LOS ANGELES AND WASHINGTON — Even as President Obama toured Europe his administration pressed its healthcare reform campaign Monday in Los Angeles with a forum co-hosted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who lost his bid in California to make many of the changes now on the table in Washington.
Reform is overdue, the governor said. "No one can look at our healthcare system and say that the system is fair or a good return on what we spend, and this consensus can help us pass significant bipartisan reforms into law."
A wide array of forum participants, including hospital and insurance company executives and the mother of a teenager who died from a preventable hospital-acquired infection, gave voice to the grow- ing desire for change. But the presentation was light on details.
Universal coverage -- health insurance for all Americans -- was widely touted, but there was no discussion of how to achieve that goal.
The forum, the fifth in a series the White House organized around the country over the last month, comes as senior Democrats on Capitol Hill move ahead on drafting legislation to be introduced later this spring to overhaul the nation's healthcare system.
The president and his congressional allies have pledged that the bill will expand coverage to some 46 million uninsured people, rein in costs and improve the quality of care.
The White House billed the five forums as a way to get public input. But the invitation-only event in Los Angeles was clearly programmed to showcase the broad goals Obama has said he wants included in the legislation, including an emphasis on prevention, as well as secure and affordable coverage for everyone, regardless of age or preexisting conditions.
Schwarzenegger, who hosted the event with Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, marveled at the White House support for reform. "Isn't it nice to have a president who is passionate about healthcare?" Schwarzenegger said. "I love it."
In making his case for a healthcare overhaul, Schwarzenegger took a swipe at the insurance company practice of canceling members' coverage after they get sick over purported application misstatements about preexisting conditions. "That is unacceptable," the governor said.
Schwarzenegger's $14.9-billion proposal intended to provide medical insurance for nearly all Californians died in the state Senate last year.
