Obama Looks to Revive Health Reform

WASHINGTON — The health care reform debate that dominated
legislative headlines for months ultimately merited about 600 words
in President Obama’s first State of the Union address this week. Invoking
the personal struggles of Americans, Obama sought to reinvigorate
the contentious issue after the Jan. 19 Massachusetts Senate race
had dimmed Democrats’ hopes of sweeping reform.

“I didn’t choose to tackle this issue to get some legislative
victory under my belt,” said Obama during the roughly hour-long
speech to both chambers of Congress. “And by now, it should be
fairly obvious that I didn’t take on health care because it was
good politics. I took on health care because of the stories I’ve
heard, from Americans with pre-existing conditions whose lives
depend on getting coverage, patients who’ve been denied coverage,
families, even those with insurance, who are just one illness away
from financial ruin.”

John Gallagher, vice president of government relations for the
VGM Group, Waterloo, Iowa, said he had expected a more conciliatory
tone from the president, but instead heard more one-sided
rhetoric.

“I found this speech incredibly partisan,” said Gallagher. “The
president did not indicate that he heard the will of the people or
that he got the message from the election last week in
Massachusetts. The American people do not want this health care
reform. When you consider the manufacturer tax, which will be
passed on to providers, and the ramping up of competitive bidding
among other things, it does not bode well for the DME industry if
the president continues to push the Senate and House reform
bills.”

The president said “jobs” was the top priority in 2010, and Seth
Johnson believes the industry can capitalize on that theme by
emphasizing the job loss effects of several DME issues currently
under consideration.

“Whether it is competitive bidding, the elimination of the
first-month purchase option [for power wheelchairs] or the medical
device excise tax, these all will have a negative impact on jobs,”
said Johnson, vice president of government affairs for Pride
Mobility Products Corp., Exeter, Pa.

Georgie Blackburn, who serves as vice chair of the American
Association for Homecare, compared the president to a boxer who
comes out swinging after a tough round.

“While the spotlight was taken off health care reform, he
clearly has not lost faith in Congress’ ability to get something
done,” said Blackburn, vice president, government relations and
legislative affairs, for Blackburn’s, Tarentum, Pa. “He made a good
case for doing ‘something’ to deal with pre-existing condition
denials and rising premiums. He opened the door to ideas, and I
hope they flow anew.”

Why did Obama propose a three-year freeze on government
spending, but with key exemptions for Medicare, Social Security and
national security? “Was Medicare excluded because it’s too
controversial, or does he feel the barrage of audits and eventual
competitive bidding will automatically lower costs?” asked
Blackburn. “His coach-like delivery is impressive, but it’s evident
he’s got a huge challenge in reaching cooperation. The timing could
not be better for education about the disastrous economic effect of
competitive bidding on jobs and businesses.” 

Clearly meant to rally opponents and fortify allies, the section
on health care also attempted to show a connection between reform
and the overall health of small business. Wayne Stanfield,
president and CEO of the National Association of Independent
Medical Equipment Suppliers, believes Obama succeeded in that
goal.

“Almost every company owner I have spoken to in the past month
has reported from 17 to 20 percent increases in premiums this
year,” said Stanfield. “That’s on top of double-digit increases for
the past several years. Without some type of reform, how can
employers continue to even offer insurance? Insurance reform, which
is what these now-stalled bills are rather than health care reform,
must be accomplished.”

AAHomecare’s Mike Reinemer agreed that the president did not
throw in the towel on health care reform but instead “threw down
the gauntlet” and challenged both Republicans and Democrats to come
up with new ideas.

“He said the health care problem ‘is not going away,’ and it
appears that the administration’s commitment to health care
insurance reform is not going away either,” said Reinemer, the
association’s vice president of communications and policy. “In
terms of our sector, we have more time to get HME cuts out of
reform proposals in Congress, because threats to HME remain.”

While rumors were flying on Capitol Hill Jan. 27 that Obama
would mention a new CMS administrator in his address, that didn’t
happen. But again today, reports are rampant that he plans to
nominate Geisinger Health System President and CEO Dr. Glenn Steele
Jr. to the long-vacant spot. A Medicare spokesperson, however, told
The
Citizens’ Voice that the rumors were “not true.”