This week's focus on health care reform continues for a third day, with President Obama meeting with key House leaders to reiterate that health care reform will happen this year:
On Monday, Obama met with the leaders of major healthcare interest groups and announced that they had pledged to reduce national healthcare spending by $2 trillion over 10 years. The following day, the president sat down with the chief executives of large employers and labor unions to discuss the strategies they had used to reduce their healthcare costs.
Obama addressed reporters following a meeting he and Vice President Biden held with Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) and House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.).
The president described the gathering as "encouraging" and an "extremely productive meeting."
"Legislation will be on the floor by the end of July, I am quite certain," Pelosi said.
Key Senate leaders had a similar meeting with the President last week, also committing to this fast timetable for enacting reform. That's likely to be more of a challenge, since Baucus is committed to usually elusive "bipartisanship" in their package. Should both bodies of Congress get far enough to have legislation completed by August recess, the remainder of the legislation session will be available for reconciliation and we'll very likely have reform this year--a smart goal. Passing this is going to be difficult enough. Trying to do it next year, in an election year, would be nigh on impossible.