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Obama gives GOP 6-week deadline to get on board with healthcare package
Healthcare Finance News ^ | 2-26-10 | Diana Manos

Posted on 02/26/2010 12:30:33 PM PST by truthandlife

At a White House healthcare summit held Thursday, President Barack Obama urged Republican congressional leaders to consider working on several areas of common interest in the healthcare reform package, giving them a rough 6-week deadline before Democrats may consider using alternative measures to pass the plan.

Obama named health insurance reform, the purchase of health insurance across state lines and medical liability reform among the top three areas where agreement could possibly be reached.

Republicans argued they wanted to scrap all proposals on the table and rework a set of smaller steps to reform healthcare.

For Democrats, starting over is not an option they said, because of the dire situation many Americans face.

According to Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), 14,000 Americans lose their healthcare daily, while six to eight Americans die per day because of no health insurance.

Democrats said healthcare reform is interconnected and cannot be tackled one step at a time. "We can't handle healthcare incrementally," Dodd said. "It has to be dealt with holistically. You can't get to quality and affordability, if you don't deal with coverage."

Much of the day's debate focused on coverage and whether or not it could be expanded without including more people in the insurance pool.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said, "If you don't bring more people in together, the only people who get a break are the people who are healthy. People who are sick pay more. Is that what we want in this country?"

Republicans at the summit backed a health reform plan proposed by House Minority Leader John Beohner of Ohio, which would expand healthcare to some 3 million uninsured Americans.

The Democrat House and Senate bills, passed last year, would extend coverage to 30 million.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the unspoken issue overriding the entire summit was the threat of Democrats using an alternative measure to pass a bill with a simple majority, rather than the 60 that would be normally required in the Senate.

The special mechanism, called "reconciliation," was never meant to be used for issues that involve 17 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, as healthcare does, McCain said.

President Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) would not guarantee that they would not use the method to pass a healthcare reform bill, when asked directly by several Republicans during the summit.

Obama said, "We cannot have another year-long debate about this."

"So the question that I'm going to ask myself and I ask of all of you is, is there enough serious effort that in a month's time or a few weeks' time or six weeks' time, we could actually resolve something," Obama said. "And if we can't, then I think we've got to go ahead and make some decisions and then that's what elections are for."

"We have honest disagreements about the vision for the country and we'll go ahead and test those out over the next several months till November," he said.


TOPICS: Extended News
KEYWORDS: 111th; 2muchgovernment; bhohealthcare; fubo; gophealthcare; healthcare; obama
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1 posted on 02/26/2010 12:30:34 PM PST by truthandlife
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To: truthandlife

This reminds me of Napoleon declaring peace for all of Europe after most of his army froze to death in Russia.


2 posted on 02/26/2010 12:51:59 PM PST by mainepatsfan
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To: truthandlife

I hope the GOP comes out and says something along the lines of “Six weeks or six years doesn’t matter, because it’s still a $hit sandwich. FOAD.”


3 posted on 02/26/2010 12:52:05 PM PST by snowrip (Liberal? YOU ARE A SOCIALIST WITH NO RATIONAL ARGUMENT.)
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To: truthandlife
Or what?


4 posted on 02/26/2010 12:52:57 PM PST by EricT. (Can we start hanging them yet?)
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To: truthandlife

Isn’t the shoe really on the other foot here? Obama is giving his party a six week reprieve from certain defeat. This should be entertaining if the Republicans can keep their nerve and I think they will.


5 posted on 02/26/2010 12:53:00 PM PST by Thebaddog (Shakey Jake said, " The hippies will never survive!")
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To: truthandlife

Correction-—I believe he means..he needs 6 weeks to try to save his face from his arrogant healthcare meeting he had.


6 posted on 02/26/2010 12:53:12 PM PST by blueyon (The U. S. Constitution - read it and weep)
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To: truthandlife

Horse’s head time?


7 posted on 02/26/2010 12:53:25 PM PST by truthkeeper ("Why oh why didn't I take the blue pill?")
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To: truthandlife
Or what?


8 posted on 02/26/2010 12:54:03 PM PST by EricT. (Can we start hanging them yet?)
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To: truthandlife

Obama blinked.


9 posted on 02/26/2010 12:54:07 PM PST by Leisler (What 'free market', where is it?)
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To: truthandlife

Horse’s head time?


10 posted on 02/26/2010 12:54:07 PM PST by truthkeeper ("Why oh why didn't I take the blue pill?")
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To: truthandlife

His deadlines are meaningless. What a joke he is. I’ll bet his kids hear, “I really mean it this time” more times than they can count.


11 posted on 02/26/2010 12:54:11 PM PST by jennyjenny
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To: truthandlife

Six weeks?! Maybe someone’s wife complained about the Christmas marathon - so now, they get Easter off?


12 posted on 02/26/2010 12:54:27 PM PST by RebelTXRose
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To: truthandlife
6-week deadline.

Translation: We'd go for Reconciliation today if we really had the votes. So we're gonna be twisting arms, offering sweet deals, blackmailing and whatever else we can to get the votes within that time.

13 posted on 02/26/2010 12:54:37 PM PST by maine-iac7 ("He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help" Lincoln)
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To: truthandlife

I’m confused, I thought they were going to “Rahm it through” on Monday?! Someone enlighten me please.


14 posted on 02/26/2010 12:54:49 PM PST by diamond6 (Expose Planned Parenthood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYaTywSDmls)
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To: truthandlife

SIX WEEK OR I’M GOING TO HUFF AND PUFF AND BLOW YOUR NOSE!


15 posted on 02/26/2010 12:54:53 PM PST by ncfool (The new USSA - United Socialst States of AmeriKa. Welcome to Obummers world.)
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To: truthandlife

hahahaha!

In other words, he doesn’t have the votes to ram it through next week.

LOL!

Best news I heard all week.


16 posted on 02/26/2010 12:55:08 PM PST by earlJam
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To: truthandlife
6-week deadline.

Translation: We'd go for Reconciliation today if we really had the votes. So we're gonna be twisting arms, offering sweet deals, blackmailing and whatever else we can to get the votes within that time.

17 posted on 02/26/2010 12:55:17 PM PST by maine-iac7 ("He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help" Lincoln)
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To: truthandlife

Or else?


18 posted on 02/26/2010 12:55:39 PM PST by b4its2late (A Liberal is a person who will give away everything he doesn't own.)
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To: truthandlife

Pffft... ObamaCare is dead. Call me when youget all your Democrats on board and then we’ll talk. We ain’t joining your little walk off the political cliff.

The more I thinkabout this the more I’m inclined to believe that Democrats are nothing more than blow-hard bullies with NOTHING to back up their constant efforts at intimidation.

Buzz off Obama-Reid-Pelosi.


19 posted on 02/26/2010 12:55:41 PM PST by Obadiah (Democrats and their life partners, the MSM)
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To: truthandlife
6 weeks means he hasn't got the votes.
20 posted on 02/26/2010 12:55:49 PM PST by boomop1
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