President Barack Obama was expected to unveil an ambitious budget blueprint Monday that includes new healthcare initiatives aimed at combating diseases, fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria and overhauling the payment system for Medicare.
Some observers declared the initiatives pointless, given Republican control of Congress, but others said it could influence future healthcare spending discussions.
“It's irrelevant,” said one veteran healthcare lobbyist of the president's proposal. “Honestly, it means nothing” given Republican sentiments about any call to raise domestic spending.
But even if Obama's budget proposal is ignored by congressional Republicans, that doesn't mean it won't have some relevance to the budget debate in Washington, others countered. Republicans will have to pass a budget that the president will sign into law.
So some of the fine print in Obama's proposal will be scrutinized to look for common ground. Some of the healthcare cuts backed by Obama, in particular, could be attractive to Republicans.
Last year's budget proposal, for example, included $53 billion in savings through increasing income-based premiums for Medicare. That's a policy that has broad support among Republicans.
“The president's proposal should not ever be dismissed,” said Eric Zimmerman, a principal with McDermott + Consulting. “It signals where Congress won't have a fight on its hands.”
The budget is expected to call for a reversal of cuts that were part of the sequestration deal hatched with Republicans. Expect a proposal to increase annual spending by roughly $70 billion, or 7%, over the current fiscal year.
The budget proposal is another sign that Obama doesn't intend to cede the agenda to Republicans, despite his lack of GOP allies on Capitol Hill and lame-duck status.
