Damnedest thing you have ever seen….a majority and still cannot get anything done….where do we find these people?

We have all heard the clap trap coming from the Right when health reform is mentioned…they are fighting Obama and the boyz with all they got….grant that ain’t got much….but they still try and try…all the misinformation…the lobbyists…..the media….few on the Right are for a substantial reform…the problem is that is not exactly what the figures show the American people want…..but when has government ever been about what the people want?

All that is not the problem….Nope, not the problem at all…..the Dems are negotiating with themselves….they long realized that nothing was ever going to come out of trying to negotiate with the Repubs so they set about crapping on each other…..they have a majority in two houses and yet they cannot come together for something that is much needed…health care.  That leads one to question just how successful they will be with any other type of legislation?

You wonder just what I mean by all this….thinkprogress.com has a perfect illustration:

The Hill is reporting that Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR) — who led a group of seven centrist Blue Dogs who objected to a public option that reimbursed providers based on Medicare rates — is floating a proposal to open-up Medicare to Americans under 65, “but at a reimbursement rate much greater than current Medicare rates“:

I — speaking only on behalf of myself — suggested one possible idea could be that instead of creating an entirely new government bureaucracy to administer a public option, Medicare could be offered as a choice to compete alongside private insurers for those Americans eligible to enter the national health insurance exchange, but at a reimbursement rate much greater than current Medicare rates.

The last sentence is key: reimbursing providers who treat the new enrollees at market rates satisfies the provider community and conservative politicians from rural states who argue that their hospitals would close if they were reimbursed at Medicare rates. This scheme preserves the integrity of a single national program and takes advantage of Medicare’s administrative efficiencies to lower costs and spearhead delivery reforms. Still, Ross’ solution will likely save less money than a robust public option that uses Medicare-like rates and leverage.

What to do?  How about one simple thing….open Medicare up to every one…now was it that hard to come up with a plan?  Rep. Ross statement is nothing more than his pay back to the industry that bought him as a person.

The Dems will negotiate with themselves until there is nothing left of value or substance to any health reform bill sent to Obama for his signature.  Once again, I ask, are you happy with the choice you made last election?