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Obama Vows Health Bill Will Get Done

posted: 4 HOURS 19 MINUTES AGO

comments: 666

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WASHINGTON (July 13) - A defiant President Barack Obama says health care overhaul will be done this year.

During a Rose Garden event Monday to introduce his pick for surgeon general, Obama brushed off doubts and congressional delays. He said: "Don't bet against us. We are going to make this happen."

The president warned that inaction will create a bigger crisis.

The White House has summoned two lawmakers critical to overhaul legislation to meet with Obama on Monday afternoon. They are Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

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Baucus and Rangel are in charge of the crucial job of coming up with how to pay for a comprehensive health care overhaul that would cost an estimated $1 trillion over 10 years, mostly for subsidies to help cover some 50 million uninsured Americans.

The meeting comes as Obama, newly returned from an overseas trip, must refocus on his top legislative priority: a sweeping health care bill to bring down costs and cover the uninsured. Timelines for the health legislation continue to be pushed back, with a bill unveiling promised for Monday in the House sliding to Tuesday as House Democratic leaders struggled to regain support from moderate and conservative Democrats who threatened opposition last week over the bill's price tag and other issues.

The White House's strategy to leave the legislative back-and-forth to Congress has produced varying and sometimes contradictory versions of health care legislation — along with delays. As the Senate turns its attention to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings, the focus on that side of the Capitol will turn away from Obama's top domestic priority.

The administration's Democratic allies in Congress hinted they would not deliver legislation before leaving town for an August recess. The delay would be a blow to the White House and to Democrats' electoral prospects.

The House and Senate are working toward legislation that would deliver on Obama's popular goals from his presidential campaign, but they are hardly in unison. House Democrats have proposed raising taxes on wealthy Americans to pay for the plan.

That idea appears to face opposition in the Senate, where a bipartisan group of senators is trying to reassemble a financing package now missing a key component: an unpopular tax on high-cost health insurance benefits, which would have raised $320 billion out of a $1 trillion package.

A bipartisan deal would have a better chance of winning broad support. That's what Obama says he wants, and the best chance for such a deal is still in the Senate.

But after a turbulent week, senators will move cautiously. A lot more work is needed to avoid another round of miscalculations.

Republicans, seizing on an issue that affects all Americans and has shown a glimmer of hope for an out-of-power political party, have lambasted the proposals as rash and irresponsible. They also see the issue as a way to win House and Senate seats in the 2010 midterm elections.

"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."

Obama's Health and Human Services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, tried to calm fears Democrats would tax some employer-provided health care benefits as income. She said the details are far from finished.

"Well, the House has a version," she said, discounting any version as final. "There are a couple of different proposals being worked on in the Senate."

Sebelius spoke with CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday and Kyl appeared on ABC's "This Week."

—

Associated Press writers Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Phillip Elliot contributed to this report.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2009-07-13 12:36:10

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Jjjgofast

05:22 PMJul 13 2009

THE ONE SINGLE THING THAT COULD BE DONE TO CURB HEALTH CARE COSTS IS TO LIMIT LAW SUITS !!! OBAMA (LAWYER) IS FIRMLY AGAINST ANY LIMITS..IT COULD`NT BE THAT THE LAWYER POLITITIONS WOULD LOSE A SOURCE OF INCOME...

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Danielistical

05:22 PMJul 13 2009

Insurance companies have been lying ,,cheating,, and ripping off Americans for years and years,,, now the Americans are tired of it,, we have a president willing to fight against corporate America,,, and who wants to come to the defense of corporate America's ripp off insurance industries???? Fox news and the Republicans.......

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PonyChit

05:22 PMJul 13 2009

too bad the bail out money wasn't used to buy health care insurance. but I don't understand how we can pay for either. I guess health care reform is why there's no second bail out. we can only afford so much!

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Fredswampfox

05:22 PMJul 13 2009

This is the issue where the Messiah meets his first real challenge to his dictator like style of ruling, oops, I meant governing.

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DFP1

05:22 PMJul 13 2009

Obama must go!! It is like me and my family taking world wide vacations, putting a pool in our backyard, buying 2 new cars, finishing the basment, etc. etc. and worrying about paying for it later. Is he freaking kidding???? Just keep spending money. Why not get the banks back on track to spur lending to get our businesses back on track? This will put our people back to work and many people will have health ins. or at least the money to pay for it. Wake up America!! Most of the numbers the liberals quote are people that choose not to use their money to buy health insurance. They are the same ones that drive up in Escalades and drip in gold jewelry. Let's get a grip. It is all about personal responsibility. Grow up or get out - Russia has everything Obama is looking to do to America.

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Cuervo38

05:21 PMJul 13 2009

You just wait! Obama is planning to place a special tax on ice cream. That will break the spirit of this once great country.

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SIFJV

05:21 PMJul 13 2009

GOVERNMENT SCREWED UP SOCIAL SECURITY, SCREWED UP MEDICARE/MEDICAID, AND NOW THEY WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO TOTALLY BANKRUPT US WITH A NATIONAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAM. WHO ARE THEY KIDDING! THIS IS ALL ABOUT VOTES AND WINNING OVER THE ILLEGALS WHO SHOULDN'T BE HERE FIRST OF ALL. LET'S FACE IT, THE 45 MILLION THAT IS CLAIMED TO HAVE NO HEALTH CARE IS REALLY ABOUT 12 MILLION. THE REST IS ILLEGALS. I'M SURE MOST PEOPLE WOULD AGREE THAT PROVIDING HEALTH CARE FOR THE 12-15 MILLION WOULD BE A LOT EASIER TO DO THAN 45 MILLION. I CAN'T SEE PAYING FOR PEOPLE THAT DON'T EVEN BELONG HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!SEE YOU ON THE WELFARE LINE.

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JULESNONIE

05:21 PMJul 13 2009

obama had better go back to school, he did not learn anything the first time around

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Danielistical

05:20 PMJul 13 2009

missylovesrobby<<<<>>>>> You're Opinion has been duly noted and properly filed..

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missylovesrobby

05:20 PMJul 13 2009

Look at Russia....for years their governemnt ran everything ( amd what a mess they had )....just like ours is taking on...auto makers..the banks..now they want to mess with my families healthcare?? I dont think so!!!! The only people who want it our lazy pukes who want someone to keep paying their bills !! Get off your butts and get a job..one with health benfits...stop looking for handouts...makes me sick !!!

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