Not enough votes for the bill, but the smart people say don't panic

So far, Greg, McJoan and Josh all say don't panic.

Pelosi’s claims are going to sound awful to those who want the House to pass the Senate bill already. But let’s be as clear as possible: Pelosi did not rule this option out.

The key is that Pelosi said the bill can’t pass the House “at this time” or “right now.” What’s more, this doesn’t address another possibility being studied by House leaders right now: Passing the Senate bill while simultaneously creating a mechanism that would make it possible, or even mandatory, to fix the bill later through reconciliation, meaning those fixes would only require 51 votes in the Senate.

If such a mechanism were created, it might — repeat, might — induce enough House Dems to reconsider, making it possible for them to pass the Senate bill. No one knows how feasible such a mechanism would be. But it’s being studied as we speak.

President's Weekly Address: Health Care Reform, the Key to Our Fiscal Future

Live Streaming Video: President Obama holds town hall meeting on health care in Green Bay, Wis.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Cartoon of the Day

This is the week it's all going to explode. Click to enlarge, via.

Out-of-pocket health costs up 34 percent

I hope the President is paying attention because some of the lesser Dems are trying to screw this up every chance they get.

BETHESDA, Md., June 3 (UPI) -- U.S. adults with employer-provided health coverage faced an average $729 in out-of-pocket costs for deductibles and co-payments in 2007, researchers said.

The study, authored by researchers from the National Opinion Research Center and Watson Wyatt Worldwide for The Commonwealth Fund, found that employees' annual out-of-pocket healthcare expenses increased by 34 percent from 2004 to 2007.

In 2007, adults with employer coverage paid an average of $729 in out-of-pocket expenses for medical services, the study said.

"The years from 2004-2007 were a period of economic expansion, yet rising healthcare costs still eroded the value of employer-sponsored coverage," lead author Jon Gabel, a senior fellow at National Opinion Research Center in Bethesda, Md., said in a statement.

Cartoon of the Day

Click to enlarge, via.

CNN Poll: Americans OK with more government influence in return for lower health care costs

Yesssss.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A new national poll indicates that most Americans are receptive to having more government influence over their health care in return for lower costs and more coverage.

Sixty-three percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Friday said they would favor an increase in the federal government's influence over their own health-care plans in an attempt to lower costs and provide coverage to more Americans; 36 percent were opposed.

The poll also suggests that slightly more than six out of 10 think the government should guarantee health care for all Americans, with 38 percent opposed.

(snip)

The poll indicates a partisan split. Democrats overwhelmingly support increased government influence over their health-care coverage in return for lower costs and great coverage for more Americans. Six out of 10 independents feel the same way, but only one in four Republicans agree.

"Opposition to President Barack Obama's health-care plan is ideological. It comes from Republicans and Conservatives. You are not hearing a lot of opposition right now from the business community and the health-care industry," Schneider said.

Paul Begala Warns Democrats on Health Care

Good, I hope they listen.

Paul Begala has circulated a point-by-point rebuttal of GOP consultant Frank Luntz's widely read strategy memo on health care.

According to Politico, Begala argues that Luntz "aims to confuse voters about which party wants reform. He warns Democrats that they risk seeing their message co-opted and a health overhaul die this year unless they aggressively confront Luntz's tactics."

Writes Begala: "Because they know they cannot win the argument honestly, Republicans are resorting to mendacity. Democrats must not let them get away with it."

Fox manipulates video to attack Obama

Media Matters catches it, Jed documents it. They are accountable to no one.

Conservatives Launch $600,000 Ad Buy Against Obama's Health Plan

I was looking around for something interesting, and just heard this ad on my teevee. It's a cheesy ad on a cheesy website set up by a con man. Bravo Conservatives!!

Is Congress moving too quickly to stick major healthcare changes in a budget bill on the fast track for approval? Foes think so, and one, Conservatives for Patients' Rights Action Fund, tells us it is willing to spend $600,000 on ads to stop quick action. The group's angle: Compare the speed at which the bank bailout bill was passed with the pace of the healthcare plan.

The fund argues that the bailout moved so fast that nobody caught the AIG bonuses. "After the embarrassment of the AIG bonus scandal, these same people are now talking about ramming a $634 billion healthcare plan through Congress, and we still don't have any details," says Rick Scott, the fund's founder. The ads will run on CNN and Fox.

Matt has more background here.

Democrats Likely to Bypass Senate GOP on Health Care

Yes, yes, yes. As the saying goes, it's majority not super majority rules!

Congressional Democrats are likely to use a parliamentary procedure to win passage this year of a national health-insurance program, the Wall Street Journal reports.

"For Congress to pass such a monumental program using a special maneuver would be unusual. But the tactic -- allowing legislation to pass the Senate with 51 votes rather than the 60 need to overcome a possible filibuster -- has been used by Republican and Democratic administrations to secure major initiatives, from Bill Clinton's tax increases in 1993 to George W. Bush's tax cuts in 2001 and 2003."

Cartoon of the Day

Click to enlarge. Via.

Obama May Talk About Health Care During Big Prime-Time Speech

Now that's a helluva good idea. Pre-emptive strike baby!!

President Obama may make health care a theme of the big prime-time speech he’s making next Tuesday about the major challenges facing this country, Obama aides confirm to me.

This could be a big deal, particularly if Obama uses the high-visibility speech (which will be made before Congress) to press the case that health care reform is essential to righting our economy.

Gupta vs. Moore

I had forgot about this until Gotta reminded me. Sorry, my head is somewhere else this afternoon.... h/t Ben.