Posted on 02/08/2010 10:48:43 AM PST by La Lydia
Republicans say they have no idea yet who will be invited to join President Obama later this month to discuss health care reform but they have plenty of ideas if Obama is sincere about wanting to work together.
"When you learn about it in a press event you have the suspicion it's going to be nothing more than a press event," said Sage Eastman, communications director for Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., who wrote the Republican alternative to the Democratic bill.
"We're optimistic that this is a chance for the president to say to the American people that we've heard you. We're going to start over, we're going to scrap this bill and we're going to lower health care premiums for all Americans," Eastman told FoxNews.com...
Alexa Marrero, spokeswoman for Rep. John Kline of Minnesota, the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, one of the three committees with jurisdiction over health care, said Republicans are willing to come "with a blank piece of paper" to write a bill.
"You're not going to see Republicans coming in with a flat set of items without any room for discussion," Marrero said.
But one question emerging is whether Democrats would be willing to approach reform in a step-by-step fashion rather than in one large reform measure. Eastman said the first priority should be lowering premiums to enable more people to purchase health care. He added that Republicans will probably want Medicare expenses to be restored and tax increases for businesses removed from any proposals.
"You don't have to spend a trillion dollars to lower health care costs," he said.
Marrero said Republicans are nowhere near the 80-percent agreement that Democratic lawmakers kicked around last year to suggest the health care bill was close to bipartisan...
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
hes a gov, not in Congress.
Like I said , the lefties at FOX are peddling for Obama !
They want to start over.
So, there is nothing to discuss.
Rename, repackage, rewrite it a tad smaller, and sell another pig in a poke.
Tennessee has joined several other states in trying to pass a Health Care Freedom Act. NO COLAs for granny, retired Military or retired fed employees. BIG NEW fees for Tricare for Life retired over 65 Military's secondary health ins. (DOD bill already passed, delayed but goes into effect 2011)
New Dem mantra: Woof, woof eat dog food granny....ala let them eat cake.
Hey Republicans: Bring it on! We can vote your sorry butts out too!
Negotiate??? Have you repubs lost your senses? We WILL vote you out, too. Public “servants”...FEH! Pox on you all.
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