President Obama’s latest attempt to win support for his health reform plan may have generated more public support but it failed to move members of the Kansas congressional delegation.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll showed that Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday increased public support for his reform plan from 53 percent of those surveyed to 67 percent.
Even so, the speech didn’t change the minds of three Republican members of the Kansas congressional delegation, who said they remained opposed.
Sen. Pat Roberts, a Dodge City Republican, said he would not support “ill-conceived legislation that hurts those it intends to help.”
Roberts, a member of both Senate committees working on health reform legislation, said the president and Congress should scrap the current proposals and start over on a “thoughtful, step-by-step approach to health care reform.”
But Obama rejected the idea of starting over, saying that while he’s open to constructive ideas for improving his plan, “I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it’s better politics to kill this plan than improve it.”
Obama said his plan would cost approximately $900 billion over 10 years but would not add “one dime to our deficits.” He said in addition to providing affordable coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, it would prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions or finding a reason to drop it after people get sick.
And, in an effort to correct what he said were “bogus claims” made by opponents, the president said his plan would not provide subsidies or coverage to illegal immigrants and would not lead to a government takeover of the health insurance industry.
Obama also took aim at claims made by conservative talk show hosts and some prominent Republicans that end-of-life counseling provisions in the legislation would result in care being denied to the disabled and elderly.
“Now, such a charge would be laughable if it weren’t so cynical and irresponsible,” Obama said. “It is a lie, plain and simple.”
Two Kansas congressmen vying for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sam Brownback said after the speech that they remained opposed to the president’s plan.
Congressman Todd Tiahrt, a Wichita Republican who represents the 4th District, called it “a prime-time attempt to revive a health care plan that has flat-lined.”
“Having met with thousands of my constituents in the last few weeks across the state, it is abundantly clear Kansans do not want another sales pitch for a government-run health care program,” Tiahrt said. “We want a new proposal that is market-driven and empowers patients and their doctors to make medical decisions — not the president or his administration.”
Congressman Jerry Moran, a Hays Republican who represents the 1st District, said the lack of public support in Kansas for the president’s proposal wasn’t something that could be fixed by another speech.
“The issue is not the messenger, but rather the message,” Moran said. “The American people already know what this plan looks like and many have voiced that they do not like it.”
Kansas 2nd District Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins, a Topeka Republican, said she had hoped that Obama would drop his support for a public option in an attempt to win some GOP support.
“I spent the last month listening to Kansans at 29 town-hall meetings, and the vast majority of the folks I heard from are opposed to a public option that would lead to a government takeover of health care,” Jenkins said.
Obama said he had no interest in “putting insurance companies out of business.” A government-run plan would be self-supporting and would “only be an option for those who don’t have insurance,” he said.
Several Democratic members of Congress said they were energized by Obama’s speech. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., announced that he will move forward on a compromise reform bill that contains many of the president’s initiatives but is also designed to obtain support from a handful of Republican senators.
The lone Democrat in the Kansas congressional delegation, 3rd District Congressman Dennis Moore, didn’t issue a statement after the president’s speech. But in a recent interview with the KHI News Service, Moore said he was optimistic a reform bill would pass before the end of the year.
“There are some people out there who are really scared because they don’t think Congress is going to do anything,” Moore said. “That is the other alternative that we can’t afford. We’ve got to get something done.”
Gov. Mark Parkinson, a Democrat, also reacted to the president’s speech, saying that without reform Kansas hospitals stand to lose more than $800 million a year from uninsured patients who can’t pay their bills. That cost, he said, is passed on to every Kansan who needs health care.
“It’s a hidden tax that is hurting families and businesses,” Parkinson said. “It’s a weight around the neck of our economy. Something must be done, and more of the same won’t work. We need real reform, real action, and we need it now.”
-Jim McLean is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. He can be reached at jmclean@khi.org or at 785-233-5443, ext. 110.