Rep. Dennis Kucinich, lobbied hard and personally by President Barack Obama, Wednesday became the first House of Representatives Democrat to say he'll switch his vote on health care and vote yes.

The Ohio congressman was one of 39 Democrats to oppose the House bill Nov. 7. But Obama campaigned in his northeastern Ohio area Monday, and talked to him on Air Force One.

"I’ve decided to cast a vote in favor of the legislation,” Kucinich told a press conference on Capitol Hill. “If my vote is to be counted, let it count now for passage of the bill, hopefully in the direction of comprehensive health care reform.”

Kucinich, considered one of the House's most vocal liberals, said health care is a "civil right" and called the battle for change "historic."

The House hopes to vote on legislation this weekend, but no date has been set. Democrats control 253 of the currently-filled 431 seats, and 216 votes are needed for a majority--meaning the party can afford to lose few more members than those who voted no last time.

President Obama now expects Democrats can get the votes in Congress for final passage of the health care overhaul by March 21 - the calculation that triggered his announcement today that he will delay by three days his trip to Guam, Indonesia and Australia.

But shortly after the announcement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would not offer the same assurance.

"We're getting there," said her spokesman, Brendan Daly, when asked if she had the 216 votes needed for passage.

In addition, the mood of many lawmakers after a morning House Democrat meeting was hard to gauge. No decision has been made on whether new legislation will accept less restrictive Senate language--which in turn could anger about a dozen Democrats. And Blue Dogs, or conservatives, largely remained skeptical of the bill's cost.

The president's plan to expand coverage to 31 million more Americans and impose new regulations on the insurance industry is his biggest domestic policy promise.

Obama was scheduled to leave March 18 for the weeklong trip that includes a return to Jakarta, where he lived from ages 6-10. His wife and girls were to accompany him and it would have been Sasha and Malia's first trip to Indonesia. Instead, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced this morning, the trip would be delayed and the president's family would no longer accompany him.

A White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make a statement said that the president felt it was important to make the foreign trip as promised because the visits are important for furthering U.S. national security and economic interests.

"But obviously it's a critical time in the health care debate as well and the president felt it was improtant to remain in Washington for a few extra days to remain on hand as Congress approaches these votes," the official said. He said no further delays to the departure are expected to be necessary.

Read more: http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/washington/#ixzz0hz3EmZ38

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Thursday laid out his procedural plan for getting health care changes considered.

Negotiations continue on the substance of a bil, but Reid, D-Nev., said in a letter to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnll, "We will do so by revising individual elements of the bills both Houses of Congress passed last year, and we plan to use the regular budget reconciliation process that the Republican caucus has used many times."

Under reconciliation, 51 votes would be needed for passage, and debate would be limited to 20 hours.

Some excerpts from Reid's letter:

"While Republicans were distorting the facts in the health care debate and inflicting delay after needless delay, millions of Americans have continued to suffer as they struggle to afford to stay healthy, stay out of bankruptcy and stay in their homes.  Thousands of Americans lose their health care every day, and tens of thousands of the uninsured have lost their lives since this debate began.”

 “Many Republicans now are demanding that we simply ignore the progress we’ve made, the extensive debate and negotiations we’ve held, the amendments we’ve added (including more than 100 from Republicans) and the votes of a supermajority in favor of a bill whose contents the American people unambiguously support.  We will not.  We will finish the job.”

 “As you know, the vast majority of bills developed through reconciliation were passed by Republican Congresses and signed into law by Republican Presidents – including President Bush’s massive, budget-busting tax breaks for multi-millionaires.  Given this history, one might conclude that Republicans believe a majority vote is sufficient to increase the deficit and benefit the super-rich, but not to reduce the deficit and benefit the middle class.  Alternatively, perhaps Republicans believe a majority vote is appropriate only when Republicans are in the majority.  Either way, we disagree.”

 “At the end of the process, the bill can pass only if it wins a democratic, up-or-down majority vote.  If Republicans want to vote against a bill that reduces health care costs, fills the prescription drug ‘donut hole’ for seniors and reduces the deficit, you will have every right to do so.”

 To read the letter: http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=323016&

"Well,'' she said after a meeting of House Democrats Thursday, "March 18th is an interesting date.

Is it doable?

As I say, our clock starts ticking when we get the final (Congressional Budget Office) report (on the bill's cost). We don't have the final yet, but we have a pretty good idea of where we are going on it."

She didn't seem enthusiastic about finishing in a week.

Our members -- as I said to them this morning, we will have a least one week to have our own conversations about -- at least. It may take longer. And we will -- we will take up the bill when we're ready to take up the bill," she said

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's latest health care legislation estimates are eagerly awaited as the next big step toward progress in passing a bill, and Thursday, CBO took a small step.

It re-evaluated the legislation passed Dec. 24 by the Senate, and because of technical changes, including different effective dates, it revised its original estimate to show deficits would be reduced by an estimated $118 billion over the next 10 years.

That's down from the original $132 billion estimate. The bill would require most people to get health insurance coverage, and require most employers to offer policies. The House of Representatives is considering passing that bill, perhaps this month, and then considering a second bill to make changes preferred by House members.

That second bill, if approved by the House, would then go to the Senate under the "reconciliation" process. No filibuster would be permitted; only 20 hours of debate would be allowed. CBO's report on parts of that second bill are being eagerly awaited in Congress this week.

The latest CBO report: http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/113xx/doc11307/Reid_Letter_HR3590.pdf

It’s movie night at the White House Thursday.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will host a review screening of HBO’s new series, “The Pacific,” about the Pacific theater during World War II.

The guests in the White House theater on the ground floor are expected to include actor Tom Hanks, director Steven Spielberg, and HBO President Richard Plepler.

Also attending: the Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Advisor General Jim Jones, several members of Congress and members of the VFW and the Women in the Military Service for America Memorial. 

Republicans Monday unveiled a game plan for countering the Democrats' march to pass health care legisilation, advising candidates about what the GOP calls the "broad political toxicity of the Democrats’ health care agenda."

And, they say, "a vote for this bill opens an entirely new line of attack on House Democrats.

"By supporting this bill, your opponent would go on record in support of the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, and every other backroom deal cut to sneak the legislation through the Senate," wrote Johnny DeStafano, deputy director of the National. Republican Congressional Committee, in a memo to candidates.

The House of Representatives is expected to soon consider the Senate's $871 billion health care bill. If it passes--and it passed the Senate Dec. 24--another bill is expected to be considered. That measure would fix items in the Senate bill House Democrats dislike, and would require approval of both Houses.

House Democratic leaders hope to finish the votes by the spring recess, which is to begin March 26.

But they're in for some big political fights. It will take 216 House votes to pass the bill, and 39 Democrats voted against the House version in November.

.As a result, the memo advises GOP candidates to take several steps, including:

--"Hold town halls;

·         --Organize voters to call, e-mail, and write your Democrat opponent;

·        -- Urge people to stay informed of the latest health care developments by visiting the Project Code Red website at www.nrcc.org/codered;  

·        -- Link your supporters directly to our concerted effort by adding the Code Red widget at www.nrcc.org/codered to your website;

·        -- Employ as many communications avenues as possible in order to let your supporters know that Republicans are making an all-out effort to stop the Democrats’ health care agenda. Be sure to use the #gopcodered hash tag on Twitter whenever you discuss Washington’s runaway health care agenda."

T

President Obama walked in today on a closed-door meeting between Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and top insurance industry executives, and read the executives a letter from an Ohio woman whose case he thought demonstrated why the industry needs more regulation in the form of a comprehensive bill.

The letter Gibbs described from Natoma Canfield, 50, talked about how she'd been cancer-free for 11 years but nonetheless had last year paid $6,075 in premiums and about $4,000 more for medical care, co-pays and prescriptions, and her insurance had paid out only about $935. Then she was informed her 2010 premiums would go up 40%.

Sebelius is asking insurers to provide actuarial data justifying large rate increases.

Expect to hear the president to talk a lot more about that letter in the coming weeks as he travels the country to whip up support for Democrats to pass a health care overhaul on a bare-majority vote.

Here's the text:

Dear President Obama:

I am 50 years old. I was diagnosed with carcinoma in-situ 16 years ago and following my divorce 12 years ago I became self-employed. After my Cobra ran out I was able to find costly, but affordable health insurance. As a responsible individual, I have struggled to maintain my individual coverage and have increased my deductible and out of pocket-limits in an attempt to control my cost and keep my health insurance.

Last year (2009) my insurance premium was increased over 25% even though I increased my deductible and out of pocket to the highest limits available. I paid out over $6075.24 in premiums, $2415.26 for medical care, $225 in co-pays and $1500 for prescriptions. I never reached my deductible of $2500 so the insurance company only paid out a total $935.32 to my providers.

I must repeat, in 2009 my insurance company received $6075.24 in premiums and paid out only $935.32!

I have just been notified that my premium for next year 2010 has been increased over 40% to $8496.24 ($708.02 per month) !!!! This is the same insurance company I have been with for over 11 cancer free years!!!

I need your Health reform bill to help me!!! I simply can no longer afford to pay for my health care costs!!

Thanks to this incredible premium increase demanded by my insurance company, January will be my last month of insurance.

I live in the house my mother & father built in 1958 and I am so afraid of the possibility I might loose this heirloom as a result of my being forced to drop my health care insurance. The health insurance industry has not denied me insurance directly, but indirectly they have by increasing my costs. They perceive me as becoming a higher risk factor to them despite being a loyal customer. I will never be able to obtain new health insurance due to the lack of real competition.

We are talking about Anthem who apparently has no respect for your attempts to reform the health insurance industry.

Please stay focused in your reform attempts as I and many others are in desperate need of your help.

Sincerely

Natoma Canfield

UPDATE:

Statement from the President and the First Lady on Desiree Rogers

“We are enormously grateful to Desiree Rogers for the terrific job she’s done as the White House Social Secretary.  When she took this position, we asked Desiree to help make sure that the White House truly is the People’s House, and she did that by welcoming scores of everyday Americans through its doors, from wounded warriors to local schoolchildren to NASCAR drivers.  She organized hundreds of fun and creative events during her time here, and we will miss her.  We thank her again for her service and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”

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White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers plans to resign next month, according to reporter Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times.

"As we turn the corner on the first year," Rogers told Sweet, "this is a good time for me to explore opportunities in the corporate world."

A longtime friend of the Obamas in Chicago, Rogers also told Sweet, "When I took on this assignment, we talked about the importance of creating the people's house. My work was really to create this framework.

"I think I completed that work. Our office has been able to lay the foundation for what will be known as the 'people's house' and it has already taken shape."

Rogers, who came to the White House form Chicago, was in charge of last November’s State Dinner for the Prime Minister of India, crashed by Virginians Tareq and Michaele Salahi.

The Secret Service took responsibility for allowing the Salahis into the White House even though they weren’t  on the guest list. When members of Congress tried to ask Rogers about her role in the messup, the White House invoked executive privilege to shield her from questions.

Rogers was among several Chicagoans who took high profile jobs in the White House when fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama became president. They include Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and top advisers David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett.

The public remains unenthusiastic about health care legislation, a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed Tuesday.

The nationwide Feb. 11-16 survey found a 43-43 split when people were asked if they favored  or opposed health care legislation. President Barack Obama will host a bipartisan health care summit Thursday.

The good news for his effort is that huge majorities want specific changes, such as providing tax credits to small businesses and creating a health insurance exchange, or marketplace, where consumers can more easily shop for coverage.

But the public is also impatient. Thirty-two percent said lawmakers should move soon to pass legislation--but 22 percent urged Congress to put the issue on hold and try to deal with it later in the year. Another 19 percent said Congress should stop working on health care altogether, and 20 percent urged working on only a few key provisions.

To read more about the poll: http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/posr022310nr.cfm