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CCH® BENEFITS — 02/22/10

Cost, Coverage, Insurance Reforms Lead Agenda For February 25 Health Reform Meeting

from Spencer’s Benefits Reports: In a letter addressed to the four top congressional leaders, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius outlined the format of the scheduled February 25 health care reform meeting requested by President Barack Obama.

The meeting, to be held at Blair House, in Washington, D.C., will begin at 10 a.m and will be televised live in its entirety. Almost 50 members of Congress and the Administration are invited.

According to the letter, Mr. Obama will provide opening remarks, followed by remarks by a Republican and a Democratic leader. This will be followed by a discussion, moderated by Mr. Obama, on four topics in health reform legislation:

• insurance reforms—“Does it provide adequate protection against abuses by the insurance industry?”
• cost containment—“Does it bring down costs for all Americans as well as for the federal government, which spends a huge amount on health care?”
• expanding coverage—“Does it make coverage affordable and available to the tens of millions of working Americans who don’t have it right now?” and
• the impact health reform legislation would have on deficit reduction—“Does it help us get on a path of fiscal sustainability?”

The letter also notes that the Democrats will post online the text of “a proposed health insurance reform package” before the meeting that will “put a stop to insurance company abuses, extend coverage to millions of Americans, get control of skyrocketing premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and reduce the deficit.”

Mr. Emanuel and Ms. Sebelius write that “it is the President’s hope that the Republican congressional leadership will also put forward their own comprehensive bill to achieve those goals and make it available online as well.”

Invited to the February 25 meeting are the following:

• Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (Cal.), one staff member specializing in health policy, and four additional Democratic representatives;
• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), one staff member specializing in health policy, and four additional Democratic senators;
• Republican House Leader John Boehner (Ohio), one staff member specializing in health policy, and four additional Republican representatives; and
• Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (Ken.), one staff member specializing in health policy, and four additional Republican senators.

Other senators invited:

• Richard Durbin, (Ill.), Majority Whip
• Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Republican Whip
• Max Baucus (Mont.), chairman of the Finance Committee
• Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Ranking Member of the Finance Committee
• Tom Harkin (Iowa), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
• Mike Enzi (Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
• Christopher Dodd (Conn.), Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

Other representatives invited:

• Steny Hoyer (Md.), Majority Leader
• James Clyburn (S.C.), Majority Whip
• Eric Cantor (Va.), Republican Whip
• Charles Rangel (N.Y.), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee
• Dave Camp (R.I.), Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee
• Henry Waxman (Cal.), chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee
• Joe Barton (Texas), Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee
• George Miller (Cal.), chairman of the Education and Labor Committee
• John Kline (Minn.), Ranking Member of the Education and Labor Committee
• John Dingell (Mich.), Chair Emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee

In addition to the President, other Administration officials expected to attend include the following:

• Joe Biden, Vice President
• Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services Secretary
• Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director of the Office of Health Reform
• representatives from the Office of Management and Budget (to provide technical assistance), the Congressional Budget Office, and the Joint Committee on Taxation

For more information on this and related topics, consult the CCH Pension Plan Guide, CCH Employee Benefits Management, and Spencer's Benefits Reports.

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