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Three-and-a-half Questions: UMBC Professor of Political Science Roy Meyers
by kaltoons 
Three-and-a-half Questions!
Welcome back to day two of this week’s first ever session of Three-and-a-Half Questions!
Today’s guest is esteemed UMBC Professor of Political Science Roy Meyers. Dr Meyers ia an expert on government budgets and budget politics. We were in the middle of asking him about the current debate on health care policy… (USDemocrazy insights in green.)
2. Health care was supposed to be on the Obama administration’s first year list of “things to do.” What’s happening on Capital Hill now?
A lot. That’s because many believe that this is the year that major health reforms will finally pass. Hallelujah!
So here’s my prediction: by December, I expect that President Obama will have signed the “Kennedy-Dingell” health reform bill. (I’m hoping that Senator Kennedy will still be battling brain cancer when it is signed).
Rep. Dingell, the dean of the House, has been a long time advocate for a national health insurance system. His father, also a Washington politician first proposed a similar Health care bill in 1933.
Why do I say this year? We were going to ask you that…
President Obama has a lot of things going for him. He is a highly capable President with an electoral mandate. He has a first-class team of White House advisors, starting with Peter Orszag and Nancy DeParle. He also has a large margin of Democratic votes in both the House and Senate.
Obama also has very significant cooperation between powerful committee chairs in the Senate. (A bit less of this in the House, but Speaker Pelosi will crack some heads.) We’d like to see a video of that.
Most importantly, The Health care industry is now trying to cut a deal with the government. Back in 1992 when President Clinton tried to promote health care reform interest groups demolished his plan through effective advertising and lobbying .
So, times have changed…
True, Monday’s press conference with President Obama was only the latest evidence. Now hospitals, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies are pledging to help control costs.
Why might I be wrong? Come back tomorrow to learn more….
I like your optimism….but the health care bill will be pushed to next year and beyond. The public is NOT going to turn over 1/6 of the US economy to people who cannot manufacture enough H1N1 virus protection.
1. Please comment on the idea that the proponents of the health care reform bill have NOT read all 2,000 pages?
2. Another 800 pages of reforms have to be read, debated and voted on…oooops….I mean debated and voted on. Could you honestly vote for a bill that you have NOT read?
3. How can Congress be concerned with “health care costs” and do NOTHING about Tort Law reform….junk lawsuits?
Please, write an answer for each question.
Thaks,
J. Oravecz