Bill Foster

Health Care Round-Up: A Silent Stimulus, The Greater Good, Hare Blasts GOP's "Alternative"

Adam Doster — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:31:02 -0800

Here's the latest in health care news ...

A Silent Stimulus?

To weather the unrelenting economic recession without slashing services, state governments are going to need more assistance from Washington. Luckily, some help is on the way. And it's coming via an unlikely source.

Today, the Washington Post reports that wedged into the House health care reform bill passed two weekends ago was $23.5 billion directed at states to cover short-term Medicaid costs. Here are the details:

Medicaid relief for states comprised one of the biggest pieces of February's $787 billion federal stimulus package, but that funding will run out next year, halfway through states' next round of spending plans.

Under the Affordable Health Care for America Act, the federal government would continue to pay a higher share of all Medicaid costs -- 66 percent on average, up from 57 percent before the stimulus -- for an additional six months, and erase in one fell swoop a major chunk of states' projected shortfalls for the coming year.

If enacted, this would be a huge boon to state lawmakers clawing to close projected 2011 budget gaps in the coming months. The provision is not included in the Senate version yet, but there is still plenty of time to insert it.

SJ-R: Consider The Greater Good

Some news outlets in Illinois have been very critical of the health care reform packages being pushed through Congress. Just a few weeks ago, the Tribune editorial board all but endorsed the House GOP alternative bill, which would cover 12 times fewer uninsured Americans than the Democrats' proposal while saving less money. But the State Journal-Register has a different view. Pivoting off their recent profile of Verta Wells -- a Springfield resident who died because her lack of insurance prevented her from detecting her early signs of breast cancer -- the editorial board calls on lawmakers to "consider the greater good" and extend access to all Americans:

If terrorists killed 18,000 Americans annually – 15,000 more than died on 9/11 – it would be an outrage that would spur Americans to quickly come up with a solution and take swift action.

But when lack of health care is the cause of so much unnecessary death, too many of us furrow our brow, wag our finger and make assumptions and moral judgments about the uninsured that have little basis in fact. [...]

It is a national character flaw that shocks the conscience. While we treasure our country's unique individualism, when it comes to health care, there needs to be a willingness to consider the greater good. Verta Wells's story reminds us of that.

Read the whole piece here.

Unions Drop New Ads

As the final details of the health reform bills in Washington are ironed out, two major labor unions are hitting the airwaves in Illinois, targeting suburban legislators over their votes on health care. AFSCME is running identical ads supporting two Democratic congressmen -- Reps. Bill Foster and Debbie Halvorson -- who voted for the House measure last week. You can view the Foster spot here:

Meanwhile, the Foundation for Patients' Rights -- a new health reform advocacy group founded by the Service Employees International Union (whose Illinois state council sponsors this website) -- is running an ad against GOP Rep. Mark Kirk for his opposition to the proposal. Watch it:

(H/T Joseph Ryan)

Hare: GOP's Plan "Woefully Inadequate"

Rep. Phil Hare also took some cracks at the Republican's alternative bill during a Springfield press conference last Friday. Calling it "woefully inadequate," the Quad City Democrat blasted his GOP colleagues for failing to craft a proposal that extended coverage to all Americans. Watch it:

AHIP Rally Tomorrow

Tomorrow, don't forget to stop by the Renaissance Hotel in Chicago where eight small businesses owners from across the country will meet outside the annual conference of America's Health Insurance Plans -- the nation's top health insurance lobby -- to deliver a letter demanding to speak with CEO Karen Ignagni about her organization's position on health care reform. The action begins at 12 pm. Check out the specifics at their website.

IL-14 Residents Make The Case For Swift Health Care Reform

Angela Caputo — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:15:03 -0800

Over the past year, Capitol Hill has been portrayed as ground zero in the health care debate. But the heart of the fight was never in D.C. Rather, it was in the millions of households across the country, where the uninsured and the underinsured live in fear, knowing that they can't afford to get sick or even find insurance companies willing to enroll them because of pre-existing conditions. Just a week after the House passed landmark legislation to finally change that, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster was back in the 14th District today. There some of his constituents made the case for why the nation can't afford to wait any longer to see those reforms through.

"My husband and I, we've done everything right," Amy Ruppert of Batavia said, "We don't have any outstanding debt. We've paid all of our bills." But with her COBRA plan set to expire within months and a pre-existing condition prohibiting her from buying into a new plan, "we will be one step away from catastrophic financial devastation," she said. Watch:

Health Care Round-Up: Moderate Dems Voice Conerns, Hamos On Stupak, More Actions

Adam Doster — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:13:39 -0800

Some more health care news...

Moderate Democrats Voice Concerns

In her Sun-Times column this morning, Carol Marin singles out Democratic Reps. Melissa Bean and Bill Foster for their yes votes in favor of health care legislation this past weekend:

We may disagree with one another on whether, in the end, this legislation is good for America. Or whether we as a nation can afford all of its provisions.

But what is harder to disagree with is that health care in this country, at the moment, is a ragged, patched quilt of different levels of coverage.

And for between 35 million and 45 million of us, there's no coverage at all.

That's why this vote, to my mind anyway, was historic. And why it took some moxie to say yes.

Foster told Marin that his vote was "easy," yet he's still publicly criticizing some key planks of the legislation including the design of the public option. Foster contends that if the government is allowed to borrow money for start-up costs at a lower interest rate than private companies, the insurance industry will be put at a disadvantage. Bean isn't totally sold yet, either. She tells the Pioneer Press that she's seeking "improved cost containment measures" like the creation of an Independent Medicare Advisory Council, which would have the authority to make recommendations to the president on annual Medicare payment rates and other reforms.

Meanwhile, Rep. Debbie Halvorson has released a slick video explaining why she supported the legislation. There aren't a lot of legislative details in the spot, but there are three testimonials from women in the 11th district who have faced medical and financial strains because of inadequate health insurance coverage. "I really believe this bill," Halvorson says to close the piece, "is going to move us into the direction of affordable, accessible, and quality health care." Watch it:

Hamos: Stupak Amendment Is Unacceptable

While State Rep. Julie Hamos is just a candidate for Congress at the moment, the 10th District Democratic contender hinted yesterday that if she were on Capitol Hill last weekend, she would have voted against any bill that included language similar to the Stupak amendment. Here's her statement:

The Affordable Health Care Act is an important victory in the fight for quality, affordable health care. However, I am adamantly opposed to the last-minute addition of the anti-choice Stupak Amendment. I am disappointed that some Members of Congress would try to force a choice between health care reform for all with no reproductive health care for some.

I reached out to Rep. Jan Schakowsky and she told me that key members of the House pro-choice caucus met on Monday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and all of them agreed that the anti-choice language is unacceptable. I agree. They are hopeful that they can make the needed changes in the Senate or in the subsequent Conference Committee.

I have fought for women's reproductive freedom for decades -- from serving on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood to being involved in every legislative initiative affecting choice or reproductive health care. The Stupak Amendment is another clear reminder of how important it is to have a Representative in Congress who understands what is at stake and will stand up for what matters.

Actions Coming Up

Health care activists are still working hard to pressure recalcitrant lawmakers and insurance industry officials to support reform. Tomorrow, MoveOn's Rockford branch will protest outside of Republican Rep. Don Manzullo’s office at 12:00 pm "to criticize him for siding with the insurance industry instead of Illinois families by voting against health care reform with a public option during a recent House vote."

Next Tuesday, folks affiliated with Health Care for American Now are meeting at the headquarters of Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Chicago and marching to the Renaissance Hotel, where the industry group American Health Insurance Plans is holding their national conference. You can find more information, as well as a related video, at their website.

Health Care Roundup: Final Bill By Christmas, Halvorson Commits, Costello And Lipinski Waffle

Adam Doster — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:50:46 -0800

The latest news from the health care reform battle -- both in D.C. and here on the homefront.

A Final Bill By Christmas?

Now that health care legislation has passed out of the five relevant committees on Capitol Hill, health care advocates are starting to wonder when both chambers of Congress will take up the bills in earnest. While House leaders are moving quickly, Illinois' own Dick Durbin says that progress might be slower in the Senate. The Hill has a quick story up today outlining the reasons for the possible delay:

Even while House leaders pressed forward for a vote on a House version this week, [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid and Durbin said their hands are tied until the CBO releases its cost estimate of the Senate bill. Then the document would be published online for public review, possibly revised and re-analyzed by the CBO, and then several weeks would be needed for House-Senate conference talks.

Despite months-old predictions of a bill before Christmas, with only six weeks of legislative time remaining in the year Durbin acknowledged a healthcare bill in 2009 “is certainly a challenge.”

Will Sen. Roland Burris join Durbin and vote in favor of health care reform when he's eventually presented with the final bill? In the past few weeks, Illinois' junior senator has received heaps of media attention for his principled stance in favor of a robust public option. But the vast majority of those media outlets have failed to ask him the most relevant question: Does he intend to filibuster a bill lacking a public option or just vote against its final passage. All indications are that he would stand with his party and approve cloture, undercutting the severity of his threat:

"It's certainly going to be tough, in terms of getting this done," [Burris] told WGN-TV. "I've let it be known unequivocally that I would not support any legislation -- now they may get the 60 votes to pass it. I'm not going to be an obstructionist. I'm not here for some ego trip. I'm here to speak out for the people who have spoken to me."

Unfortunately, Sen. Joe Lieberman's threat seems very real. Yesterday, Reid's office denied reports that the lawmakers agreed in private to vote for cloture on health care. If no Republicans cross the aisle, the Democrats will need Lieberman's support to break a filibuster, a obstructionist tactic he has previously called "unfair."

Abortion Funding

While the Senate moves forward cautiously, the House is barreling ahead, preparing to vote on a final bill Saturday at about 6 p.m ET. To secure the support of some moderate and conservative Democrats, including Illinois Reps. Jerry Costello and Dan Lipinski, House leadership is making several changes to the bill that would explicitly prevent public funding for abortion.

This compromise shouldn't be necessary. The House tri-committee bill does not threaten the Hyde Amendment, which forbids Medicaid from using any federal money to pay for an abortion procedure. And earlier this summer, Democratic leaders backed a provision prohibiting people from using the public subsidies provided under the bill to buy private insurance plans that cover abortion. That's part of the reason why pro-choice organizations consider the current law a disappointment.

But that bloc of 40 legislators could torpedo the final bill if their concerns aren't addressed, so the Democratic leadership is doing all they can to pacify their concerns.

What's the solution? Guaranteeing the availability of insurance plans on health insurance exchanges that do not cover abortions is one option. The Times reports that a deal is close. We'll know more details in the coming days.

Halvorson A Yes, Costello A Maybe

Even if a compromise on abortion is reached, Rep. Costello still won't say whether or not he will vote in favor of the bill. In an interview with the Belleville News-Democrat, a spokesperson refused to commit, saying his boss is "taking a look at it and considering everything."

Rep. Debbie Halvorson, on the other hand, has made up her mind. On Tuesday night, the Crete Democrat said she plans to support the newest health care bill unveiled this week, in part because this version includes a weaker public option:

The legislation also would reduce the deficit by roughly $30 billion over the next 10 years, she said.

"I needed to make sure the new bill was deficit neutral," she said. "My priority has been to bring together a bill that was going to work and wasn't going to be a job-killer."

Halvorson made health care one of the key issues in her congressional campaign last year, running ads highlighting her opponents' downplaying of the coverage crisis (first reported here).

Costello's Constituents

While it's still unclear where Costello stands on the issue, it is obvious that households in his district will continue to face perilous physical and economic choices if no action is taken on reform. A new report issued today by AFSCME Council 31 drives home that point. Using data compiled by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, the public employees union estimates that 9,800 seniors from Rep. Costello’s district fall into the Medicare prescription drug donut hole and 40,000 lack insurance coverage. Nine thousand of those were denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. And just this past year, 1,700 families in the 12th district filed for medical bankruptcy.

Council 31 crunched the data for other Illinois Democrats who remain the fence, including Reps. Lipinski, Halvorson, Bill Foster, and Melissa Bean. Check out the full research below (click the "Fullscreen" link to expand):

AFSCME Health Care Report

Solving The College Cost Problem

Angela Caputo — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:09:12 -0700

While the souring economy has left many industries struggling, that's just not the case for private education lenders and textbook publishers. The desolate job market has spurred an ongoing spike in college enrollment and -- with tuition and fees rising twice as fast as inflation -- banks have generated enormous earnings by lending to strapped students. At the same time, publishers have jacked up the cost of textbooks, which now rival the tab for a semester of community college. As we've pointed out repeatedly, Congress' history of putting bankers before students coupled with Illinois officials' recent cuts to state-subsidized financial aid has left a growing number of students buried under a heap of debt. Over the weekend, the Peoria Journal-Star's editorial board identified these disturbing trends in higher education and wondered if "Illinois colleges are to be for the privileged only."

A few members of Illinois' congressional delegation are trying to ensure that's not the case. Regular readers know that this year is shaping up as one with historic potential for reform. Just last month, the House passed the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3221), which would free up $87 billion over the next decade by pulling the plug on the Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) program that has allowed bankers to siphon away federal education money at the expense of students. The measure would in turn use that money to raise Pell grants to $6,900 from $5,350 and guarantee their future funding. On a swing through Northern Illinois University on Monday, Rep. Bill Foster urged Illinois' college students to push back against lenders who are fighting the reforms in the Senate. If the bill passes, it will amount to the largest increase in student aid in the nation's history. More from the Northwest Herald:

“You need to get involved, and call your senators,” Foster told a crowd of students gathered in the Sky Room of the Holmes Student Center. “This issue is too important to let sit.”

Foster is also joining Sen. Dick Durbin in his ongoing effort to drive down the cost of college textbooks. Last week, Durbin introduced the Open College Textbook Act (S. 1714), which would create some competition against publishing companies who have found a way to profit by slipping costly supplemental materials -- such as online guides and CDs -- into textbook packages. As a result, the Public Interest Research Group estimates that the average student will spend between $800 and $1,200 on books alone this year. Durbin's proposal would create a grant program that rewards universities who create books that are accessible on the Web. Foster's bill -- the Learning Opportunities With Creation of Open Source Textbooks (LOW COST) Act of 2009 (H.R. 1464) -- would require federal agencies that spend upwards of $10 million a year on scientific outreach to set aside at least 2 percent of their budgets to create their own open-source materials. During an interview with WGIL, Durbin explained his frustration regarding this issue:

"I've been in a battle for years now with the textbook publishers who've been ripping off kids and their families, I think, with outrageous charges for textbooks," Durbin says. "Now, we've got to find ways to deliver the information that young people need to learn in the most cost-effective way. I think this is it."

As for Illinois officials, we're still waiting to see how they'll address the $220 million shortfall in the Monetary Award Program (MAP) that's left 138,000 college students in the lurch this spring. Today and tomorrow, Gov. Pat Quinn will rally with students at the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University and once again push his proposal to fill the shortfall by adopting a $1 per-pack cigarette tax. Hundreds more students will take that message to the General Assembly on October 15 when the veto session begins.

Well give the PJ-Star editorial board the last word: "[L]awmakers would do well to keep in mind that for the modern economy, a college diploma is no longer the luxury it once was. It's a necessity, if Illinois is to keep up with the rest of the world. Find a way."

Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user Amin Tabrizi.

Health Care Round-Up: Foster's Town Hall, Pressuring Lipinski, WTTW's Roundtable

Adam Doster — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:59:09 -0700

Some members of Senate Finance Committee may be looking to pare down the size of the upper chamber's health care package and the White House is deliberating if they would accept such a deal. Back home, lawmakers are staking out their positions as well. Here's the latest in local health care news:

Foster's Tele-Town Hall

Rep. Bill Foster, a potential swing vote, clarified his stance on many health reform issues during a tele-town hall meeting with constituents last night. The Geneva Democrat reiterated his support for a public option, albeit one that operates on a level playing field with private insurance companies. He also expressed openness to a few funding mechanisms, including a surtax on the top 1 percent of the nation's wage earners or a tax on high-level health insurance policies that currently are provided tax free. For reformers, this should come as a good sign.

The National Republican Congressional Committee isn't too happy with his willingness to back reform, targeting him earlier this week with a ridiculous ad that falsely claims House Democrats are going to cut Medicare by $500 billion dollars.

Pressure On Lipinski

Rep. Dan Lipinski, another supporter of a "level-playing field" public option, is starting to send out signals that the cost of the health care package could determine his vote. In early August, the 3rd district representative issued a statement acknowledging that "it is critical that this bill constitutes real reform and avoids pouring more money into a broken system." On Tuesday, he penned a column in the Southwest News-Herald echoing the same theme. As the August recess comes to a close, organizers from the Campaign for a Better Health Care are looking to apply some pressure to the Democrat to endorse a more robust public option, which the Congressional Budget Office thinks would save money. From a press release:

The people of Illinois' 3rd Congressional District, like all Americans, deserve real reform. Call Congressman Lipinski today - tell him:

-You want quality, affordable health care that you can rely on and you expect him to support HR3200.

-You expect him to be on the side of hard working Americans, and not on the side of the insurance industry.

-Health care reform must ensure our freedom of choice - WE want to be the ones to choose a robust public option or a private plan, whichever is right for us and our families.

WTTW's Roundtable

WTTW's Chicago Tonight devoted its entire show on Tuesday night to the subject of health care, convening a panel that included Sen. Dick Durbin and representatives from the American Medical Association, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois, and the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council. There were plenty of interesting moments throughout the hour. For instance, the insurance industry rep at one point attempted to claim that his company was not technically a for-profit entity, despite the fact its top executive makes in excess of $10 million per year. Below is another relevant exchange, in which Durbin responds to an audience member's suggestion that he consider a bill allowing people to buy health insurance policies across state lines, a major plank of the Republican alternative authored by Rep. Mark Kirk. Watch it (full video here):

Real People Continue To Demand Real Reform

The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law and United Action for Power and Justice have released the latest videos in their Real People Demand Real Reform video series. Check them out below, the first which deals with "affordability and stability" and the second which details the experiences of small business owners with the health insurance industry:

Health Care Roundup: Citizen Action Pressures Bean, Durbin "Open" To Alternatives

Progress Illinois — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:25:09 -0700

Here's the latest Illinois-centric health care news:

Citizen Action Targets Bean, Halvorson, Foster

In today's edition of Crain's, Paul Merrion writes that, when it comes to health care reform, suburban Reps. Melissa Bean, Debbie Halvorson, and Bill Foster are all "stuck in the middle, still uncommitted and coming under pressure from both ends of the political spectrum." On the left, Citizen Action/Illinois is doing its part to push these moderate reps towards supporting a public option:

"The next five or six weeks will determine whether we have a strong health reform plan or a weak one," says John Gaudette, Illinois health care director for Citizen Action, a non-profit advocacy group leading local efforts for Healthcare for America Now, a national coalition pushing for a low-cost government-run plan to pressure private insurers' premiums.

Two weeks ago, Citizen Action generated more than 1,000 calls to the three moderate Illinois Democrats, urging them to support a strong government-run plan, and the group is planning a rally with upward of 300 people in Ms. Bean's district later this month. "She's the one we've been focusing on the most," Mr. Gaudette says.

Office Visits For Health Reform

Over the weekend, Organizing for America urged supporters of health care reform across the country to schedule a visit to their congressman's district office. From their email blast announcing the "Office Visits for Health Reform" action:

As you've probably seen in the news, special interest attack groups are stirring up partisan mobs with lies about health reform, and it's getting ugly. Across the country, members of Congress who support reform are being shouted down, physically assaulted, hung in effigy, and receiving death threats. We can't let extremists hijack this debate, or confuse Congress about where the people stand.

Office Visits for Health Reform are our chance to show that the vast majority of American voters know that the cost of inaction is too high to bear, and strongly support passing health reform in 2009.

Don't worry if you've never done anything like this before. The congressional staff is there to listen, and your opinion as a constituent matters a lot.

Durbin "Open" To Public Option Alternatives

Sen. Dick Durbin made the media rounds this past weekend to discuss the health care battle and raised some eyebrows with this comment on CNN:

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he is committed to getting a bipartisan bill, even if it means sacrificing a public insurance option.

“It doesn’t have to be a perfect bill,” Durbin said. “I support a public option, but yes I am open. I want to make sure we do something positive for the American people.”

Yet Durbin said that if bipartisan talks break down, he still wants to see Members get something done. “I don’t want to see health care reform fail,” he said, noting that it’s an opportunity that only comes along “once in a political lifetime.”

Huffington Post reporter Sam Stein interpreted the remark as an indication that "the party -- from Obama on down -- sees the public option as a likely victim in an effort to get 60 votes for health care's passage in the Senate." Stein further pointed out that Howard Dean is urging Senate Democrats to use a parliamentary maneuver known as "reconciliation" to pass a reform bill with just a simple majority of 51 votes.

Durbin also appeared on Fox Chicago Sunday, where he once again lambasted the efforts by conservative reform opponents to disrupt public meetings held by members of Congress during the August recess. "This isn't about you [the public]," Durbin said. "It's about YouTube."

Costello Cancels Town Hall

Speaking of those tense public forums, downstate Democratic Rep. Jerry Costello has decided to hold a so-called "tele-town hall" on health reform, rather than appear in public on the issue:

The Belleville Democrat won’t be appearing to speak to the public about President Barack Obama’s proposed health care reform, spokesman David Gillies indicated Friday, adding the raucous crowds showing up at such meetings is a factor in Costello’s decision not to participate in one.

“We are not having any in-person town hall meetings, and the congressman thinks it is unfortunate that the disruptions are occurring and making such meetings impossible to hold,” Gillies said in an e-mail to The Southern Illinoisan.

Elsewhere in the state, Reps. Danny Davis, Jan Schakowsky, and Phil Hare are all scheduled to hold health care town halls before the end of August.

Health Care Round-Up: Schock Misleads, Bean And Foster Still Undecided

Adam Doster — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:30:55 -0700

As the national battle over health care reform enters a crucial stage and lawmakers make their case to voters during the August recess, we're going to be regularly tracking the latest health care news across Illinois. Here's our first update:

Schock's Misleading Memo

While Illinois Democrats were busy advocating for comprehensive health care yesterday, Illinois Republicans kept up their effort to stand in the way of such reform. This morning over his Twitter feed, Rep. Aaron Schock sent along a memo, prepared by Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-WI), providing (PDF) "key facts about the House Democrat health care bill for the 18th District of Illinois." But as you'll see, Cantor and Schock use the term facts rather loosely. Here's the first of many distortions in the two-page sheet:

Independent analysis by the Lewin Group shows that 2 out of every 3 people would lose their current coverage, including up to 114 million people who receive health benefits through their employer or other current coverage if a government-run plan “competes” with private companies.

The Lewin Group is hardly "independent." In fact, it's "wholly owned" by UnitedHealth Group, one of the nation's largest insurers. And the Congressional Budget Office released a preliminary analysis (PDF) of the House Democrats' so-called "tri-committee" bill last week and found that a net 3 million people will gain employer-based insurance under the Democratic plan.

But Schock and Cantor aren't done:

Nearly 11 million seniors choose Medicare Advantage plans as the coverage that best meet their needs. Specifically, the Democrats have proposed cutting Medicare spending for the 14,002 seniors in the 18th District who are currently enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.

In fact, Medicare benefits will not be cut, nor will the Medicare Advantage plan be discontinued. Instead, Obama has proposed ending the large public subsidies to the private insurance companies who participate in the program. As budget director Peter Orszag explained this spring, the White House is proposing that these companies compete to offer their services, thereby saving taxpayers an estimated $150 billion over 10 years. (Also, it's more than ironic that Schock, a congressman staunchly opposed to a public option, is so worried about protecting benefits provided through the nation's very popular single-payer program.)

The Schock memo also demagogues about health care reform's potential effect on small businesses, citing Heritage Foundation research claiming that 41,700 small businesses in Illinois will be required to pay higher taxes because of a proposed 2 percent surtax on individuals with more than $280,000 in income. But the Heritage figures are way overblown. Only "1.9 percent of filers with any small-business income are projected to face either of the top two income tax rates in 2009,” according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

Roskam Misreads Polling ON WLS

Rep. Peter Roskam added his voice to the health care debate this morning, telling WLS Radio’s Don Wade & Roma that support for Obama's health care approach is "just dropping like a stone." Listen (The entier interview is available here):

Internal mp3

People really understand health care. We’ve had a really robust national conversation and debate ever since the Clinton administration in 1993 did the big push on that plan. And we’ve been talking about it, all of us. And when you start to say that you’re going to be taking choices away, that wait times are going to go up, and ultimately this is going to be very costly, the public gets it. And the White House, with all due respect, I think they are really underestimating the public.

The polls tell a different story. The Center for American Progress' Ruy Teixiera points to Pew Research Center data proving Americans are still broadly supportive of the president's goals: 79 percent support "requiring insurance companies to sell health coverage to people, even if they have pre-existing medical condition;" 65 percent support "requiring that all Americans have health insurance, with the government providing financial help for those who can’t afford it;" 63 percent support "raising taxes on families with incomes of more than $350,000 and individuals earning more than $280,000;" and 52 percent support "a government health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans." "Don’t believe the hype," Teixiera concludes. "Health care reform is alive and kicking."

Bean, Foster Still Undecided

For the President's reform agenda to pass both chambers, conservative Democrats are going to need to come along for the ride. But two congressmen from Chicago's suburbs, Reps. Melissa Bean and Bill Foster, remain on the fence, according to the Daily Herald:

Bean's Schaumburg office has been protested by activists on both sides of the issue. Most recently, she said she was "unconvinced" the current plan will provide a net benefit to the middle class while reigning in costs.

Foster supports the plan "in theory," a spokeswoman has said, but neither lawmaker will likely face a vote until some version of the plan moves to the House floor this fall.

DCCC Blitzes Biggert

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is also targeting Rep. Judy Biggert with its "Health Care ER" campaign. The goal of the blitz, which will include volunteer calls, emails, and tele-town halls, is to "hold targeted Republicans accountable for protecting health insurance companies' profits ... at the expense of affordable health care."

Woodstock Institute's Call To Action

Angela Caputo — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:57:23 -0700

Determined to curtail the financial industry's stranglehold on American consumers, Sen. Dick Durbin began pressing months ago for the creation of an independent agency that would protect consumers from predatory practices. Reining in the banks' extraordinary political power on Capitol Hill hasn't been easy. In what seemed like a sign of progress, legislation to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) surfaced in the House last week. But consumer watchdog groups such as Illinois' own Woodstock Institute (WI) aren't ready to cheer yet.

The reason? Since the proposal was initially floated by the White House, a key safeguard has been stripped from Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Barney Frank's bill (HR 3126). The provision in question would have left the modernization of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) in the hands of the newly-created watchdog agency -- rather than the financial services industry. Letting Wall Street-interests control the rewrite, WI argues, would weaken the expansion of loans to borrowers and communities of color. And they say allowing federal banking regulators to continue to enforce the CRA would have the equally negative effect of stifling development in impoverished communities.

In response, WI has put out a call to action, asking grassroots organizations to mobilize today to alert members of the Financial Services Committee (including Illinois Democratic Reps. Luis Gutierrez, Melissa Bean, and Bill Foster) that they need to reinsert this key provision back into the bill. From their blog:

[T]his new agency must be endowed with broad authority [to] protect consumers and communities from the financial industry’s worst practices. Regrettably, this crucial power was omitted in H.R.3126 now being considered by the House. The authority to implement and modernize CRA should fall to the CFPA ... Policymakers need to hear from constituents that this piece of the consumer protection plan is critical to advancing economic security and community prosperity in our state.

The banking lobbyists are already preparing a counter-campaign to defeat the bill, which will ultimately cost them billions by outlawing hidden fees and other abusive practices. As WI notes, it's going to take some early and aggressive campaigning by community-based organizations to take on such entrenched interests.

Foster Endorses Strong Public Option

Adam Doster — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:59:13 -0700

As we've noted before, Democrats will have to stay united if they want to pass health care reform in Washington this year. (After all, Republicans aren't so keen on the approach favored by the president and congressional leaders.) And any meaningful reform should include a strong public option -- a government-run insurance plan which would be able to negotiate the price of services, lower administrative costs, and apply competitive pressure to private insurers.

Some lawmakers in the Illinois congressional delegation have already come out in support of such a plan. While Rep. Dan Lipinski endorsed the "level-playing field option" -- in which the government-run plan would be granted no special advantages over private insurers -- Rep. Phil Hare told grassroots organizers last week that any a bill without a robust public option is "like a car without a motor." Now Rep. Bill Foster is falling in line with his colleagues.

Coming off his disappointing vote against the climate change bill, Foster and 21 members of the New Democrat and Blue Dog coalitions wrote a letter (PDF) to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last Wednesday signaling their support for a strong public option without a trigger option (meaning that a government-run plan would only be created if private insurers failed to meet certain cost and coverage criteria after multiple years.) Downtowner at the Progressive Fox has some analysis:

Where this letter is concerned, these 22 New Democrats and Blue Dogs are essentially breaking with their coalitions to offer support for a strong public option that may prove critical to actually achieving some reform that will move us toward actual health care for all.

While not all moderate Dems will back the public option, it makes economic sense to do so. Early projections from the Congressional Budget Office, obtained by The New Republic's Jonathan Cohn, estimate that such a provision would save about $150 billion over ten years. It's a number that other moderates like Rep. Melissa Bean should look at closely.