Obama Regime Prompts Faith Groups To Promote The Health Care "Reform"

Beware the collusion of State and Religion.  Churches have no business trotting out the propaganda of any administration.

From Politico and Alliance Defense Fund:


Administration asks faith groups to do outreach – POTUS marks six months with ‘backyard’ meeting – GOP keeps after Sebelius for answers, plans Berwick event – NAIC meets at the White House

By: SARAH KLIFF & JENNIFER HABERKORN on September 22, 2010 @ 6:13 AM



PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN: POTUS, SEBELIUS ASK FAITH LEADERS TO OUTREACH - With health reform’s popularity steadily slipping, top administration officials turned to faith-based groups that supported the law to do their part explaining it. On an hour-long conference call Tuesday, they outlined the Patients’ Bill of Rights and asked faith-based and community groups to get the word out on the new provisions. “I wanted to have this call because we have a big day coming up, the six-month anniversary of health reform’s passage,” President Obama told leaders on the conference call, hosted through Health and Human Services’ Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Obama later added that, “The debate in Washington is over, the Affordable Care Act is now law. ...I think all of you can be really important validators and trusted resources for friends and neighbors, to help explain what’s now available to them.” Joshua DuBois, head of the White House’s Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, got even more specific: “Get the word out there, get information out there. Make use of the resources described on this call: the website, door hangers, one pagers and so forth. We’ve got work to do.”



Good Wednesday Morning. “For good times, for bad times, I’ll be on your side forever more. That’s what Pulse is for.”



DRIVING YOUR DAY: SIX-MONTH BONANZA KICKS OFF - The White House wants all eyes on the rollout of popular insurance reforms that come online tomorrow. Expect to hear a lot from the administration on “ending the insurance industries worst practices,” “critical new insurance protections” and all those new provisions they love to tout: dependent coverage up to age 26, end to lifetime limits, preventive care without co-pays and no more pre-exs for kids.



--AGENDA: President Obama and Secretary Sebelius trek to Falls Church, Va., at 11:45 a.m. for a “backyard” meeting with an individual who has a chronic condition and will benefit from reform’s end to lifetime limits on benefits. The White House also rolls out this morning a revamped health reform website, featuring stories from every state of the law’s impact. The new site www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform



--WILL IT SWAY AN UNIMPRESSED PUBLIC? “Six months after President Barack Obama signed the Democrats’ bill into law, more Americans still oppose it than support it – and a smooth implementation process has done virtually nothing to change the negative feelings that arose during the long legislative debate. ‘It’s the tale of two health reform laws,’ said Drew Altman, president and chief executive officer of the Kaiser Family Foundation. ‘The politics are as ugly as ever … on the other hand, the actual implementation of the law – delivering major elements of the law, within the tight timetable required under the law – has been going extremely well.’” More from the PULSE team in POLITICO print http://politi.co/cQiIyx



NAIC MEETS WITH WHITE HOUSE - About 30 state commissioners are expected to attend the White House meeting this morning to discuss implementation of the reform law so far and what’s to come down the road. Secretaries Sebelius and Solis are expected to attend. President Obama is slated to “drop by” the meeting at 10:35 a.m.



SEBELIUS’ NO. 1 CHALLENGE - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says the hardest part of her job hasn’t been implementing an overhaul of the insurance system or pushing out numerous regulations on tight deadlines – it’s batting back a constant “drumbeat” of “erroneous information.” The POLITICO Interview http://politi.co/cbjznb



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READ THE WHOLE POST: Administration asks faith groups to do outreach – POTUS marks six months with ‘backyard’ meeting – GOP keeps after Sebelius for answers, plans Berwick event – NAIC meets at the White House
 
Administration asks faith groups to do outreach – POTUS marks six months with ‘backyard’ meeting – GOP keeps after Sebelius for answers, plans Berwick event – NAIC meets at the White House


FIRST IN PULSE: GOP KEEPS AFTER SEBELIUS FOR ANSWERS - Sens. Grassley and Enzi sound like they’re getting frustrated with a lack of responses coming out of HHS on whether the reform law is leading to premium increases. “We requested a response [to a July 22 letter] no later than August 6, 2010, and we have been patient over the past month and a half with the hope that providing additional time would allow for a more thorough response to our questions,” they write. They cite numerous studies suggesting that the reform law could be responsible for rate increases of more than the 1 to 2 percent the administration predicts. Enzi and Grassley say that if the administration has evidence disputing it, they want to see it. The letter http://politi.co/cYgv9w



--TO BE SURE - Sebelius has certainly been in front of the issue in letters to AHIP and in the press. But not to the Senate GOP.



GOP MARKS SIX MONTHS: BERWICK EVENT THURS - Several Republican senators have asked Dr. Berwick, the appointed head of CMS, to come to Capitol Hill Thursday for a forum on his controversial appointment and the implementation of the health reform law. The lawmakers, led by Sens. Grassley and Hatch, cite their frustration that Berwick hasn’t answered Senate questions after Obama recess-appointed him to his post without a confirmation hearing. Word is that Berwick hasn’t responded to the invitation yet, but Pulse doesn’t think Republicans are waiting by the phone.



--HEALTH REFORM BY THE GOP’S NUMBERS - The Republican Policy Committee is circulating a memo, also to mark the anniversary, with a by-the-numbers look at how “the legislation falls short with respect to costs, premiums, preserving Americans’ existing coverage, and providing full transparency and accountability.” Among their stats:



--4,103 – Pages of regulations issued on the health care law through Sept. 17, 2010

--12 – Number of final regulations not subjected to public scrutiny before taking effect

--5 – Missed implementation deadlines to date.

Memo http://politi.co/cJTiPU



--MEANWHILE, IN THE HOUSE - Rep. Phil Gingrey and the GOP’s Doctors Caucus holds a press conference on the six-month anniversary of the health law today. They plan to highlight the promises in the legislation that haven’t come true, as well as how the law has been detrimental to the economy, jobs and small businesses.



--ALSO: AGENDA OUT TODAY - House Republicans plan to reveal their legislative agenda to the press Thursday and to members tonight (so expect to start hearing about it tonight). The agenda is expected to include some health reform-related items as well as changes to entitlements. Abortion could come into play as well.



PULSE SNEAK PEAK: NATIONAL WOMEN’S LAW CENTER’S PRO-REFORM CAMPAIGN - The group will go live Thursday with an “I Like...” online advertising campaign, playing off the Facebook “Like” feature, encouraging individuals to show their support for particular provisions. They have purchased ad space on Facebook, Huffington Post and Politico. Campaign site: http://bit.ly/avNXsy



...AND ANOTHER FIRST LOOK: CONSERVATIVE LETTER GOING TO COLLEGES, TOO - Defund It and Young Americans for Freedom are releasing a letter to college students across the country today to highlight how the legislation harms young people. It comes after U.S. PIRG sent a brochure highlighting the benefits of the law to the same age group. The letter http://politi.co/c2MRL4



FOOD SAFETY MOVES AHEAD - The legislation has been hotlined to come up in the Senate soon. Expect this to move quickly once Majority Leader Reid acts on it. POLITICO’s Meredith Shiner has the story http://politi.co/cinsfF



TOP TWEET - “@chuckgrassley: Is it tru drug indusry bhind Reid not bringUP foodSafty 2 protek BIGpharma deal w Obama2Stop DorganImport like B4 in HCR”



ICYMI: MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PREMIUMS TO DROP 1 PERCENT - The Obama administration announced Tuesday that average benefit costs will drop even as Medicare Advantage plans cover new, PPACA-mandated benefits. CMS officials chalk the drop up to more aggressive negotiating with providers, rejecting 298 of 2,100 proposed rate increases. The drop came as somewhat of a surprise and in contrast to Republicans’ claims that MA rates would increase next year. AHIP’s Karen Ignagni responded by predicting further problems on the horizon: “As deep cuts go into effect in the coming years, government experts have forecasted that millions of seniors will experience higher costs, reduced benefits and fewer choices.” NYT write up http://nyti.ms/b951PY



HAPPENING TODAY - The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s health subcommittee holds a hearing on cutting waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid at 10 a.m. … The subcommittee on oversight and investigations holds a noon hearing on the Salmonella egg outbreak. … Robin Schepper, executive director of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative, gives the keynote address at the Bipartisan Policy Center’s “Back to School: How Public Policy is Affecting our Children’s Diets” event at 8 a.m.



WHAT WE’RE READING



The administration offers insurers “a grace period to implement several new health reform requirements pertaining to the internal claims appeals process,” Inside Health Policy reports (subscription required). http://bit.ly/dk3UBz



A quarter of Americans believe health reform will create death panels; half think it will raise their taxes, the latest AP poll finds. http://bit.ly/cTp0OJ



Citing the high cost of medical malpractice insurance, Sen. Tom Coburn says he is no longer delivering babies. http://bit.ly/bnujsb



Health care reform, explained in 9 minutes, in cartoon form. http://bit.ly/9qXObX



State workers will bear the brunt of health reform's implementation. http://bit.ly/aiIOBl