Democrats Get A Boost From Labor, Health Groups

Make way, Tea Partiers. Big Labor and friends came to town today.

While Democrats worked feverishly Wednesday to corral votes in support of a health care overhaul, they may be getting an assist from the 200 health advocacy groups, labor groups, religious coalitions and medical associations who urged lawmakers to pass the bill.

"Never before has such a diverse and large number of national organizations combined together to support major health reform legislation," said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a liberal health care advocacy group spearheading the effort at a news conference Wednesday morning.

The groups took out some big ads in Washington this week in support of the health overhaul bill's efforts to cut the deficit, end high premium increases, and end discrimination against people with existing health problems. "The cost of doing nothing is much too high," the ads say. The Service Employees International Union provided the money for the ads.

 

Pollack said even more organizations are waiting in the wings to jump on, once they see actual legislative language. For days, the Capitol Hill grist mill has been churning out some rumors that a bill reveal is imminent.

One of the key contentions in the bill has been whether and how to tax high-cost health insurance plans, and one of the trickiest groups to pin down has been labor unions. The labor unions are among the groups who have such "cadillac" plans, and they initially adamantly opposed the tax. The version of the bill the unions worked out with the President reduced that tax plan and delayed its implementation until 2018, compared to previous versions. The House is reportedly considering scaling it back further, but struggling with keeping the bill's deficit reduction goals.

Andy Stern, SEIU president, said at the news conference that his enthusiasm would not be reduced, even if Democrats make changes.

"It won't change my opinion," Stern said. "This bill should pass, no matter what is changed." Stern said he was confident however, that the "appropriate" level of an excise tax that "makes most Americans happy" would be included in final legislation.

Upping the ante, earlier this week, Stern told The New York Times he'd back independent candidates who run against Democrats who vote against health reform.