Axelrod, Grassley Spar Over Bipartisan Health Care

One of Barack Obama's chief advisers and one of the key Republicans in the Senate jousted on Sunday over what constitutes bipartisanship when it comes to health care legislation.

Appearing on ABC's "This Week," David Axelrod, the president's chief strategist, sought to allay criticism that the health care reform being pushed by the White House and Democrats on the Hill was being constructed without GOP support.

"The bill will be bipartisan by definition," said Axelrod. "The Senate health committee accepted 82 Republican amendments. Republican ideas will be included with this process, we hope it will come with Republican votes as well."

Host George Stephanopoulos followed the remark by noting: "That seems to be the new White House definition of bipartisanship." He appeared to be referencing the administration's approach to the stimulus package, which passed with no Republican support in the House but contained various GOP policy proposals.

"I don't think we should get consumed by process at a time when health care costs are -- you know they've doubled in this decade?" Axelrod responded. "Ultimately we'll bring the federal budget down. We have to act. We can't afford to get consumed in these types of Washington discussions."

That position was attacked in a latter segment on the same show when Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, scoffed at Axelrod's definition of bipartisanship.

"He said they put in 83 amendments," responded the Iowa Republican, missing the number Axelrod used by one. "Let me assure you, those were not changes in policy. Those were strictly technical. And Republicans are not going to hoodwinked into calling that a bipartisan bill."

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Comments

[DoTheMath]

OK, fine. Don't call it bipartisan. I don't care what the Grumpy Obstructionist Pouters call it as long as it provides effective, efficient health care for all Americans.

[Lorianne]

And which proposal being considered provides that?

[hauty007]

Where's the beef, oh we have the bun, we don't need the meat for REFORM.

Shove, eat, digest and implode.

Need a plan or yeah, that's not required, how silly of AMERICA.

[rigmoten]

Hoodwinked. Bamboozled. Run amuck.

[bigmacha]

I would just LOVE to see - once and for all - the dems just shove this down the republithugs collective maws so that they can choke on their own words.

Enough of this bi-partisanship bull pucky. The republithugs want war and BO shouldjust give them what they want - all as a prelude to a grand finale in 2010 - the ultimate demise of the party of the Grand Old Phools.

[natalie0nine]

Wow - what else do you imagine seeing in your little rainbow and unicorn world?

[Adartist777]

A chocolate river and a rock candy mountain. And multi colored water falls and singing elves and and flying ladies with wands and tiaras....

[RRG64]

I imagine an extinct republican party, coming soon to a state near you.

[bigmacha]

a world where hypocrisy is not a major party plank as it is with the party of shrub.

a world where denial is a river and not the operative policy of the republican party.

a world where an opposition party is first and foremost putting the interests of the country and we the people before the interests of the military-industrial complex.

a world where NO is not the only thing that comes out of the mouths of the opposition but maybe, just maybe, some intelligent propositions to help get us out of the mess that they presided over.

absent these objectives, I'm fed up enough to support rolling over them and putting them out of our misery.

as president bush said - you're either with us or against us!

the only intelligent thing he ever said, even though it was in the wrong context.

[lianmolive]

Oh and if the cons are against universal healthcare, do they believe we need to eliminate the VA?

[Lorianne]

Universal healthcare is not on the table.

[lianmolive]

I was always leary of bipartisan­ship... Dems and Cons have Fundamental differences that I'm not sure is reconcilable even with earnest effort.

Plus the Reps still haven't come up to the healthcare solution.

[kjstjohn]

Yes they have. Their solution is to let the slck, the we@k, and the poor d!e.

[RRG64]

the same as the last 40 year that I can recall.

[hauty007]

Should Health Care be pro choice or govt. choice?

[kjstjohn]

Right now, I have no choice insurance. I pay exorbitant rates to fat cats who will drop me the instant I become too sick to work. Nobody would ever choose such a ridiculous system except the socio path fat cats who are providing our insurance.

[BeasleysMom]

What are you talking about?

[kjstjohn]

Right now, I have no choice insurance. I pay exorbitant rates to fatc ats who will drop me the instant I become too slck to work. Nobody would ever choose such a ridic ulous system except the corporate soci o paths who are providing our insurance.

[jazzman]

Follow Jay Rockefeller and do what's moral and that means passing health care reform that has a public option. Forget the Republicans. They are against the people and for the corporations. They will never do the right thing or the moral thing.

Please remember, Obama, if your mother had had the health care reform being proposed by Baucus and Conrad, she still would have been haggling with those insurance companies and things would have been just as bad as they were then. Remember your mother when you pressure Congress. Make a bill that she would be proud of.

[ncmom54]

Yeah! Well said!

[flyribbon]

Good post. I hope President Obama takes your words to heart.

[warlover]

If over 70% of the Americans want public option than over 70% of the Americans will go with the public option leaving less than 30% on private insurance which will drive the price so high for private insurance that only the rich could afford it. ( the more people on the policy the cheaper the policy) The end result universal healthcare. Which is a good thing. Democrats know what their doing.

[theone718]

Shhhhhhhhh­.That's supposed to be a secret. It will benefit the country in the long run for sure.

[BeasleysMom]

It would have to be that way if they weren't paying $10-20 million a year to their executives. If they wanted to be competitive with a public plan, they could, but they are too greedy. They will close their doors before they will take less executive compensation.

[Lorianne]

What is the 'public option'?

[ErnestineBass]

Funny you should bring that up...NO ONE seems to have a definition.

Typical politician-speak.

[ObserverinVancouver]

The public option would probably be a pretty basic plan. In British Columbia, Medicare doesn't cover dental expenses, and other things like eye exams, physiotherapy, etc. are very limited. Also, if you stay in hospital, likely it would be in a four-bed ward. But many employers offer extended benefits (through Blue Cross or equivalent) that pay for services beyond what Medicare covers. So your insurance companies could still play a role even if the public option is overwhelmingly popular.

If you are wrinkling your nose at the sound of our plan, in British Columbia we pay (for two) roughly $200 (or less) per month and in most other provinces there are no premiums payable for Medicare coverage. Seeing a GP (of your choice) - covered. Seeing a specialist (after a wait and after referral by GP) - covered. Cost of surgery (but not nose jobs and the like) - covered. Cost of hospital stay - covered. Cost of post-surgery physiotherapy (e.g. after hip replacement) - covered. Peace of mind - covered.

[NoOneSpecial]

What you have is only dreamed about in this country.

What is covered is the perennial phrase -- "claim denied".

[LooktotheLeft]

Obstructionist e*xtremists such as Grassley and Mitch McConnell are working overtime to push the fear button calling any initiative to reform health care "socialist medicine" and we all know how little Americans know about socialism and, by virtue, how much they fear this boogeyman. Using words like "Denied, Delayed, Rationed" to describe government­-controlle­d healthcare, McConnell and his Republican contemporaries are trying to whip up fear so typically seen from his party. But as far as those three words are concerned in describiing government controlled healthcare, "Denied": never; "Delayed": possiblly.­..but it beats 58 million Americans having no healthcare at all; "Rationed": not likely but, again, beats no healthcare at all. Regardless of what people say, how healthcare is administered in European countries works. I watched my father-in-law in Spain receive the best, most modern healthcare for eight years after he was afflicted with encephalitis leading to lymphomic cancer until he died in 2007 at the age of '82. He spend the better part of his last eight years in and out of hospitals but he and his family never paid a cent. Mitch McConnell will fight to his last breath to keep America in the dark ages. And the dark is where we will remain until healthcare is fixed once and for all

[kjstjohn]

Hey! I write stories every week to entertain my granddaughters who spend every Saturday night with me. Guess who my new main character is? You are going to laugh.

[LooktotheLeft]

THAT WORTHLESS POOCH OF MINE?!?!?!

[VikingQuest]

"Rationed: not likely"

Pretty under any system you are going to have rationing.

[kjstjohn]

Expensive experimental treatments will almost certainly be rationed but that won't change the staus quo. The important thing is that we stop rationing preventive care to people who can't afford healthcare.

[ErnestineBass]

Apparently the definition of bi-partisanship has changed.

It now means getting the sorryassed DINOs to vote in favor of a plan that ensures health care for ALL Americans.

Mark my words...th­e Republican party isn't the only one in d.anger of extinction.

[amorvincitomnia]

It irks me that after 8 years of inflicting Barry Goldwater's delusional visons on our country and steering up to the brink of financial ruin, the Republican party has the nerve to whine about bipartisanship. Their lousy ideas got us in to this mess and the last thing we need right now more input from these criminals.

[freedomfighter1]

ThANK YoU!!!!!

[chazzman]

Whats wrong with Medicare? Prefect Medicare and use it as the basis for universal health care. At least we will have something. I have medicare because I am over 65 and my own private health provider. It is a PPO and I love it.

[VikingQuest]

Are you being serious right now? Medicare is an unsustainable program that pays out more than it takes in and has something like $35+ trillion in unfunded liabilities to keep it going.

David Walker interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS2fI2p9iVs


SS & Medicare Projections from the Comptroller General of USA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FSoXKapKQs

[ErnestineBass]

Quick! Quote me the total percentage of your gross salary that you and your employer put into Medicare.

[cjt1957]

Of course it is getting harder every day to find a Doctor that wil take medicare. No money in it for them....

[jonbw]

The only real problem with Medicare funding is it was set up when there were like 8 workers for every senior citizen. Now it is more like 3. It is baby boomers who had few kids not getting old that is the problem. If you just had a flat across the board 12% and put everyone on Medicare it would be fine.

[Samalabear]

Medicare for All is the Conyer's bill, Sanders has authored the Senate bill. It is single payer and it is the answer to the unsustainability of Medicare and Medicaid. This is what we need. Private insurance would be a supporting player, as it is in other countries.

The problem is Obama and Congress want insurance companies to remain the stars.

[Lorianne]

Neither the Conyers bill or the Sanders bill is being seriously considered

[Mugzi]

Medicare has an admin cost of 2-3%, so it is probably too low. Health insurance companies - for profit - have admin in 20-30% range. From what I gather, when Canada first had their universal care, it may not have been what it is today, but hopefully it will be start if the gop doesn't put a kibosh on it. They only want to fund wars...

[Lorianne]

No one is proposing a system like Medicare for all.

[mamacat]

The neo-con Republicans will work as hard as they can to prevent the Dems from accomplishing anything, and then they will go on Faux News and complain that the Dems aren't getting anything done. Thanks for nothing, Party of No.

[VikingQuest]

What are you talking about? The Dems have the votes to pass anything they want.

[FightTheLies]

That's what makes our parties different. Democrats don't vote lockstep like the Republicans do. We allow that freedom, while you chastise your party members for voting their own way. Steele already said he wanted to 'punish' those that voted for the stimulus.

[aintnogod]

It doesn't seem to matter whether Dems include Republican amendments or don't include Republican amendments, Republicans will vote against anything that doesn't increase the power of their plutocratic and religious fundamentalist base. Dems have bent over backward to bring Republicans into the process, but those Republicans still in office are so far to the right that one can't even reach them with a shout out.

[VikingQuest]

If you are at all financially responsible, what has been going on the last 12 months should be very scary and adding this should be scary as well considering what road we are headed down on SS & Medicare with $53+ trillion in unfunded debt.

[mamacat]

Your argument is, basically, that working to fix the terrible problems facing us will only make things worse. One might also argue the opposite, that not working to fix our problems will make them worse. Since we know that things are very bad, and getting worse, I am on the side argueing for proactively trying to make things better.

Everyone agrees that in the long run we must be very careful about debt and inflation. However, we are at this very moment in a period of deflation, and not stagflation nor inflation, and since unemployment rate in many parts of the country is already above 10%, using federal debt to try to fix our society and our economy seems to me to be our last and only option, other than to do nothing.

Well, actually, there is something worse than doing nothing. We could start another war by bombing Iran, and then we could reduce the tax rates on the richest corporations and individuals in the nation, which is what would likely have happened if we had elected Republicans.

[ErnestineBass]

Not unfunded..­.UNDERFUND­ED.

You want to crunch numbers...­bring it on.