Dems seek compromise on public option

[sabra]

Source: MSNBC/AP

Delaware senator takes lead in crafting deal on nonprofit insurance plan

WASHINGTON - On the Senate floor, Democrats are debating Republicans on health care. Behind the scenes, they're debating each other.

Those closed-door discussions may be less predictable — and more consequential — as majority Democrats struggle to settle controversies within the party that are standing in the way of passage of President Barack Obama's sweeping health care overhaul. The most contentious of these is a proposal for the government to sell insurance in competition with private companies, an approach supported by liberals but opposed by most Democratic moderates and conservatives.

Democrats were engaged in urgent talks to settle the government insurance plan issue.

"Our caucus is now in the process of negotiating with ourselves because we need all 60 of us to get this done," moderate Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said after emerging from one meeting. Senate procedures require 60 votes to overcome Republican delaying tactics designed to kill the bill.

...

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., along with Sens. Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Warner of Va., are taking the lead in crafting a compromise. The idea remains a work in progress, but the three presented the outlines Thursday evening in a private meeting with about a half-dozen other moderates.

As described by Carper and Begich to reporters, the compromise would put a nonprofit insurance option in place only in states that didn't meet certain criteria for affordability and access. Instead of being controlled by the government, the plan could be run by a nonprofit board, and any initial government startup money would be repaid.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34273762/ns/business/

[waterscalm]

1. "non=profit board". That is the language of Tom Daschel. I heard

he is back in DC-and the WH. ummmm

[SandWalker1984]

2. Health Care Reform RIP - say hello to the Corporate Health Insurance Profit & Protection Act

Robert Reich recently said regarding the changes to the public option:

But what more can possibly be compromised? Take away the word "public?" Make it available to only twelve people?

Our private, for-profit health insurance system, designed to fatten the profits of private health insurers and Big Pharma, is about to be turned over to ... our private, for-profit health care system. Except that now private health insurers and Big Pharma will be getting some 30 million additional customers, paid for by the rest of us.

Upbeat policy wonks and political spinners who tend to see only portions of cups that are full will point out some good things: no pre-existing conditions, insurance exchanges, 30 million more Americans covered. But in reality, the cup is 90 percent empty. Most of us will remain stuck with little or no choice -- dependent on private insurers who care only about the bottom line, who deny our claims, who charge us more and more for co-payments and deductibles, who bury us in forms, who don't take our calls.

**********************


If they kill the public option, what do Democrats have to brag about doing for healthcare reform in 2010?

Individual mandates? Fines and threat of prison for failure to purchase expensive, crap private insurance?

Making people buy crap insurance from the same old insurers that will continue to find ways to exclude their claims and drive up their premiums?

Handouts to the insurance industry of $600 billion in the form of the subsidies and credits given to the people who are forced to buy insurance?

Plus, they are not going to end the industry's anti-trust exemption.



The fallout will be not only in Independent voters but also Liberal and Progressive Democrats as well.

At least 2 groups will be happy with the mess the Democrats have made of healthcare reform -- the insurance industry and Palin supporters.

[Laelth]

3. +1 n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[bread_and_roses]

7. Gee, now it's "the goverrnment SELLING insurance." change we can believe in!

let it fail. it's not worth saving. another massive wealth-transfer to our corporate masters

[Dragonfli]

12. +2

[dpbrown]

4. There is no compromise on the "public option" because it's already a compromise

Universal Single-Payer National Health Care would save more money and cover more people. These electeds need to step up to the plate and get this job done.

[dflprincess]

10. +10000

[The Wielding Truth]

11. I totally agree . Our Senators are cowards. It's time to do the right thing!

[bvar22]

5. I'm ready to trash can the whole mess.

As an American in his late 50's who currently can't afford Health Insurance, I'm ready to trash can this entire obscene Massive transfer of Public Money to the For Profit Health Insurance Cartels, and start all over again from scratch.

The "tiny sliver" of the token Public Option is no longer worth fighting for.
It would be better for the Corporate Shills in the Senate to eliminate it.
Then we could hold a few REAL Democrats feet to the fire to honor their pledge and vote AGAINST the sham reforms.

This Bill in its current incarnation is Worse than Nothing.

[Jefferson23]

6. More compromise, what a shock!

[closeupready]

9. Funny how we hold the majority, and we are compromising not with the GOP but with ourselves

Unbelievable how cowardly so many Dems are.

[Festivito]

8. Where by cost per capita? Dems-K$: . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 ! . . 8 Cons.

Single payer option should be around 3K$ per capita.

Currently $7120 per capita and it's killing US.

Cons want it to go up higher. (and more people without any and will worsen our economy IMHO)

Baucus wants it around 6 (K$). (Saving 250B, or about 1K$ per capita -- roughly.)(Oh, still missing 17-million Americans, but, that's down from about 50-million)

I still like 3K$ because it covers everyone for everything and it's cheaper. I had to bold that.

[mbperrin]

13. Yep, better and cheaper.

But the corporate overlords don't like that. At all.

[Festivito]

14. The question is: where on the scale do you want the compromise.

3, 3.5, 6, 7, 8? Just wondering.

[mbperrin]

15. I'd just as soon junk the whole thing as it is and start over with

single payer universal.

Hard to think of progress as heading east out of LA to get to Hawaii. Maybe theoretically possible to do so, but no really ever does so.

Imagine a world without health insurance companies; it's easy if you try...okay, that's just straight plagiarism! :)

[Festivito]

16. That would be around 3. Me too. /nt