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White House Health Care Bill Faces Delays

Posted on: Monday, 13 July 2009, 05:30 CDT

President Barack Obama's renovation of the US healthcare system will most likely not be finished by the White House's August deadline, lawmakers announced Sunday, as Congress focuses on other things.

Democrats and Republicans both said the administration's health care requests are going to Capitol Hill, but they will not hurry into a plan that could cost trillions of dollars in the next decade without more work. Obama's health and human services secretary remains positive that Congress will send the White House legislation to be signed by the end of 2009.

"I think everything is on the table and discussions are under way," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stated.

The White House's plan to halt the legislative back-and-forth to Congress has created unstable and sometimes clashing changes to the legislation. As the Senate focuses on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings, the attention will shift away from Obama's leading domestic priority.

The administration's Democratic partners in Congress implied that they would not release legislation before the August recess. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said, "there really is plenty of time."

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was firm that lawmakers will not overhaul the legislation before August.

The setback is a blow to the White Houses' electoral projections.

While the House and Senate are developing legislation that would act out on Obama's campaign goals, they are not in agreement.

Republicans have hailed the proposals as not well thought out and irresponsible. They see the subject as a road to get more of the GOP party into the House and Senate in the 2010.

"I think the bigger issue here is why are we going to increase spending and health care by $1 trillion, $2 trillion, $3 trillion?" said Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. "Most of which we can't afford, add that to the debt or add it the tax burden of the American people. Why don't we approach this horse from the other end?"

Gregg and others have said that the Democrats' idea of universal health care will result in rationing treatment and backlogs. Republicans have connected the plan to heavy spending.

"There is no chance that it's going to be done by August," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. "President Obama was right about one thing: He said if it's not done quickly, it won't be done at all. Why did he say that? Because the longer it hangs out there, the more the American people are skeptical, anxious and even in opposition to it."

Sebelius said for voters not to worry about plans to tax employer-provided health care benefits as revenue.

"Well, the House has a version," she said, noting that no version is final. "There are a couple of different proposals being worked on in the Senate."

Sebelius, Stabenow, Conrad and Gregg spoke on CNN's "State of the Union." Schumer was on NBC's "Meet the Press." Kyl spoke on ABC's "This Week."

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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