Dean says Ben Nelson's "trigger" plan for a public option is "a terrible idea."

[madfloridian]

Howard Dean was in Denver today and gave an interview to the Square State Blog's Aaron Silverstein.

Speaking with Dean about a Public Option

Sen. Ben Nelson has proposed a "trigger", where instead of adopting the reform, Congress would set goals for the insurance industry for seven years. As long as the goals were met, there would be no competing public plan. "That's a terrible idea," Dean said, "They will just change their behavior until the trigger runs out and go back to how they were."

Calling it "fake public option," Dean said that D.F.A. would actively fight against any such plan as being no public plan at all. The same went for any other plan that did not include a public option. "It wouldn't be reform. If we put more into a private system, we are just going to lose money."

He spoke more with Aaron about the public option.

Governor Howard Dean is in Denver today, to speak on behalf of Democracy for America about the need for a public option for health insurance. Prior to tonight's event, he took the time to answer questions from SquareState.net.

"Public Option" plans maintain our existing for-profit health coverage, but allow individuals to opt into a government sponsored system if they choose. As Dr. Dean was quick to illustrate, Medicare is an example of how the plan is already in place for many Americans. By making the option universal, D.F.A. hopes to expose more people to the efficiencies of insurance plans unfettered by attachment to a particular employer or burdened by the high profit and overhead of the private insurers. Proponents of the plan say that even customers of existing providers will benefit from the increased competitive pressures, and of course that same competition is driving stiff opposition from industry lobbyists.

He said that single payer advocates were not being given a fair hearing.

I asked Howard Dean if he felt that public option was getting a fair hearing from Sen. Baucus. He felt it was, but he was concerned that single-payer was not, because "I don't care what you say about single payer. It is much cheaper."

Was public option a stepping stone to single payer? "Well that depends on what the American people want. You know a lot of people already have a public system. It's called Medicare." He went on to say that people were fairly happy with Medicare, and if after using "cheaper and more reliable" government plans caused a large migration of accounts, he would be fine with that, but it was up to the people to decide.

If you are wondering about the "trigger" proposed by Ben Nelson, here is more about it from a diary at Daily Kos by Slinkerwink.

Help Us FIGHT For The Public Option Today

Democracy For America has asked for our help to fight this stupid "7-year trigger" plan by the so-called Senate moderates such as Senator Ben Nelson. Once again, let's remind ourselves of what he said on this below:

Senator Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat and another member of the finance committee, said he favors the idea of a "trigger" that would expand government-provided health insurance only if other new attempts at expanding health-care coverage through the private sector appear inadequate. Nelson said he is wary of a big expansion of the government’s role in providing care.

The public option, he said, should be seen as a "backup."

She has provided all the needed contact numbers.

[FLAprogressive]

1. Ben Nelson is a terrible person. So there. (K&R)

[progressoid]

19. I met him once.

Not such a terrible person, but definitely a terrible Democrat.

[depakid]

2. " set goals for the insurance industry for seven years"

:rofl:

What a tool.

Hey, Nebraska- get rid of this embarrassment. If you want a Republican, fine- but the guy is really making the people of the state look bad.

[madfloridian]

4. Nelson really goes against what Democrats stand for.

He really does.

[Mythsaje]

3. Tell Congress--"Listen to the Doctor." n/t

[backscatter712]

5. I was just there.

Awesome talk! Dr. Dean, along with just about everyone in the room was concerned about the bastards in the Beltway watering down health care reform. Dr. Dean did say that any health care plan that didn't include a strong public option was unacceptable.

Oh, and I bumped into Colorado Sen. John Kefalas, who pushed hard for a single-payer health care plan here in Colorado. Unfortunately, he didn't get the votes, but I do applaud him for fighting the good fight.

[madfloridian]

6. Glad you got to be there.

:hi:

[TheFarseer]

7. Ben is all about compromising

unfortunatelly, this tends to end up being ledgislation for the sake of *looking* like you're doing something instead of actually solving the problem.

[madfloridian]

12. Ben usually wants us to compromise with the right way too much.

He is worse than Bill Nelson in that respect. And you are right, it does not solve problems.

[madfloridian]

13. Dupe post

.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Wednesdays]

8. K&R

:kick:

[Pushed To The Left]

9. He's against the public option and he was even talking about filibustering Obama's Supreme Court

pick if it was somebody he didn't like. (I haven't heard what he thinks of Sotomayer) Wouldn't it have been something if some of these blue dog types had stood up to Bush this way during the last 8 years?

[madfloridian]

14. They are the ones who gave Bush anything he wanted.

With Nelson leading the way. Now with Obama as president, Nelson decides to be the opposition.

Amazing, ain't it?

Oh, I just read he says he looks forward to learning more about Sotomayer

[Faryn Balyncd]

10. K&R - - - I'm standing with Dr. Dean. We must defeat Nelson's pseudo-"reform"

[madfloridian]

11. Amen.

Both our Nelsons in the Senate are pains in the butt.

[Vinca]

15. The whole "trigger" idea is not only idiotic, it's timed to coincide

with an election in which Obama will not be a candidate.

[madfloridian]

16. I had not thought of that aspect.

Interesting point.

[xxqqqzme]

17. I have been lucky to hear

Dr. Dean's speech on the public option 3 times now. He brought the convention center in Sacramento down w/ it during the CA Dem party convention last month. He has the right approach about so many issues. Love that Dr.

I've been wondering if he would consider moving to California to run for governor.....I know, probably not.

[madfloridian]

18. Probably not.

I think he's Vermonter through and through.

:hi:

[droidamus2]

20. The only question is...

How much did, does and will Nelson receive from the health insurance lobby? As I have stated before the focus should be on 'health care reform' not 'health insurance reform'. If the idea of private health insurance has run it's course and shown that it is more interested in profits than providing much need health care to all United States citizens then I say let them go the way of the Dodo bird. As much as I support single-payer switching to that without an interim 'public option' may be a little too traumatic to the economy. As an aside, until we can get lobbyist money out of the election process corporation are going to trump citizens in Washington DC every time.

[madfloridian]

22. Sounds like many in Denver unhappy with Dean for public option.

Endangered by Liberal Firing Squad

"The risk of long-delayed health insurance reform collapsing under its own weight could come from an unlikely faction — the political Left. That sinking reality was in full voice Wednesday at a Denver town hall forum featuring Howard Dean, the former Democratic National Committee chairman, ex-Vermont governor and a physician.

In his characteristically blunt political bedside manner, Dean rallied the crowd, “It’s not up to the right wing of the Republican Party, it’s not up to the health insurance companies, it’s not even up to Barack Obama … it’s up to you” to ensure Congress delivers patient-centric health insurance reform.
Whooping, hollering and a few crowd-pleasing political digs aside, Dean’s push for a universal “public option” that would allow people to buy into a government-run health care program, popularly known as Medicare for All, was met with cool skepticism by the left-leaning audience of 300 that clearly favored a single-payer plan and the abolition of private insurers"

..."Dean dismissed concerns about the challenge of getting the steadfast single-payer faction to join a coalition with public option backers to fight the more entrenched insurance industry interests as congressional hearings advance toward the president’s August deadline for a health care reform package.

“The truth is there is no pure single-payer on the face of the Earth,” Dean told the Colorado Independent in an interview before the town hall. “Every system has a private insurance out.

“My attitude toward this is let’s get something. Let’s get the ball rolling. Let’s not have an argument between two poles. Let’s pick a middle course. Of course, the right wing and the insurance companies are already attacking the middle course. If there’s no public option we shouldn’t do anything. The last thing you want to do is pour a trillion dollars into something we already know doesn’t work right.”

Sounds like we might be our own enemy.