SEIU To Obama: Defer To The House Health Care Bill

The Service Employees International Union, along with several hundred separate organizations, are urging President Obama and members of Congress, to defer largely to the House's health care bill, arguing that it does a superior job of expanding insurance coverage in a way that's affordable to consumers.

"The House covers five million more people than the Senate," reads an open letter from the groups. "We urge you to support the coverage provisions in the House bill, so that millions of Americans are not left uninsured after the passage of comprehensive health reform."

But it's not just that. The House, they say, "sets premiums and out-of-pocket costs at levels that are likely to be affordable to lower-income working families. The House does a much better job in protecting lower-income people."

It's not that the Senate bill is worse in all respects, though--and insofar as the Senate bill is superior, Obama and Congressional leaders should defer to it. "The Senate approach provides somewhat better protections for middle-income workers, but would require lower-wage workers to buy insurance that costs many thousands of dollars more than the House legislation," the letter reads.

With the public option gone, the key issue now for reform groups is affordability. That means they prefer the House's subsidy provisions, and financing schemes. That'll be a tough fight to win. You can read the entire letter here.