President Obama says he has not given up on major health care legislation, and his new budget backs him up. The $3.8 trillion budget released by the White House on Monday includes $150 billion in deficit reduction over 10 years on the presumption that a health care bill will be adopted.
As a result, it seems that the budget reflects multiple layers of optimism. First, it presumes that despite the bleak outlook at the moment, Democrats will figure out a way to get the legislation approved over fierce Republican opposition. Then, it presumes that the bill will truly reduce future deficits.
In a statement Monday night, Representative Anthony Weiner, Democrat of New York, said: “Hidden clue in budget documents — health care reform is alive.”
Mr. Weiner, in a statement, said that Mr. Obama’s decision to include the health care savings in the budget showed “that he still believes health care reform will pass.”
Mr. Weiner added, “I hope he is right.”
http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/new-us-budget-assumes-passage-of-health-care-bill/?src=twt&twt=nytimes