Rift in Congress over health care reform? What about rift in U.S.? — MedCity Morning Read, July 16, 2009

Via New American Foundation

WASHINGTON, D.C., and MAIN STREET, U.S.A. — The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday approved its health reform plan by a 13-10 vote, the Associated Press reported.

Not one Republican voted for the plan. And while Democrats are responding to President Obama’s call for health reform action with renewed vigor, Republicans are increasingly vocal about their misgivings, the AP said. Could the committee vote be signaling a deepening rift between the two political parties over health care?

Even Democrats disagree about what needs to be done — and how to pay — to overhaul the nation’s health care system, according to a report by Minnesota Public Radio. There’s plenty of disagreement among Minnesota’s congressional delegation over the issue. The congress people don’t know whether the proposed cures for the system — requiring everyone to have insurance, expanding Medicare, taxing health benefits — are better or worse than what ails the system now.

There also might be disagreement among Minnesota’s average citizens. “Here’s a little secret you might not know about the health care reform being debated in Washington: Minnesota might not want it,” according to the public radio story.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors commended the Senate committee ”for taking a bold step towards passing comprehensive and transformative health care reform legislation.” But public support for congressional efforts to reform health care is declining, according to a survey by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, according to the Houston Chronicle (hat tip to Dr. Anonymous).

The survey also revealed a stark divide by political party on how Americans think we should pay for health reform. Meanwhile, nervous health care leaders are asking congress people to go easy on reform, according to the BNET Healthcare blog. A broad cross-section of the health care industry, including hospitals, physician groups, drug companies, medical device makers and insurers begged congressional leaders in a letter to take a centrist stance on reform.

Meanwhile, the House revealed its own health care reform plans on Tuesday. The plan included a 5.4 percent income tax hike on people who earn more than $1 million a year, gradually phasing in for people who earn $280,000. An analysis by the Tax Foundation found that millionaires in Ohio would be taxed at 54 percent if newly proposed legislation goes through, according to Business First of Columbus.

Both the Senate and House committee plans include mandates on employers to provide health care coverage for employees, according to the Wall Street Journal Health blog.

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