Monday, Nov. 09, 2009

Pelosi tours Seattle hospital to see health care in action

SEATTLE -- Just two days after shepherding a landmark health-care bill through the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Seattle Monday to see how one hospital is already delivering care in much the same way as the bill proposes.

In her first public appearance since the House vote Saturday, Pelosi toured Swedish Medical Center flanked by two of her Democratic colleagues, Rep. Jim McDermott of Seattle and Rep. Jay Inslee of Bainbridge Island, Wash.

Swedish, the area's largest health-care system, has won notice for many quality innovations. Earlier this year, it opened a new primary-care clinic in Ballard, Wash., that is the nation's first to be created from scratch to follow the "medical home" model, in which teams of caregivers coordinate patient care using evidence-based medicine.

Pelosi, McDermott and Inslee briefly toured Swedish's sixth-floor intensive care unit, where a nurse boasted the hospital has gone nearly two years without an infection in a patient on a ventilator.

Pelosi's visit comes after a narrow vote in the House and with an alternate health-care bill facing tough odds in the Senate. The visit was arranged by McDermott's office and was finalized only late Sunday.

During a short news conference, Pelosi defended the inclusion of a late amendment to the House bill banning the use of public money to pay for abortions. She said it was tough to unite 220 members of Congress on a bill that was acceptable to each while extending coverage to almost all Americans.

All but one member of the Washington's Democratic delegation voted for the bill, which passed 220-215. The lone exception was Brian Baird of Vancouver, Wash.

Baird, one of 39 House Democrats to cross party lines, said he voted no because of lingering concerns about how the bill would affect premiums for people who already have coverage.

Economists and budget analysts have said expanding the nation's pool of insured people would make premiums go lower than they would be without the changes. However, the Congressional Budget Office had not completed its analysis of the issue, Baird said.

Baird also objected to the strict limit placed on amendments allowed to the bill.

For a matter of this importance, and on which reasonable people can and do disagree, there ought to be more opportunity granted for amendments on both sides.

Washington's three Republicans - Dave Reichert, Auburn; Doc Hastings, Pasco; Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Spokane - all voted against the bill.