Pat Dollard

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Politico:

President Barack Obama may have said “let’s fix it and move on” in his State of the Union address, but the president is sending messages that he is ready to roll up his sleeves and keep fighting the health care battle as long as he needs to.

Obama will address the annual conference for Families USA today and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will release a new report that shows health insurance premiums will be 14-20 percent lower in 2014 than they would have been without the law, POLITICO has learned.

The president is using his speech before the friendly crowd of health activists Friday morning as a way to break some good news in the midst of the health care battle. A senior administration official said the president will focus on “why we can’t go back to the days when insurance companies could deny, cap or limit your coverage.” Families USA executive director Ron Pollack said the president’s keynote is “an effort to effectively counter effects to repeal and undermine the Affordable Care Act.”

“It’s about time that he’s [grassroots organizing],” said Henry Aaron, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute. “He has to persuade the American public that this law is the place to go from. And even though it is the law of the land now, it’s going to be a tough road with the Republicans saying they want to rip it out root and branch.”

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell hopes one of those rough roads could come in the Senate. He has pledged to force a vote on repealing the health law. Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he will fight holding such a vote, but he may not be able to stop one.

The vote could be particularly worrisome for moderate Democrats who are skeptical of the legislation.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pension committee and one of the law’s most ardent backers, says he’s not worried about any Democrats supporting repeal.

“I think more and more moderate Democrats are going to see this as one of the best things that they’ve voted for,” he said, citing the law’s consumer protections and the financial cost of repealing the legislation.

Top Democrats in Congress say they’re prepared to defend it.

“The law has passed but it’s not over,” Harkin told the crowd at the Families USA on Thursday. “Yes, my friends, we’re ready for the fight. This time around the dynamics of the debate have shifted. … This time around the bill is the law of the land. What’s at stake is crystal clear.”

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee warned that the attacks on the law are legitimate.

“The threats are real. We cannot sit idly by,” he said at Families USA. “We’re ready because passing health care reform was the right thing to do. When you’re armed with what’s right, it’s easier to mount a campaign.”

The mounting of the campaign may not be just to sway the public opinion. The nation has remained pretty evenly divided on support of the law since its passage. That does not mean the grassroots effort won’t have an impact.

“Groups like Families USA are critical because they will be able to go out, keep pressure on the senators who may be hesitating or have concerns about important parts of the bill, should it come to a vote,” said Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at Harvard. “If four or five Senators want to make significant changes to the bill—like the mandate or the time period, it will seem like the president can’t keep his party unified and that is crucial for the health of the law.”

The troops seemed ready to go to battle for the President and the ACA, the crowd of nearly 1,000 rose to their feet with applause after the senators spoke. And they were anticipating a great speech from Obama today.

“The message here is that we are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with the President for what we think is in our best interest and the best interest of the American people,” Pollack said.

J. Lester Feder contributed to this report.