Senator Kent Conrad says co-ops are also in Senator Reid's healthcare bill!

[Better Believe It]

Senator Kent Conrad, D-N.D. says co-ops are also in the Reid bill!
The senator’s office released a brief statement.

“I haven’t seen Senator Reid’s proposal in writing,” Conrad said, according to the statement. “All I have seen are press reports.

“I’ve read that the public option in Senator Reid’s bill is not tied to Medicare levels of reimbursement. That is obviously very important to my state. I am also encouraged that co-ops — the not-for-profit, member-owned and operated alternative I authored — is also in the Reid bill.

“But I will reserve judgment until we see the finished product in writing and have the scores from the Congressional Budget Office” tallying the costs of the revised bill. “This is just the next step in a long line of steps.”

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/138815/

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What’s in Reid’s public option? Hard to say, yet
Missoulian State Bureau
October 27, 2009

HELENA - The latest "public option" health insurance proposal, hailed Monday as a startling development in the health-reform debate, seems to create more questions about the plan than answers.

Details on Reid's proposal were hard to come by on Tuesday. Yet initial reports gave some indication of where he might be heading.

Reid's proposal apparently would be a national plan, but would allow states to "opt out," or decide not to allow the plan to be offered in their state. However, it's unclear how states would make that decision - or whether they'd have to create something else in its place, if they opted out of the national plan.

It's also not clear whether all physicians, hospitals and other health-care providers would have to accept patients covered by the national public-option plan, and therefore accept payment levels dictated by the plan.

However, Reid did indicate that the plan would negotiate, rather than dictate, the rates it pays providers.

Staffers for Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., who is sponsoring one of the two major health-reform bills before the Senate, said the final legislation that will come to the Senate floor is still being worked out, and that Baucus supports Reid's attempt to "craft a balanced, common-sense bill."

http://www.missoulian.com/article_25b7651c-c367-11de-b741-001cc4c002e0.html

[Teaser]

1. so what?

coops are not a bad idea in and of themselves.

[backscatter712]

6. Co-ops are as useless as tits on a bull, but as long as the public-option's in, I really don't care.

If it gets us closer to cloture, let Conrad have his damned co-ops, as long as we get our damned public-option.

[ProSense]

2. Yes, Reid mentioned it in his press conference

"there will be a co-op in this bill."

[Pirate Smile]

5. Exactly. This isn't a surprise.

[jefferson_dem]

3. Fine. Own it, spin it, Conrad.

Who cares? If he wants to talk up the the bill by focusing on what matters to him...fine.

[Better Believe It]

4. Posters 1, 2 and 3 are on ignore! I'm sure I didn't miss anything important.

Probably the same old usual little grouplet that loves engaging in trash talk and personal attacks against liberals and progressives on DU.

:)