House Vote on Patients' Rights Poses Risks for Bush (Update1)
By Laura Litvan and Kristen Hallam
Washington, July 25 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush today resumes his strongest lobbying campaign since the tax cut, trying to persuade House Republicans to stick with his version of legislation to give patients more rights in dealing with health care providers.
Bush will meet for the third time with about 15 members who are threatening to support a rival bill, which Bush says will increase lawsuits against employers and health plans.
Since enactment of his tax cut in early June, Bush has suffered a series of defeats in House votes on oil exploration, AIDS funding and trade with Mexico. A loss in this vote, tentatively set for Friday, will weaken his position as Congress turns to his energy policies, a Medicare prescription drug benefit for seniors and a minimum wage increase, analysts said.
``If he can't win on patients' bill of rights, it changes the bargaining dynamic on other bills,'' said Norm Ornstein, a congressional analyst with the American Enterprise Institute. ``There's a lot more at stake here.''
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao have been contacting members in support of Bush. Chao has made about 70 calls in the last three weeks and has visited with some members, said her spokeswoman, Sue Hensley.
``I've been involved to a much larger extent than I have ever envisioned,'' Chao said.
Concerns about the impact on Bush's presidency is weighing into the considerations of some wavering lawmakers.
``When it is a president of your own party, you have to realize that a defeat on this will hurt his whole agenda,'' said Representative Peter King, a New York Republican. Yesterday he announced he's backing Bush on the issue.
Bush's Bulwark
Since taking office, Bush has looked to the Republican-led House for wholesale support for his policies, seeking traction in negotiations with a Senate where Democrats have power to block his initiatives.
It worked with his tax cut. All House Republicans voted for his original $1.6 trillion plan. The final bill, pegged at $1.35 trillion, incorporated all the major elements of Bush's plan, and Democrats said it would end up cutting taxes by more than $1.6 trillion over a 10-year period.
More recently, dozens of Republicans have voted with Democrats against his policies. Among other things, they voted with Democrats to defeat his plan to lease land off the coast of Florida for oil and gas exploration and dampened his effort to expand trade with Mexico by voting to bar Mexican trucks from operating in the U.S.
Republican leaders in the House said that if it looks like they don't have the votes to give Bush a win, they'll likely delay the health measure until next week to give him more time.
``There's no better salesman than the president,'' said John Feehery, spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
Scaled-Back Bill
Representatives will choose between two bills that require insurers to allow more access to specialty care and let patients sue insurers if they're denied treatments. They differ over who can be sued and for how much, with Bush and House Republican leaders favoring a measure that has stricter limits on the ability to take cases to court.
Almost all Democrats are expected to vote for a bill sponsored by Representatives John Dingell of Michigan and Greg Ganske of Iowa. It's similar to a bill the Senate passed in June, and to a version that won 68 Republican votes last year. Bush said he'd veto it because it would allow too many lawsuits in state courts, under rules that would lead employers to drop health insurance because of legal liability.
Bush and Republican leaders have lined up behind a rival bill sponsored by Representative Ernie Fletcher. To pass it, Bush needs a nearly party-line vote in the House, where Republicans hold 12 seats more than Democrats.
The focus of the lobbying drive is 18 Republicans who voted last year for the Dingell-Norwood bill and against all alternatives, plus a few freshmen.
``This thing right now is a jump ball,''said House Majority Leader Dick Armey.
Individual Attention
Representative Jack Quinn, a New York Republican, found himself at the White House twice last month, and at breakfast with Chao where she brought up his interest in raising the $5.15-an- hour minimum wage.
He returned to Washington this week to find a message from Nick Calio, Bush's top lobbyist. He had a meeting scheduled with Fletcher. Ganske called to set up his own meeting.
Republican leaders are not just pleading to avoid another defeat for Bush. They're also in a position to offer legislative favors such as home-district projects for lawmakers or floor consideration of bills they sponsored.
``We don't have the candy store and they do,'' said Bill Cunningham, a lobbyist with the American Federation of Teachers, which includes 55,000 nurses and favors the Ganske-Dingell bill. ``They can offer members things that are unrelated to the bill.''
A Few Successes
The lobbying effort has made some inroads. Representative Mark Foley, Florida Republican, said he is leaning toward the Fletcher legislation. Among other things, he said, he figures any final legislation will be have stronger liability protections, once there is give-and-take with the Senate over a final bill.
``The Fletcher bill is very close to where I want to be,'' Foley said. ``I'm ready to move on to the next fight, which is in conference.''
Others, however, said voters back home won't forgive them for supporting the scaled-back version.
``This is an issue that constituents understand,'' said Representative Marge Roukema, New Jersey Republican. ``It's not abstract like campaign finance reform. It deals with life and death issues -- their health and safety.''
Still others, including Quinn and Representative Sherwood Boehlert, say they still haven't made up their minds.
``I'm still in fact-finding mode,'' said Boehlert, who will meet with Bush today. |
