drug companies and labor unions to cut the rate of growth of health-care spending by 1.5% a year. He said that pact reflects a shift away from the political bickering and lobbying that has derailed past efforts to revamp health care.

“We’re seeing now that traditional opponents of health-care reform are embracing these ideas,” he said. “They recognize that the time is now.”

Mr. Obama was joined on the South Lawn of the White House by Speaker Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D., Md.), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Charlie Rangel (D., N.Y.), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman (D., Calif.) and House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Rep. George Miller (D., Calif.).

Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, who leads the House Republican Health Care Solutions Group, expressed disappointment that GOP lawmakers weren’t included in Wednesday’s session at the White House.

“We find private, one-party meetings that set arbitrary deadlines a sign of a troubling lack of bipartisanship,” Mr. Blunt said in a statement.

On a separate note, Mr. Obama praised House Democrats for reaching a deal on climate-change legislation. The bill, which Democrats hope to pass out of a key committee this week, would require emissions to be reduced 17% by 2020.

“This is a major step forward in building the kind of clean-energy economy that will reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil,” Mr. Obama said. “I once again call on Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution, which will then drive…the kind of innovation and dynamic new clean-energy economy that can create jobs and new businesses all across America.”

Write to Henry J. Pulizzi at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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