Well folks, it looks like we have a real hit on our hands! Yippee!!!

[Stinky The Clown]

"The Baucus Plan"

Hip hip hooray!

Call out the bands and the dancers!

Everybody celebrate!

THE BAUCUS PLAN

Party Like Your Life Depends On It















:sarcasm:

[sui generis]

1. A couple of things would make all the world of difference

1. We don't worry about making this or calling it a tax. It's a tax, collect it, use it for medical care.
a. if you have insurance, you sign a witholding exemption on your W2
b. if you need healthcare and do NOT have insurance, you add the withholding to your W2
c. we start collecting revenue via IRS IMMEDIATELY. Amazing! Not everybody who pays the tax uses it.
d. the government is a collective bargaining entity for service and goods pricing optimization.

2. We don't worry about the poor insurance companies that have drained us dry for the past 50 years. They must adapt to US, not the other way around.

3. We deal with real NET costs in every number we mention, not the 10 year worst case scenario plan, nor the magic zero dollar plan.


If 40 million people don't have health coverage, not all 40 million people are in a position to require health CARE in the next year.

A tax means income/sliding, not premium calculation, PERIOD. Obama, please grow a pair because this shit ain't working and won't work.

[damntexdem]

2. No, the hit is the CBO esitmate for the Baucus Plan.

It shows Baucus coming in nearly 100 billion below the mark. That means, gotta add more, cover more people. And the Baucus Plan does nothing to contain costs -- so put in cost containment, such as a robust public option, and really go to town on covering more people.

The GOP and the Blue Dogs slit their own throats by making so much of the upcoming CBO report -- and then it turned on them.

The only question is how effectively progressive Dems will use the report to push throw the reform we need.

[Winterblues]

3. As long as any plan gets approved in the Senate I'm happy

It is in committee where it gets reconciled with the House Bill that matters. That is the Bill that matters, not the Baucus very rough draft.