Obama at the Health Care Summit: Now Is The Time

Posted by: Jane Sasseen on March 05

From our colleague Cathy Arnst:

President Obama put a very large stake in the ground today on health care reform when he convened a four hour meeting at the White House, attended by some 150 business leaders, politicians, medical professionals and policy experts on all sides of the issue. Separating into five breakout sessions, the participants all embraced the Kumbaya spirit of the day, with mini-speeches about how eager they are to work together toward reform. There were no strident criticisms or disavowals, not by Republican lawmakers, not even by the insurers present who will take a big hit in Obama’s proposed budget.

The attendees focused as much, if not more, on cost cutting as on covering the uninsured. In a session chaired by National Economics Council head Larry Summers, most of the discussion focused on the importance of tackling costs, with explicit calls from participants for changing the way doctors and hospitals are paid and even placing limits on how much and what kind of care patients can get. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), chairman of the health subcommittee of the Senate finance committee, echoed the sentiments of many attendees when he said “We can’t all have everything we want when we want it. And it’s going to hurt everybody’s feelings. But I don’t see any other way.”

Thomas Donahue, CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, expressed optimism that the health care legislation will finally happen, noting that times have changed considerably from 15 years ago, when the Clinton Administration tried and failed to enact ambitious health care reforms. “We know where everyone stood then,” said Donahue. “But they don’t stand there anymore. We’re going to play in this deal, we’re going to get some kind of agreement here, whether it’s two-thirds of what everybody wants or three quarters of what everybody wants or who knows. If you don’t get in this game then you’re on the menu.”

President Obama wrapped up the meeting by pledging to continue working with all the stakeholders on health reform. But he also issued a strong warning to critics who say the nation cannot afford an ambitious reform effort during the economic crisis:

"There's been some talk about the notion that maybe we're taking on too much; that we're in the midst of an economic crisis and that the system is overloaded, and so we should put this off for another day," he said. "Well, let's just be clear. When times were good, we didn't get it done. When we had mild recessions, we didn't get it done. When we were in peacetime, we did not get it done. When we were at war, we did not get it done."

"There is always a reason not to do it. And it strikes me that now is exactly the time for us to deal with this problem. The American people are looking for solutions. Business is looking for solutions. And government -- state, federal, and local -- needs solutions to this problem. So for all of you who've been elected to office or those of you who are heading up major associations, I would just say, what better time than now and what better cause for us to take up?"