Webb: It’s ‘unfortunate’ administration didn’t set clear agenda on health care

We’ve been hearing from more and more from the left and the center in the Democratic Party in terms of criticisms of the way the Obama administration has handled the health-care reform issue. Add U.S. Sen. Jim Webb to the list of Obama critics.

“The most difficult thing for me as a senator has been that the administration has not had a clearly articulated plan. And so you’ve had a situation where this health-care reform process has been coming up through five different congressional committees, five different plans, without a clearly articulated plan from the administration. I think it was a mistake by the administration, and it makes it very difficult to deal with,” Webb told me Monday in a press availability following a naturalization ceremony at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton.

Webb himself has been the subject of some friendly fire from fellow Democrats for not taking a firm stand on health-care reform, which seemed especially odd in the context of his interest in and work on behalf of low- and middle-income Americans in his economic-justice program.

Webb’s statements today reveal that his issues with regard to health-care reform are almost entirely to do with process.

“I think everyone can agree that we need to do something about the health-care issue. We need to increase access for people – for instance, those who have pre-existing conditions. We need to bring down costs, and we need to look at our system. But we have to work off of a bill. We’re only now being able to do that,” Webb said.

I asked Webb if he thinks it might be too little, too late, given where we are in the calendar year, and with next year being an election year.

“We’re going to have debates over the next couple of weeks on the legislation that is before us. I feel – it’s very unfortunate that the administration didn’t give us a clear plan as to what the specific objectives were several months ago. And I communicated that directly to the White House more than three months ago,” Webb responded.

– Story by Chris Graham