Progressives on "public option": don't ask, don't tell

[lwcon]

With all this gnashing of teeth for Democrats to pass "a" or "the" public option, is anyone asking what sort of "public option" is liable to be passed into law?

Will it be "robust" or "strong" as the once commonly pre-pended adjectives suggested?

Why is President Obama saying that fewer than 5% of Americans will get it? What kind of competition to health insurers would such a plan provide? Will citizens be allowed to choose a public plan as an alternative to the one their employer provides? Will the plan be a good value, with coverage commensurate with backwards nations like Canada and the United Kingdom, who don't offer the benefits of a "uniquely American plan"?

Is our role to demand good policy, or to get on board the bandwagon?

The big bloggers and activist groups have, for months, urged us to whip up support for "public option." But -- if I may ask -- what sort of "public option" are we being asked to whip for? The incuriosity about that is deafening.

[ProSense]

1. Here you go:

America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009

America’s Affordable Health Choices Act Section-by-Section Analysis (PDF)

HELP bill (PDF)

THE OBAMA PLAN: STABILITY & SECURITY FOR ALL AMERICANS

Reading is fundamental. You can find the answers to your own questions.

[lwcon]

2. You know as well as I do that several bills are in committee

Your answer to all questions is to trust Obama and Congressional Democrats. Mine is to challenge and be skeptical of them.

Do you have good answers to my questions, rather than throwing a bunch of links at me?

[ProSense]

3. "Do you have good answers to my questions" Yes, read and

when something changes, read some more.

[lwcon]

4. Oh, great expert, why not set me straight with pithy answers

About the great plan we're going to get? Could it be that you're trying to dodge the questions?

[ProSense]

6. Not my job. Do your own research. n/t

[lwcon]

7. Indeed

Your job is to tell Obama critics to STFU.

[ProSense]

8. "Your job is to tell Obama critics to STFU" No, I said read. In fact, read out loud. n/t

[lwcon]

10. Yes, that's what you said

But your intent in providing a bunch of links is to dodge the questions. If you're so expert on the topic, and the answers are so pleasing, why not answer the direct questions?

[ProSense]

11. The links are provided for you to do research. You too can become an expert if all it takes is

reading.

[lwcon]

13. I'm expert enough to know

That "public option" is a vague term that has wildly mutated since its inception, one that guileless and truthy "progressives" have used to rationalize away worrisome developments in the Democrats' plans.

Some reading for you, since you're such a fan of same:

http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/07/20/bait-and-switch-how-the-“public-option”-was-sold/
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/29988909/sick_and_wrong

[ProSense]

14. "Some reading for you" Read them.

both full of distortion and misinformation. Maybe instead of reading BS opinions, you could read the actual bills, and maybe, just maybe, you wouldn't have so many questions that are easily cleared up by the contents.

[lwcon]

15. Again, you demur on "easily clear[ing] up" the questions

Instead assigning a reading list. No way could it be that you don't have clear, honest, substantive answers -- right?

[SpartanDem]

5. He didn't say 5% will get it

He said: "In fact, based on Congressional Budget Office estimates, we believe that less than 5 percent of Americans would sign up."

[lwcon]

9. And he raises that because he thinks that's a positive result

His position is very clear that he's trying to protect our current private-insurance orthodoxy.

[SpartanDem]

16. I don't see it that way

I think more just downplaying the most controversial part of the bill.

[lwcon]

17. So, is he lying?

One always hopes so.

[Jim Sagle]

12. You MUST be a racist!

;)

[CoffeeCat]

18. You are asking incredibly important questions...

A public option with no real reform--would be a complete disaster.

I am proceeding with open-minded scepticism. Single payer was never on the
table, because our politicians are owned by the insurance industry. The insurance
industry does not want a REAL public option. They want a watered-down, no-reform
joke that leaves them hauling in the cash.

Will they get that?

I'd say the odds are in their favor--especially since they have steered the entire
process so far.

You ask the most important question of our current healthcare debate. What will the public
option look like and will it be true reform?????

We must demand that it is. We must continue to ask this question, and to let our elected
officials know that we are watching them.

[lwcon]

19. And yet...

... to ask such a question on DU is to get instantly un-rec'ed.

It's like dealing with Republicans (and more than a few Dems) during the Iraq War run-up. There was a bandwagon, and you were expected to jump on it. Questioning was unpatriotic.

[CoffeeCat]

23. Un'recs for posts like that...are probably trolls or DLCers...

...or fans of the corporatists who want to toe the current corrupt status quo.

I'm a big Obama fan. I was one of his precinct captains. But come on...any Democrat
who isn't worried about what kind of public option will result--after the legislative
meatgrinder does it's thing---must not care about this issue.

It's possible that we'll have a robust public option. It's possible that the public
option will be totally meaningless and contain no real reform.

Who...in their right mind wouldn't be concerned about that right now? It's the
central issue of this entire month.

[lwcon]

25. Good for you!

One of my biggest grievances with the "Obama movement" is how many people think that to support Obama is to support Obama blindly. He'll be a better president if he knows that his supporters are willing to rattle his cage as appropriate. Ditto for our Congressional majorities.

[paulk]

20. good points

hopefully we can have a real discussion on this over the next few months.

[quantass]

21. BTW why aren't Repubs happier since Progressives/Liberals aren't EVER getting what they want n/t

[lwcon]

24. They understand how to push the Overton Window

If they admit that Dems aren't Socialist extremists, they lose momentum in demonizing us.

Dems, OTOH, are afraid of their own shadows, hence we get Obama dissing "liberal bleeding hearts" and "Chablis-drinking limousine liberals." It was considered a milestone that his speech last week mentioned liberals as if they weren't something dirty. Single-payer activists, naturally, are still to be shunned, however.

[Laelth]

22. Well said. Just any old "public option" will not do.

It needs to be "robust" in order to justify the damage that the individual mandate will do to the Democratic Party. Personally, I define "robust" to mean a plan that is projected to cover 50+ million Americans within five years--i.e. it need to be big enough to provide real competition that will drive down costs and "keep the insurance companies honest." I'd also like reimbursement rates tied to Medicare (Medicare +5%, as proposed in HR 3200), but that percentage is negotiable.

Without a "robust" public option, the President's plan is little more than a massive give-away to the health insurance cabal paid for, principally, by the struggling middle class.

:dem:

-Laelth

[lwcon]

26. Thanks. It's truly stunning...

How little conversation of this nature is happening on DU, Daily Kos, and the big blogs. Virtually not at all.