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So, I am a 100% supporter of single payer/strong public option reform. But, it does seem obvious that we will not get that. Not only do we still have the Blue Cross Dogs sitting in the Senate still prepared to filibuster it, but I firmly believe the administration is committed to keeping it out of the bill.
That said, the bills are going to conference between the House and the Senate. It is likely to be mostly a sham conference, a formality designed to kill what's left of the House bill and leave the Senate bill intact. There is a very small window to fight for elements of the House bill that could improve the situation. I believe, as much as I hate this, that tying up all our energy in pushing for the House to force the PO into the final bill will neglect some of the portions of their bill which could make it into the final bill. Here are 2 areas I think we need to let our reps know we want to see changed from the Senate version to the House version:
1) Fight for the House version of funding. We will all be better off if the House plan to tax the wealthy to raise the revenue needed is kept and the plan to hit the union workers with the tax on 'Cadillac Plans' is scrapped. First, this keeps some of the financial burden off the working and middle classes and it will keep the unions on board for 2010 with their GOTV efforts and financial support. Keeping the House version here is one way to make this bill more progressive, less regressive.
2) Fight to keep the community ratings model from the House bill over the Senate bill. The House bill allows only a 2x multiplier the insurance companies can use to figure premium costs. The Senate bill allows a 3x multiplier. Lowering the multiplier they are allowed to use for community rating will help clip the wings of the insurance corporations perhaps almost as well as forcing them to compete with the weakened public option.
3) Fight to keep the House definition of small business. The Senate version exempts employers with a payroll of $500,000 from the employer mandate. That will cover only about 20 employers in the nation who do not already provided benefits to their employees. The House bill will exempt much fewer employers and capture more benefits for employees. I had hoped and I know many of you had, also, to move away from an employer based system that keeps Americans enslaved to their jobs. But, if we must keep this system we need more employers in the pool.
In addition to these, look for the loopholes the Senate bill contains for health insurance corporations that the House bill does not contain. Push to have them removed.
It is still iffy that the House can even get these changes made to the Senate bill. Remember, the White House will be pressuring the progressive caucus to cave and pass the Senate bill as is. Fighting for the PO to be included will divide our resources for a fight I don't think we can win. Fighting to get the House version of the above issues into the final bill will go a long way to making it more what we want and it is, outside possibility, doable. President Obama's team really wants this passed in time for him to trumpet it in SOTU. It does not look as if he is, necessarily, going to get that. Perhaps we have some savvy House members who can offer to get it to him by then if they get these concessions?
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