Obama plans to offer own health bill before summit as parties stake claims

President Obama will offer "comprehensive" health reform legislation in advance of next week's planned summit with Republicans, The New York Times reports. "Democratic officials said the president's proposal was being written so that it could be attached to a budget bill as a way of averting a Republican filibuster in the Senate. The procedure, known as budget reconciliation, would let Democrats advance the bill with a simple majority rather than a 60-vote supermajority."

"During a conference call on Wednesday night, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, told the White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, and the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, that she could not agree to a proposal until rank-and-file lawmakers returned from a weeklong recess." Obama has rejected calls from Republicans to start over on a health overhaul "but aides have said that he is open to adopting Republican ideas" (Herszenhorn and Pear, 2/18). 

The Associated Press: "It's unclear whether the House or Senate can muster the necessary votes. Democrats, who now hold 255 of the House's 435 seats, drew only one GOP ally when the House passed its health care bill, 220-215, last November." House Democrats are seeking changes to the Senate-passed bill including "reducing or eliminating a proposed tax on generous employer-provider health plans, and eliminating a Medicaid subsidy aimed only at Nebraska." Also, some anti-abortion House Democrats "are demanding that the Senate's more permissive language on the topic be replaced by the House provisions. It was unclear Thursday how that might be achieved." The chambers also differ on how to pay for the legislation (Babington, 2/19).

Business Week: "Obama will offer 'one proposal' that takes 'some of the best ideas' from House and Senate bills 'and put them into a framework moving forward,' Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said" Thursday. Both the House and Senate bills "would place new limits on insurers, barring them from rejecting clients because of a pre-existing condition. They would also require all Americans to get insurance or pay a penalty, offering government aid and creating online exchanges where individuals and small businesses could shop for insurance. … Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, said Obama is addressing Republicans' complaints that they were left out of congressional deliberations. 'Much of what they were interested in is part of the bill already,' she said, adding that the meeting will help determine 'if there is a genuineness' among Republicans 'about moving forward'" (Rowley and Gaouette, 2/18).

Los Angeles Times: "It is still unclear what, if any, concessions the president will make to Republicans, who have steadfastly opposed Obama's push for an overhaul. Obama's proposal may represent the last, best hope for reviving his top domestic priority." The Times notes that Republicans have not developed an alternative. "'We will not be offering a comprehensive bill,' said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), citing public anxiety about sweeping healthcare legislation" (Levey, 2/18).

Meanwhile, Roll Call reports, Sen. Charles Schumer has signed onto a letter urging Reid to consider using reconciliation to revive a public option in a health overhaul. In signing onto the letter, "Schumer became the highest-profile Senate Democrat and biggest Reid ally to sign on to a letter originally sent to the Majority Leader by Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet (Colo.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) and Jeff Merkley (Ore.). As of Thursday afternoon, 17 Senate Democrats were pushing Reid to use reconciliation rules to sidestep a Republican filibuster of health care reform" (Drucker, 2/18). 

Some Democrats are unmoved by the letter, the Palm Beach Post reports: "Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., decided not to sign, said his staffer, Dan McLaughlin. 'Sen. Nelson favors the Senate version of the health care legislation,' which lacks a public option, he said. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, is snubbing the play-hardball letters, instead focusing on a bill that protects Medicare and improves care" (Singer, 2/17).

The Hill notes that even as congressional Republicans continue to be suspicious, they are signalling they plan to attend the summit, including "House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) [and] Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.)" (Young, 2/18).