WASHINGTON — In its second year, a national public-relations blitz called "Cover the Uninsured Week" appears to have achieved the political equivalent of must-see TV.
Last year's 800-odd events have mushroomed to more than 2,100, and scores of elected and would-be elected officials, including presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry, have gone before the cameras to pay homage to the week's healthcare theme.
They're all talking about ways to help the nation's 44 million uninsured to get health coverage.
But some analysts wonder whether the lawmakers who are rolling out new proposals and recycling old ones are more concerned about scoring political points than finding solutions to the problems generated by a fractured healthcare system.
Despite the equally fervent declarations coming from every side that, as Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) said, "Now is not soon enough to get the job done," fundamental philosophical differences -- as well as the war in Iraq, terrorism fears and the federal budget deficit -- will continue to determine what, if anything, comes of all the talk.
Across the country, groups from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to the AFL-CIO, from the Southern Baptist Convention to the Islamic Society of North America, have sponsored workshops, town hall meetings and news conferences this week to call attention to the problems caused by rising healthcare costs and shrinking coverage -- and to demand government action.
But in the nation's capital, the policy proposals presented by separate groups of Republican and Democratic lawmakers have almost nothing in common and come wrapped in political invective directed at the other side.
For instance, Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) said Tuesday the key difference between the Republicans' targeted, tax-based proposals and Democratic bills to expand existing government programs was "the choice [between] superior healthcare for most Americans and finding ways to include the rest of the Americans, or mediocre healthcare for all Americans."
Neil Trautwein, chief healthcare lobbyist for the National Assn. of Manufacturers, said he supported the Senate GOP package -- developed in consultation with the White House -- precisely because its proposals were limited in scope.
They include previous proposals, such as malpractice reform and tax credits, as well as a new plan to forgive some student loans for college graduates who invest in tax-free, high-deductible tax savings plans.
