CNN State of the Union with Sebelius interview coming up now

[IndianaGreen]

Watch it and make up your own mind.

[quantass]

1. *sigh*

I know i am not american but i get the strong feeling that the public option is no more and the white house is now conceding to the republicans for their atrocious co-op junk. In the end it means wealthy insurance companies and 10 more years of wondering how we can improve the healthcare industry.

THe only way to make co-ops better is to ensure it is not regional based...meaning it is nationalized...without the large amount of people in it, it is a waste of time. Essentially it is a co-op that is as close to a public option that it can get.

Me thinks the democrats have forgotten that they own the house and senate....no backbones

[valerief]

2. It's not because of lack of backbone. It's because of bundles of bucks. nt

[rocktivity]

3. Or you can just read this

“I think there will be a competition to private insurers,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, “that really is the essential part, that you don’t turn over the whole new marketplace (after health care legislation is enacted) to private insurance companies and trust them to do the right thing. We need some choices, we need some competition.”

You're welcome.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[IndianaGreen]

4. You missed part of the quote, like a certain nameless DUer

Get ready for the big BOHICA!

Sebelius: Public Health Care Option "Not The Essential Element"

By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Apparently ready to abandon the idea, President Barack Obama's health secretary said Sunday a government alternative to private health insurance is "not the essential element" of the administration's health care overhaul.

The White House indicated it could jettison the contentious public option and settle on insurance cooperatives as an acceptable alternative, a move embraced by some Republicans lawmakers who have strongly opposed the administration's approach so far.

Officials from both political parties reached across the aisle in an effort to find compromises on proposals they left behind when they returned to their districts for an August recess. Obama has been pressing for the government to run a health insurance organization to help cover the nation's almost 50 million uninsured.

Sebelius said the White House would be open to co-ops instead of a government-run public option, a sign Democrats want a compromise so they can declare a victory on the must-win showdown.

"I think there will be a competitor to private insurers," she said. "That's really the essential part, is you don't turn over the whole new marketplace to private insurance companies and trust them to do the right thing. We need some choices, we need some competition."

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said co-ops might be a politically acceptable alternative as "a step away from the government takeover of the health care system" that the GOP has assailed.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/16/sebelius-public-health-ca_n_260511.html

[rocktivity]

5. "Apparently ready" to abandon the public option? The White House "indicated"

that it "could jettison" the public option and "would be open" to co-ops? These are conclusions based on on her one quote, neither news nor opinion.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[IndianaGreen]

6. Continue to keep your head in the sand. It must be getting warm now.

For the benefit of those that claimed the AP mischaracterized or misquoted Sebelius, you know who you are.

Public insurance plan not essential: Sebelius

Sun Aug 16, 2009 11:40am EDT
By John Whitesides

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The government-run health insurance option favored by President Barack Obama is not essential to a healthcare overhaul as long as the final measure boosts competition, a top U.S. health official said on Sunday.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said a public insurance option was "not the essential element" of any overhaul, and non-profit cooperatives being considered by a Senate panel could also fulfill the White House goal of creating more competition on insurance.

"I think what's important is choice and competition, and I'm convinced that at the end of the day the plan will have both of those -- but that is not the essential element," she said of the government-run insurance option on CNN's "State of the Union" show.

"The president is just continuing to say let's not have this be the only focus of the conversation," Sebelius said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE57D23Q20090816

[rocktivity]

8. How else can you find

where the seeds of doubt have been planted?

:headbang:
rocktivity

[IndianaGreen]

9. Are you watching Sebelius on CNN? She is on now.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Sibelius is on now