Word from the White House: CBO Score & Bipartisan Momentum

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8TH, 2009 AT 11:31 AM
Word from the White House: CBO Score & Bipartisan Momentum
Posted by Jesse Lee
It's no secret that institutions of all stripes focus their communications on certain messages day to day. We thought it would all be a little more open and transparent if we went ahead and published what our focus will be for the day, along with any related articles, reports or documents.

Supporting report: "Preliminary Analysis of the Senate Finance Committee Chairman's Mark As Amended," Congressional Budget Office, 10/8/09

Supporting article: "Dole and Daschle Endorse a Health Care Overhaul," New York Times, October 7, 2009



Talking Points: CBO Score of the Finance Committee Bill

· Yesterday’s CBO score of the final Senate Finance Committee bill is another major step forward for health insurance reform.

· The analysis confirms what President Obama has been saying for months: We can provide stability and security for Americans with insurance and affordable options for uninsured Americans without adding a dime to our national deficit.

· In fact, the CBO reports that the bill would actually reduce the deficit over the next two decades.

· At the same time, it would drastically reduce the number of Americans living without coverage and protect Americans from some of the insurance industry’s worst practices – like denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition, or dropping or watering down coverage when you get sick and need it most.

· There remains work to be done. Congress still has to incorporate ideas from the various proposals into one final bill.

· But there is remarkable consensus among those bills. We are already far closer to health insurance reform than ever before.

· And yesterday’s CBO analysis is yet another important step along the way.


Talking Points: Bipartisan Momentum for Reform Continues to Swell

· The CBO’s encouraging report comes as bipartisan momentum for health insurance reform continues to swell.

· Yesterday, Former Senate Majority Leader and Republican Presidential Nominee Bob Dole added his voice to the increasingly bipartisan call for reform.
o He said, "Now we’ve got to do something" on health care.
o And he blamed "partisanship" for opposition to reform, saying, "Sometimes people fight you just to fight you."

· Senator Dole is just the latest in a string of high profile Republicans and Independents to endorse health insurance reform in the past week.
o He joins former Bush Administration Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson; Republican-turned-Independent New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist; and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

· These latest endorsements join a wide array from across the spectrum.
o More than 1,000 state legislators from every corner of America have signed onto letters citing the urgent need for health insurance reform.
o 22 Governors from states across the nation also signed a letter calling for reform.
o Leading groups representing doctors, nurses, consumers, seniors, and even drug and insurance companies have all agreed that the status quo is unsustainable.

· This is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue – it’ a moral issue. The time for bickering is over, now it’s time to act.