President Obama is holding a summit on health care today at the White House. Though his reform effort is sure to face strong resistance, it is receiving some surprising initial support from insurers, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, the Washington Post reported. When President Clinton attempted to overhaul the system in 1990s, these groups united to block it. But this time, the medical lobby is realizing that reform might benefit it, because it could result in millions of new customers.
“I’m very encouraged by what’s going on now,” said Bill Gradison, a former head of the Health Insurance Association of America, which funded the “Harry and Louise” advertising campaign that helped kill the Clinton plan. “My impression is that there’s been a real openness to reach out to diverse interests, not leaving anyone out — which is how a lot of people felt back in the 1990s. . . . They seem to have learned the lessons of what not to do this time.”
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