Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) shot back at Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) after the latter called Grassley's office saying that he has been spreading "myths" about "death panels" and healthcare reform.
The Senate Finance Committee ranking member tweeted Friday:
Specter got it all wrong that I ever used words "death boards". Even liberal press never accused me of that. So change ur last Tweet Arlen
Specter tweeted an hour earlier that he called Grassley's office to tell him to stop spreading falsehoods about end-of-life provisions in the healthcare reform bill.
Earlier this week, the Iowa Republican echoed claims first made by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) that the end-of-life provision would create a government "death panel" that would decide end-of-life issues but did not use the her phrase.
Such decisions "ought to be done within the family. We should not have a government program that determines if you're going to pull the plug on grandma," Grassley said.
Grassley announced yesterday that the Finance Committee would drop end-of-life provisions from its version of the bill "because of the way they could be misinterpreted and implemented incorrectly."
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) called his Republican colleague Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) to ask him to stop spreading "myths" about healthcare reform legislation and "death panels."
The Pennsylvania Democrat's call demonstrates growing tension between his party and Grassley, who is the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee and lead GOP negotiator on healthcare reform.
Called Senator Grassley to tell him to stop speading myths about health care reform and imaginary "death panels."
Had to leave a message - for now. I will talk to him soon.
Grassley announced yesterday that the Finance Committee would drop end-of-life provisions from its version of the bill "because of the way they could be misinterpreted and implemented incorrectly."
Earlier this week, the Iowa Republican echoed claims first made by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) that the end-of-life provision would create a government "death panel" that would decide end-of-life issues.
Such decisions "ought to be done within the family. We should not have a government program that determines if you're going to pull the plug on grandma," Grassley said.
Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) recently claimed that the end-of-live provision in the healthcare reform legislation would create a government "death panel" to decide such issues. But during her term as governor, she signed a resolution that "encouraged hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, and hospices" to help patients make end-of-life plans.
In 2008, Palin signed a state resolution proclaiming April 16 as "Heathcare Decisions Day," which was "designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for healthcare decisions, related to end of life care and medical decision-making whenever patients are unable to speak for themselves."
The resolution also encouraged people to draft "advance directives to communicate these important healthcare decisions."
The provision expressed hope that "more citizens will have conversations about their healthcare decisions; more citizens will execute advance directives to make their wishes known; and fewer families and healthcare providers will have to struggle with making difficult healthcare decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient."
In a Facebook message yesterday, Palin criticized the House legislation for encouraging doctors to initiate end-of-life consultations, suggesting that elderly patients would feel pressured not to accept treatment.
A strong proponent of health reform has declined to hold town halls on the subject because he believes they are a "forum for confusion."
"Well, I think it's a big distraction it's a forum for confusion," Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) told WBEN radio in Buffalo on Friday. "The people who are advocating for town hall meetings, we know where they're at they're opposed to healthcare reform."
The third-term Democrat added that he was a strong supporter of the current House health bill, H.R. 3200, saying that "it gets us on a path away from fees for service and toward complete care."
"Don't talk about a European system, let's not talk about a Canadian system. Let's talk about an American system," the Ways and Means Committee member added.
Although Higgins believes the existing bill provides an excellent fix to America's healthcare system, he indicated that provisions of the bill may change.
"There is a lot of debate left" before any plan is approved, he said.
A Texas House Republican who participated in the health reform negotiations said that Congress does not have the political capital to pass the legislation and that only President Barack Obama can get the bill ratified.
"Congress doesn't have the credibility or the popularity to do something this large," Rep. Michael C. Burgess (R-Tex.) told Fox News on Thursday. "Really, this is something on which the president is going to have to lead."
Burgess, who is a physician, is chair of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee. Centrist Blue Dog Democrats on his committee brokered a deal with House leadership to pass their version of the bill just before August recess.
But Burgess explained that the president would have to do more to pass the bill through both chambers. The House and the Senate do not have floor versions of the bill up for consideration.
"The president does have the poll numbers but for whatever reason has kind of held back and has been defending the plans of five individual Democratic committee chairmen, which is a little bit odd from my perspective," he said.
The fourth-term congressman added that under health reform as it stands, private individual insurance "will likely go away and go away fairly quickly."
Employer based plans, he said, would take at least five years to "erode away."
Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) said that if Democratic healthcare reform becomes law, it will engender the "largest largest expansion of abortion in the United States since Roe v. Wade."
Franks made his remarks while touting an alternative bill sponsored by fellow Arizona Republican Rep. John Shadegg that was introduced in mid-July.
The bill provides refundable tax credits to defray medical costs amongst other reforms, but is not expected to receive further consideration.
"You know, one of the side issues that nobody pays any attention to, this healthcare plan will be the largest expansion of aboriton in the United States since Roe v. Wade, " Franks said on Fox News on Sunday. "Only this time it will be paid for taxpayer dollars."
"People don't see that as healthacare," he added.
The fourth-term Republican also claimed that the Democratic health insurance reform bill would strip people of "control" over their healthcare.
Obama administration official Linda Douglass on Sunday dismissed claims that the White House has tried to compile an "enemies list" and censor debate on healthcare reform legislation.
Last week, the White House made a blog post accusing opponents of spreading "disinformation" on healthcare and encouraged supporters to submit "fishy" information floating around the internet.
"We don't have a list we're not keeping any of the sources of information those are all crazy charges," said Douglass, who is Communications Director of the White House Office of Health Reform. Douglass appeared on CNN's "Reliable Sources" on Sunday.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) sent the White House a letter at the end of last week expressing concern that the Obama administration may be collecting personal information belonging to their vocal opponents.
Douglass also responded to criticism that the White House has tried to stifle debate. She said people were entitled to their opinion but "there is a lot of misinformation and as I said in the video there is a lot of 'disinformation,' that's information that's meant to mislead you."
"There is a lot of effort to scare people," the former ABC newswoman added.
Additionally, Douglass refuted the YouTube clip that sparked the controversy. The video montage featured Obama speaking favorably about a single-payer healthcare system during his time as a senator.
"He didn't have a different position when he was a senator," she said, explaining he was speaking hypothetically at the time.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on Sunday that he is "open" to a final healthcare bill that does not include a public health insurance option.
"I support a public option but yes, I am open," to its absence he said on CNN's "State of the Union."
Durbin stressed that keeping the three Republican senators, Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), and ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), still negotiating with Finance Committee Democrats is key to passing a successful bill.
"We want to keep them negotiation we are determined to get a bill to the floor, it doesn't have to be a
perfect bill," he added. "I don't want this process filibustered to failure."
Durbin expressed that getting a bipartisan bill to the floor after recess was his top priority and that the conference committee could rectify differences between the House and Senate versions, including a public option.
Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) set a September 15 deadline to bring a bipartisan healthcare reform bill to a vote in his influential committee.Some Democrats have said they would force a party-line vote if the deadline is not met.
Below are web videos of President Barack Obama and the Republican weekly address. This week, Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell spoke on behalf of the Republicans, highlighting his rising star in the party.
President Obama used his address to hit back at critics of healthcare reform legislation and re-take ownership of the debate. McDonnell said Obama's proposals on climate change, union card-check, and heat insurance reform will only lead to a plunge in unemployment.
New York Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel is open to criticism at his healthcare town hall meetings, but he would prefer if he heard civil arguments from constituents in his district.
"What I care about is the attempt to shout people down and to disrupt the meetings," Engel said on Fox News Saturday morning.
"I think you do have people who are going district-to-district who attempt to just shout people down and make it impossible to have a meeting," he added.
Democrats harshly criticized hostile town hall audiences this week, saying that Republicans and special interest groups incited "rabid right wing extremists" to disruopt town hall meetings with raucous protests. Some town halls have even turned violent.
Engel, who sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said "I just wished that calmer heads would prevail."
"There are legitimate concerns being voiced, there are also people like myself who who believe we need a healthcare reform and we need it soon," he added.
The Energy and Commerce Committee passed their version of the health insurance reform bill on July 31, just before the House broke for recess.
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