"Why Obama Proposal’s Lack Of Public Option Isn’t Necessarily A Catastrophe"

[Clio the Leo]

Why Obama Proposal’s Lack Of Public Option Isn’t Necessarily A Catastrophe

A bunch of people are wringing their hands rather loudly over the fact that the proposal Obama unveiled yesterday doesn’t have a public option in it. And that’s understandable: It would have been better for the public plan’s prospects if Obama had thrown his weight behind it in his first affirmative presentation of a specific health reform proposal.

But still: People need to chill out. The lack of a public option in the President’s proposal is not necessarily a catastrophe and doesn’t necessarily spell doom for it.

For those who are pushing the idea of passing the public plan via reconciliation, the chronology they were envisioning never was contingent on Obama including it in the proposal he takes to the summmit. The whole point all along has been to push Dems to stage a reconciliation vote on the public option after the decision is made to do reform as a whole via this route. This would only take place after the summit.

There was never any reasonable chance Obama would take a public option to the summit. The gathering is supposed to signal a willingness to compromise with Republicans in some fashion. Including the public plan would have just made it far easier for Republicans to cast Obama as acting in bad faith, since it’s been the provision most aggressively derided by the GOP as the centerpiece of the dreaded “government takeover” reform represents.

The lack of a public option in Obama’s current proposal does not necessarily reflect on the chances, such as they are, that Dems will hold a reconciliation vote on it later. As Harry Reid put it, he will push for a vote on the public option “if a decision is made to use reconciliation to advance health care.” The key word being “if.”

To be clear, the White House has been disconcertingly quiet on its intentions, and it very well may ultimately punt on the public option by never signaling real support for a reconciliation vote on it, quietly letting it expire for good. But the lack of a public option in the current proposal is not, in and of itself, necessarily evidence that this is going to happen.

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/why-obama-proposals-lack-of-public-option-isnt-necessary-a-catastrophe/

[FrenchieCat]

1. Doh!

Glad someone came to the same pretty obvious conclusion as I did!

[Clio the Leo]

4. To be honest...

... I will be (pleasantly) surprised if we end up with a PO. BUT .... IF there was ever going to be a push for it by the powers that be, it was NEVER going to be until AFTER Thursday.

As much as WE want the PO, there is a large chunk of the voting populace that either doesn't want it or doesn't understand it enough to support it. So unless we bend WAY WAY WAY over backwards giving the GOP a chance to have a say, we cant "ram it through."

(And I SWEAR if any of y'all cite a poll saying the PO has broad-based NATIONAL support when you KNOW members of Congress are NOT elected nationally, or using a "sample base of likely voters" I will THROW SOMETHING AT MY MONITOR!!!!)

:)

[jaksavage]

16. Nothing sticky

or particularly hard I hope. Wadded up paper would be ok. Or stuffed toys.

[roguevalley]

19. just another person explaining the supposed plan. they have

said no so many times for the public option, I have decided to believe them. If it comforts other people to see magic in the air and unicorns and eighth dimensional chess, fine. More power to you. I can't anymore. I am going to take them at their word, the bastards.

[freddie mertz]

2. Public statements are more than 50 % spin.

Seen Ezra Klein's piece on this?

[Clio the Leo]

6. lol ...... have *I* seen Ezra's piece on this?

I see Ezra's articles about 30 seconds after he posts them.

But you're right ... public statements are 100% spin.

[freddie mertz]

9. Just trying to help, my friend...

[Clio the Leo]

11. no, I just think it's funny...

... how we (myself included) cherry pick our bloggers.

I'll OP just about ANYTHING Ezra writes .... but I sure as heck wasn't posting that one! lol

[freddie mertz]

12. I get it! And it's fine. I just as obviously WOULD.

:rofl: :fistbump:

[Jersey Devil]

3. Why would anyone unrec a post without comment?

This rec/unrec stuff is just too silly.

The OP poses a valid point of view. OK, so disagree with it if you will, but urge people not to even read it with unrecs? Comeon!

[4lbs]

5. Considering the results of that Newsweek poll, it might be better if Obama doesn't attach himself to

the public option.


Let Congress tack it onto the proposal themselves and pass it.

[Clio the Leo]

7. good cop bad cop, IMO. NT

[global1]

8. I'm Just Concerned That This Is A Strategy To Get The Regressives (formerly Repugs).....

to support some sort of HCR but only if the Dems back away from a 'public option'.

If that happens - Obama gets his bipartisanship - the insurance companies get their windfall mandate - but us poor American people will not get the option of being able to choose from competitive plans to lower our outlay on premiums.

[Clio the Leo]

10. I think if that were the case....

... he'd have put a PO in his proposal.

(using my "Obama being sneaky" voice here)
"Look! My plan has a PO! ... What? You dont want it in there? Well ... I'll cut you a deal. Vote for MY plan and I'll take it out!"

What I think MAY happen .... is the opposite.

[CTyankee]

14. Clio, you give me hope.

You are going out on a limb here on this website and I truly believe that you think this is what Obama is doing. And I am not saying this to say you are wrong. In fact, your conviction, to me, is persuasive. I for one hope and pray that you will be proven right. I will hold the good thought...

[Clio the Leo]

15. 'cause I'm a Hope Monger

.... but to be clear, I DONT KNOW what the President's doing ... and I dont think for CERTAIN this is what he's doing ... but I think there's a CHANCE this is what he's doing.

It is DEFINATELY 1. it's a big fake out as I described or 2. there's not enough support for the PO and the letter-signers are getting us excited over nothing. It's DEFINATELY one of those two. lol

And what I'm CERTAIN of is that the reason we dont have a PO at the moment is NOT because "the President doesn't want it and never did." He's clearly said otherwise. This OP was just to offer another perspective more than anything else.

(and this Hope Monger is NEVER gonna make it to the grocery store if I dont TURN OFF THE TWITTER! lol)

[Chulanowa]

13. Very simply; You gotta start somewhere

it's disappointing to not get what you want right when you want it. But in this case, I can definitely understand why it's not out there. Our medical situation is in such a shambles that a public option would, in all likelihood, keel over and die on its own, have enough loopholes and exceptions in it that it would be useless, and would just generally make the harpies bitch more.

I'm willing to wait for Rome to be built.

[European Socialist]

17. Obama should at least encourage Senators to sign the letter...

even if the PO is not in his proposal. Is that asking too much?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

18. It is so obvious that that's the president's strategy. We have to do our part.

Rally support in the Senate for the public option. Do your part.

whipcongress.com

Make calls...

...and KEEP CALLING!!

[liberalpragmatist]

20. People are tied up too much with the public option

The public option actually under consideration in Congress, and the public option which passed the House, are good policies, but they really aren't a huge feature. They can't use Medicare rates, they are limited to the exchanges, and they basically function as a government-chartered non-profit with premiums roughly comparable (or possibly even higher than) private insurance.

It's still a good policy in that it's an extra regulatory tool to keep the insurers in line and it would be a good way of introducing delivery and payment reforms and comparative effectiveness research.

But it isn't the game-changer a lot of progressives assume it is. A Medicare-rates public option open to everyone would have been a game-changer, but that wasn't possible even in the House, let alone the Senate.

[LatteLibertine]

21. The "Catastrophe"

is we elected President Obama and a Democratic majority to govern yet they let the Republican minority ruin their efforts. I'd tell them the people spoke at the polls. Help or get the fvck out of the way.

[asdjrocky]

22. It is as far as this voter is concerned.

And many, many others I know.

If there is not a strong public option, I'm gone for good.