EL: In Washington, a win for President Obama, as the healthcare bill was passed in the Senate Finance Committee, taking him one step closer to reforming healthcare in America. The latest bill will require most Americans to buy health insurance or face a penalty. Insurance companies will no longer be able to turn down coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions. But the measure still faces stiff opposition. A new report by a health insurance industry group says the overhaul will drive up costs on families' annual premiums by as much as $4,000 over the next decade. Karen Ignani is President of the group America's Health Insurance Plans. She says the bill passed in the Senate committee does not include enough penalties to force uninsured Americans to buy coverage:
KI: If you don't have everybody in the pool, you have a situation where people are encouraged to purchase only when they need it.
EL: Seven months ago, the insurance industry group pledged to support President Obama's plan:
KI: You have our commitment to play, to contribute, and to help pass healthcare reform this year.
EL: Georgetown University Professor Judy Feder says lobbyists often change their views as bills in Congress evolve:
JF: Healthcare interest groups like the insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the hospital industry, physicians, have a tremendous stake in any changes we make in our healthcare system or in the current system. And they are always very watchful about whether those changes are in their interests or in directions they believe will harm them.
EL: Feder says special interests played a critical role in defeating healthcare reform when President Bill Clinton was in the White House. In the early 90s, an insurance industry group tried to scare Americans away from healthcare reform with this commercial:
TV: It's run by tens of thousands of new bureaucrats. Another billion-dollar bureaucracy!
TV: A lot of that had to do with the aggressive opposition of those interests, along with some business interests, particularly small business, who really attacked the plan.
EL: More than a decade later, the voices in support of reform are louder. The pharmaceutical industry, as well as the largest association of doctors, are standing with President Obama, making it a more even fight. Now, there's a new version of the old commercial:
TV: With a little more cooperation, a little less politics, we can get the job done this time.
EL: Public policy experts say putting pressure on lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and creating fear among American citizens, are all tools lobbyists use to influence the final outcome on the policies being debated in Congress. And fear is being used by both sides of the issue:
TV: A family lived here, until medical debt forced them into bankruptcy.
JF: They frighten people because the American public is very uncertain about the consequences of a big reform.
EL: There's still a long way to go to healthcare reform. The House and Senate will have to merge their bills. As to which groups get their way in this debate, that could depend on how public opinion evolves, and whether lawmakers feel they're better off voting for or against reform. Elizabeth Lee, VOA News.
标题
Lobbyists Influence Health Reform (VOA)
视频介绍
Voice of America - October 15, 2009
Report on the negative effect of lobbyists and special interest groups on the U.S. healthcare system.
