Health Reform in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Committee on Ways and Means Committee on Education and Labor

Fact of the Day Because of health insurance reform legislation, 32,000,000 Americans will gain health coverage. That’s a little more than the populations of Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, and Arizona combined.

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Health Resources Majority Leader Clearinghouse HealthReform.gov MedPAC Alliance for Health Reform National Health Policy Forum Kaiser Family Foundation Families USA Commonwealth Fund Robert Wood Johnson Foundation RAND Health Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Partnership for Prevention Trust for America's Health Synthesis Project

At the Time This Daily Dose Was Sent, Insured Americans Had Paid a “Hidden Tax” of $52,476,418,787 since January 1, 2009 in Additional Premium Costs to Cover Care for the Uninsured.

Under the Microscope

MOMENTUM CONTINUES TO BUILD FOR REFORM

Today the President spoke to a “boisterous” crowd at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia about the need for common sense health insurance reform and about how reform would benefit American families and businesses.  He is coming to meet with the entire House Democratic Caucus tomorrow afternoon to talk about health insurance reform.

Watch the video of the President’s speech today in Virginia or read the transcript of his remarks.

ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT FOR BILL CONTINUES TO COME IN

Thus far the Democratic health insurance reform legislation has received support from over 250 organizations representing millions of Americans, including AARP, the American Medical Association, Catholic Health Association, Federation of American Hospitals, National Association of Public Hospitals & Health Systems, American Cancer Society, and Consumers Union.  For more information and fact sheets on health insurance reform, check the House Majority Leader’s health insurance reform clearinghouse.

TODAY’S HEALTH REFORM NUMBER:  32,000,000

32,000,000 more Americans will have access to health coverage as a result of health insurance reform legislation. That means that 95 percent of Americans will have health coverage by 2016.  That’s a little more than the populations of Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, and Arizona combined.  To find out more about what health insurance reform means for American families and businesses and to watch a video about why we can’t wait for reform, click here.

Every idea has been put on the table. Every argument has been made.  Everything there is to say about health reform has been said.  Let’s get it done.  Follow the health reform daily numbers on WhiteHouse.gov and on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn.

Health Care Headlines

Democrats Say Health Bill Will Pay for Itself in the Long Run
House Democrats initiated a 72-hour countdown Thursday on their yearlong effort to overhaul the health care system, unveiling a nearly final version of the legislation that promptly won additional support with a promise that the bill would more than pay for itself over the next decade. [New York Times, 3/19/2010]

Fine-Tuning Led to Health Bill’s $940 Billion Price Tag
Love it or hate it, one thing that is indisputable about the Democrats’ big health care legislation is that the cost figures are going to come out right where President Obama said he wanted them.
[New York Times, 3/19/2010]

Budget Report Gives Healthcare Bill A Boost
Buoyed by estimates that their healthcare overhaul would cut the deficit by $138 billion over the next decade, congressional Democrats unveiled their final blueprint Thursday to extend insurance coverage to an additional 32 million Americans, setting the stage for a dramatic House vote Sunday. [L.A. Times, 3/19/2010]

Obama to Dems: Our Fates Are Tied to Health Bill
In seeking enough votes to overhaul the nation's health care system, President Barack Obama is telling nervous Democratic lawmakers that their political fates are linked to the bill's passage, discouraging the notion that they can save themselves by opposing it, House members say. [Associated Press, 3/19/2010]

Senators Prep to Take Baton on Healthcare
Senators are looking ahead to a battle next week over budget rules in the expectation that healthcare reform will pass the House this weekend. [The Hill, 3/18/2010]

Healthcare Reform, Objectively
What would pending legislation mean for Americans? Here are some answers. [L.A. Times, 3/19/2010]

EDITORIAL: On the Verge of Reform
The best chance in decades of fixing this country’s broken health care system has now come down to whether the House’s Democratic majority will approve the already strong Senate version of the bill — with a promise of some changes. [New York Times, 3/19/2010]

EDITORIAL: Health Reform Is a Risk Worth Taking
Every piece of legislation is in some sense a wager: that it will accomplish what is intended; that its costs will be as anticipated; that the promised funding will materialize; that, however imperfect, it represents an improvement on the status quo. [Washington Post, 3/19/2010]

OPINION: Real reform takes sacrifice
By Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)
I have walked the byways of Capitol Hill a long time. I have witnessed the bitter harvest of dug-in heels and rigid positions. [The Hill, 3/18/2010]

OPINION: As Passage of Health Reform Nears, A Historic Chance to Help Fix Washington, Too
By Steven Pearlstein
It's shaping up to be a great weekend here in Washington. I'm not just talking about the spectacular weather or another upset-filled NCAA basketball tournament. I'm talking about the prospect of a quasi-climactic vote in the House that would finally have the United States join the rest of the industrialized world in offering health insurance to all its citizens. [Washington Post, 3/19/2010]

OPINION: Why We Reform
By Paul Krugman
One way or another, the fate of health care reform is going to be decided in the next few days. If House Democratic leaders find 216 votes, reform will almost immediately become the law of the land.
[New York Times, 3/19/2010]

OPINION: Patient’s Plea Makes The Best Case For Health Care Reform
By Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
If you want to understand why we need to reform our health insurance system, you need to know about Americans like Natoma Canfield. [Yahoo News, 3/17/2010]

OPINION: Democrats: Vote Your Conscience On Health Care
By Marjorie Margolies, former House Member (1992-1994)
Dear wavering House Democrats, I feel your pain. Eighteen years ago, I was elected on the coattails of a popular young Democratic president who promised a post-partisan Washington. [Washington Post, 3/18/2010]

COMMENTARY: Responsible and Paid For
By Peter R. Orszag, Director, White House Office of Management and Budget
Today’s Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate of health insurance reform legislation reaffirms what we have said for the past year: that fiscally responsible health insurance reform is not only possible, but also is an important step toward long-term fiscal sustainability. [OMB Blog, 3/18/2010]