Obama to pitch health care law in Iowa

President Obama Thursday will try to convince a wavering public that a new health care reform law will benefit their lives as he travels to Iowa City for a rally where he first called for health care legislation as a presidential candidate.

The Washington Post: "His speech in Iowa City marks the start of the White House's efforts to frame the health-care law in a manner that might sway a public skeptical thus far of the measure's benefits. Meanwhile, back in Washington, the administration's lawyers are preparing for what could be a fierce legal fight over the new law." White House officials say a clause in the Constitution gives the federal government right to regulate interstate commerce by imposing a mandate on residents to carry insurance, though opponents say the health reform law violates that part of the Constitution. "Obama's visit to Iowa City on Thursday is meant to recall the address he gave there as a presidential hopeful in May 2007 … White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Wednesday that the president 'believes it is important to continue to talk about the many aspects of the law that will do precisely what he said they're intended to do: Help small businesses that provide health coverage for their employees,' Gibbs said" (Shear, 3/25).

CNN: "Obama is expected to make many such trips in the weeks ahead, following up on promises to push back on Republican attacks in the months leading up to the November mid-term elections, the officials said" (3/25).

The Associated Press: "The president is scheduled to speak at the University of Iowa, which is in Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack's district. Loebsack voted for the health care bill. Before the vote, Obama promised wavering Democrats, who primarily were moderates in conservative-leaning districts and states, that they wouldn't be left standing alone if they cast the tough 'yes' votes on the bill" (3/25).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.