Reich: Obama Must Increase Pressure To Reform Health Care

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NPR interviewed Robert Reich, professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and former Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, on the steps President Barack Obama needs to take to successfully reform health care. Recently, Reich sent Obama a memo "outlining six things the president must to do save universal health care." Reich told NPR that 'health care is stalling in the Senate," and Obama must "fire people up" and "be tough" to counter the medical industry, which has "some of the most formidable lobbies in the country." Reich said that Obama is only going to succeed if he "counts noses, cajoles, twists arms, threatens - and I think he does have it in him." He adds that while "bipartisanship is a noble aspiration," "we're getting to the point where the president has got to say if I do not get your votes on this, Republicans, I'm going to go through reconciliation. I'm going to do it without you" (Martin, 6/29).

This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org.

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