Great hope lies ahead; Kennedy brings people together

by: los anjalis

Sat Oct 25, 2008 at 00:12:01 AM PDT

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has been organizing and overseeing meetings with members of both parties to draft health care legislation to present to the new president and Congress next year that would extend health insurance to all U.S. residents, the Washington Times reports.

The talks have included 14 roundtable meetings attended by Kennedy aides and staffers for both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate Budget Committee, Senate Finance Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, chaired by Kennedy. Kennedy has monitored the talks, which started in June, through telephone updates from his staff.

The talks also were attended by representatives from a broad array of groups with an interest in health care, including the:

   * AARP;
   * AFL-CIO;
   * American Medical Association;
   * America's Health Insurance Plans;
   * Business Roundtable;
   * Consumers Union,
   * Families USA;
   * Federation of American Hospitals;
   * National Federation of Independent Business; and
   * National Retail Federation.

In addition, Kennedy aides have started meeting regularly with consumers and small groups of people representing each area of the health care industry.

The Times reports that the conversations are "extraordinary" because they are bipartisan and have "managed to put in the same room interests that rarely meet -- let alone agree with one another."

Bold emphasis is mine.  It truly is the beginning of a new era.  I'm going to try to be less cynical too :>

From California Health Line, October 24, 2008.