Following last Thursday's embattled health care summit at the Blair House, President Obama kept the heat on in Washington to press forward with comprehensive health care reform, announcing on Wednesday his time table for a final effort on health reform.  Calling on Congress to schedule a final vote this month, Obama emphasized that sufficient debate has occurred over the last year and that the American people deserve an up or down vote on a final package.   While the President was careful not to mention budget reconciliation, his intentions to move forward despite strong Republican objections were clear.

 
The President's speech was followed by a White House press conference on Thursday where press secretary Robert Gibbs provided more specifics on the President's plan for passing health reform.  According to Gibbs, the White House expects to see the House pass the Senate proposal by March 18 before the President embarks on a weeklong trip to Indonesia. Following a House vote on the Senate reform package, the two chambers would face the daunting task of attempting to bridge their differences along with the changes President Obama seeks through the budget reconciliation process.
 
However, the White House faces not only stiff opposition from the GOP but also doubts from Congressional Democrats that the President's timeline is realistic or that final passage of comprehensive health care reform is possible. The House is unlikely to vote on the Senate-based bill before the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) provides cost estimates for any proposal.  Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is also running into numerous challenges gathering the 216 votes necessary to pass a bill. In addition to general concerns expressed by moderates about the bill's content, many liberal House Democrats are demanding a firm commitment from the Senate that they will have the 51 votes necessary to accept their changes in budget reconciliation. 
 
The Senate bill includes many ground-breaking oral health provisions.  In addition to including oral health services for children as an essential benefit, the Senate bill also invests in the oral health workforce by expanding training programs for dentists and funding grants to demonstrate the impact of alternative dental providers.  The Senate bill also includes an unprecedented effort in oral health prevention by including provisions such as an oral health public education campaign; research grants for dental caries management; school-based dental sealant programs in all 50 states; allowing school-based health centers to use funds for dental programs; and authorizing an expansion of CDC grants to improve oral health.
 
To learn more about the budget reconciliation process, go to the House Rules Committee website at www.rules.house.gov.

Contact your Senators and Representatives today to thank them for moving forward with health reform and to encourage them to preserve the important  health provisions in the House and Senate bills.  For talking points and more information on the House and Senate bills, go to CDHP's Senate Health Reform Toolbox and House Health Reform Toolbox.

To find out who your elected officials are and how to reach them, call the U.S. Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121 or go to the web sites of the U.S. House of Representatives (www.house.gov) and U.S. Senate (www.senate.gov).