Democratic leaders reacted defensively to the criticism. “We will continue to keep the American people informed, as we have in the earlier stages,’’ said Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, mentioning that hundreds of hearings and town hall meetings have been held.
But as a candidate, Obama pledged he would be “bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are.’’
That has not occurred, and C-SPAN released a letter yesterday that its CEO, Brian Lamb, sent last week to congressional leaders. “Now that the process moves to the critical stage of reconciliation between the chambers, we respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American,’’ Lamb wrote.
Obama wants to sign sweeping legislation to extend insurance coverage by the time of his State of the Union speech, expected early next month. White House officials say the separate House and Senate bills have 95 percent in common. But pressure for a final bill means Democratic congressional leaders are likely to bypass formal negotiations as they reach for a deal.
In the negotiations, House Democrats face the virtual certainty that they will not get the government-run insurance plan liberals had sought, a point Speaker Nancy Pelosi acknowledged. “There are other ways to do that, and we look forward to having those discussions,’’ she said.
Pelosi met yesterday with senior Democrats to go over the major issues, and later met with Obama at the White House, with Senate majority leader Harry Reid joining by telephone.
In exchange for losing the federal “government option,’’ House Democrats say they intend to press the Senate to make premiums more affordable for Americans. The outcome of the talks could mean savings of hundreds of dollars for families buying coverage through new insurance supermarkets created by the legislation.
Major subsidies under the bills won’t start flowing to consumers until 2013 at the earliest. Even with federal aid many families would still face substantial costs.
