Health Care Reform Delayed: Congress Unlikely To Meet Obama's August Deadline

WASHINGTON — Top members of Congress say it's unlikely they will meet President Barack Obama's August deadline for a sweeping health care overhaul.

Lawmakers on Sunday said they will not rush on a health care overhaul that isn't even in final form yet.

The North Dakota senator in charge of the budget committee, Democrat Kent Conrad, says there's plenty of time for the overhaul while Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee says there's no rush.

Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan says Obama would be pleased with the progress toward overhaul, while budget committee ranking Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire says it's "highly unlikely" that legislation would reach Obama's desk before recess because bills are still being drafted.

The lawmakers appeared on CNN's "State of the Union."

Comments

[LiberalDemIda]

Hm. Looks like Congress is stalling for more time to convince the gullible American electorate to see health care reform as eveeeel.

That's what this is about people.

They made their promises, in blood, to their corporate masters to stop any and all reform, but the polls aren't showing they're getting their message through so they need more time.

[Antifascist-08]

This is what we are up against and these are the people who don't care about the American people.

[PlaceboStudman]

And the worst part of this, that no one is even considering, or at least willing to honestly and openly discuss (even after hundreds of attempts by me and a few others) is the fact that, the longer insurance reform takes to go through, the longer we put off the real reforms in actual medicine and technology that will save actual lives instead of just padding people's wallets as insurance reform does

[mrsgm]

Last year I fractured my knee cap while tubing on Lake Erie. The final bill total?
$17,983. Can you imagine if I didn't have insurance? I only ended up paying about $2,000 plus I am disputing a needless life flight from one hospital to the next. (The life flighted me and then I sat in a room for 45 mins waiting for a nurse or doctor to come and alleviate the pain of exposed bone) That dispute is $6,000. So, in total they want $8,000 from me. Thank God for my husband's UNION. They fought for great health care. Thank you president Obama for fighting for the rest. I only hope that your plan does not affect those who already have great insurance and are pleased with it. Clinton had a great health plan in the 90's that I used when I was 19. (Orphans don't get to be on family plans) It was wonderful to be able to see a doctor and to be able to afford it. Thank you Mrs. Clinton for pushing to try out the insurance plan in smaller states such as Washington.

[timberdoodle]

Your story sounds great but I rolled an ATV on myself and broke my knee and had to have a piece of bone taken out of my hip and molded into my kneecap. This didn't cost me a cent for the hospital stay for either of the 2 operations I underwent.

This happened in Canada and that is why there wasn't any charge at all. Having said this Canada only ranks 30th on health care world wide and the U.S. 37th or 39th. This just goes to show everyone if your government takes just some of the best benefits from around the world you could have the best health care in the world.

[Pigeon2]

timberdoodle.....it cost someone....the question is who?

[DrHuffington]

Last year I bought my wife an Acura TL. The final bill total? $32,000+. Can you imagine if I didn't have the money? They would have charged me 6.25% interest.

It's called RESPONSIBILITY. Put your priorities in order and stop expecting everyone else to pay for you.

[timberdoodle]

Can you imagine if you or someone in your family has a serious and lasting illness and they get denied coverage you will be selling your wife's car and everything else just to avoid bankruptcy.

[Pigeon2]

DrHuffington Ditto!

[GrantedBKNY]

The corporate pay masters have snapped the leash and brought "our" government to heal.

[mcmutter]

The insurance industry must be sqirming like a pail of worms.

[DrJohnS]

Greedy price-gouging doctors too.

[Viper]

60% of Physisians support single payer healthcare...

The average physician makes less than the average stock broker... but only one requires just a Highschool degree.

Regards

[VivaGelato]

Why don't we take away Congress's health care until they come up with reform for the American people? I think it's time the congress learns what 45 million +Americans go through on a regular basis. Have a toothache? Put down $500 or more to see a dentist. Since dental care is part of health care, that will need to be included in the package that passes congress.

Health care reform will go through this year, or another 50 years will go by before we fix our broken system.

[LemonMeringue]

I have one request of Obama and anyone in a position to speak out on health care reform.

Please tell people what socialized medicine is. Nobody seems to know.

Single payer health care is NOT socialized medicine. There is nothing but misinformation coming from the people who want your children to stay sick.

Why doesn't MoveOn or some other group mount an ad campaign featuring people from countries where health care works? Canada, France...

[FogBelter]

They are stalling because there is too much focus on it right now ... they are waiting out advocates of a Public or Single Payer option until they are distracted and then will present a proposal that takes Taxpayer money and gifts it to the Insurance, Health Care, and Pharmaceutical company investors in return for an inferior Health Care product for the American people.

Are we going to let them get away with that?

[MNinWI]

No we are not!

[Samalabear]

Absolutely not. Let's see this delay as a good thing and fight harder and louder. There is a single-payer rally on July 30th in DC to celebrate Medicare's birthday. I'm kind of glad the bill is not ready to be handed in on the 31st.

[skyeapril]

The quotes are just precious. "Plenty of time," "no rush." Yep, there is no reason for our representatives to exert themselves in getting healthcare reform actually ready to vote on because Congress HAS insurance, top of the line insurance, in fact.

If they delay long enough they think we will lose focus and then they can give the medical industrial complex what they want -- lots of our money with negligible health coverage.

The Senate, in particular, is totally out of touch with what the American people want, and worse yet they just don't care. They forget we pay for their salary AND their health care. They have single payer, but we peons will have to make do with less because single-payer is off the table (right Max Baucus?).

[iedit]

This is not good. When the behind-the-scenes interests (insurance company lobbyists) can't get what they want, they delay in the hopes that the public will lose interest and their lobbying efforts will prevail. We need to keep the pressure on Congress.

[Deruist]

Delaying is how they were able to defeat Hillary's health care reform. Let's not see history repeat itself. I want to pick my plan in November to begin January 2010!

[alienufo]

this article should be renamed.

"Republicans say health care should be delayed"

They are irrelevant.

[Pigeon2]

alienufo...You do not need a single Republican vote for...anything...

[MNinWI]

So Insurance & big Pharma have won another round to keep America from getting a health care system that will work for them & not just for the corporations. Great job, you b*st*rds. Our political whores have decided that what's important is wall street & the rich just keep on getting richer while people suffer needlessly & die from curable illnesses. Stand up, America for your right to a health care system like all the other major countries have. We have been scammed for 30 years-time for it to end. Watch Bill Moyers interview: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html

[debrief]

Moyers called them out, including Baucus.

[Drdemocrat]

The title should be that the Republicans said that they won't meet the August deadline but the Democrats said yes.

[didntvote4thedude]

Last time I checked, you don't need republicans to get a bill passed.

[Drdemocrat]

Not this health care reform bill. It can be passed by reconciliation which is 51 votes thus NO Republican votes only Democratic votes which is 50 Democratic Senators (plus Biden to make the 51st vote).

[Antifascist-08]

But you do need all the Democrats, some of whom are not really democrats at all.

[barackobama4prez]

I didn't really expect this to be done by August.

[LemonMeringue]

Get it right.

Pushing through a watered down compromise will not help.

Single payer health care is the only solution the country can afford.

[JohnUllmann]

Health reform is the second stimulus. If it's done right, Wall Street will soar! A truly robust public option as market competitor will offer employers the ability to cancel their employees' health insurance plans and convert them to the public option - opening up job opportunities unseen since the fifties. That will be stimulus we can believe in!

[LemonMeringue]

So true and the benefits will keep coming.

Education will improve because healthy kids can learn.
Unemployment will go down because healthy people can work.
Entrepreneurship will flourish because people will have more choices if their health care is not tied to employment.

I have wondered why business is not pushing for health care reform, since they have to pay so much for insurance benefits. I think it is because employer-based insurance enslaves us to them.

[MNinWI]

The only solution. Insurance OUT!! Single payer, universal coverage IN!