The New Health Dialogue

Last week, President Obama called for a bipartisan health reform summit to be held February 25th. On Friday, the administration issued a formal invitation to the meeting. There is still a lot of political skirmishing about the meeting, who’s invited, and who is actually going to show -- but the following members of Congress should mark their calendars for 10am on February 25th. 

• Senator Harry Reid, D-NV, Majority Leader
• Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY, Republican Leader
• Senator Richard Durbin, D-IL, Majority Whip
• Senator Jon Kyl, R-AZ, Republican Whip
• Senator Max Baucus, D-MT, Chairman of the Finance Committee
• Senator Chuck Grassley, R-IA, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee
• Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
• Senator Mike Enzi, R-WY, Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
• Senator Christopher Dodd, D-CT, Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
• Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA
• Representative Steny Hoyer, D-MD, Majority Leader
• Representative John Boehner, R-OH, Republican Leader
• Representative James Clyburn, D-SC, Majority Whip
• Representative Eric Cantor, R-VA, Republican Whip
• Representative Charles Rangel, D-NY, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee
• Representative Dave Camp, R-MI, Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee
• Representative Henry Waxman, D-CA, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee
• Representative Joe Barton, R-TX, Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee
• Representative George Miller, D-CA, Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee
• Representative John Kline, R-MN, Ranking Member of the Education and Labor Committee
• Representative John Dingell, D-MI, Chair Emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee

The meeting will be held at the Blair House and will be broadcasted live.

The invitation also came with a promise that the final version of the Democratic health care legislation would be posted online before the meeting. We’re not exactly sure what the final version of the combined House and Senate bills will look like, but we’ve got a general idea, based on the negotiations that went on before the Massachusetts election. The invitation also called on Republicans to post their own comprehensive health plan. As the President said during the State of the Union, he’s open to any ideas that will accomplish meaningful reform -- end insurance company abuses, contain costs, expand coverage, and reduce the deficit.