Tag: Public Option

Others Say ‘NO’ To Dems Health Reform

I try to be fair and balanced in my writings and I try to give all sides to a debate on policy….

Not everyone is thrilled with the proposals that the Dems are offering up as health reform…….this from the Green Party, USA:

The ‘public option’ in the bill would enroll only 2% of the population by 2019. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the public option “would cost more than private plans” since it would enroll primarily the poorest and sickest members of society. Insurance companies will probably end up administering the public option plan. (Single-Payer ends the provision of health coverage by insurance companies, which raise health costs by nearly a third to cover overhead, administrative costs, CEO salaries, and profits for shareholders.)

Access to health insurance will still primarily be tied to employment. An employee who loses his or her job will still lose coverage. Employers, not employees, will choose their workers’ insurance company and their health care provider. (Single-Payer relieves businesses of the burden of providing health insurance benefits and allows Americans to choose their physician or hospital.)

The House bill further increases health care spending. The US already spends nearly double ($7,200 per capita) what other industrial countries spend for their citizens. To reduce the increase in costs to the federal government, the Democrats’ plan would push more and more of the financial burden for health care onto state governments and consumers, while reducing subsidies to consumers. (Past studies by the GAO and CBO confirm that Single-Payer would save hundreds of billions of dollars annually in total health care spending.)

The House bill denies health care for all immigrants, a restriction that would ultimately cost the US more in money and lives, since denial of treatment to anyone encourages the spread of disease among everyone, regardless of health coverage. (Single-Payer’s financial savings would fully offset the cost of health care for immigrants and improve the quality of health care for all.)

Tens of millions of Americans will either not be required to purchase insurance or will choose to pay a penalty rather than do so. Those who buy subsidized plans, mostly the working poor, will find that many services are not covered and that they will lack the funds to pay the deductibles and co-pays needed for medical treatment, since the plans are designed to only cover 70% of costs. (Single-Payer will offer comprehensive health care for everyone.)

The Dems have a hard sell even to their staunchest supporters…..it will be interesting to see how the final version of the bill will shake out……I bet that it will look nothing like a real reform bill….any takers?

Here It Is……The House Version!

You asked for it….now you got it!  The House version of the health reform bill has finally seen the light of day…it has just been announced….and now we can pick it apart…well, as soon as all the details are out……let the fun begin!

CNN has its report on the bill:

The bill — a combination of versions passed by three House committees — includes what is termed a “negotiated rate” public option. It will cost $894 billion over 10 years and extend insurance coverage to 36 million Americans, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.

The bill guarantees that 96 percent of Americans have coverage, Pelosi’s office said. The figure is based on an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Under the House plan, health care providers would be allowed to negotiate reimbursement rates with the federal government, according to Democratic leadership aides.

Pelosi’s office said the bill would cut the federal deficit by roughly $30 billion over the next decade. The measure is financed largely through a combination of a tax surcharge on wealthy Americans and spending constraints in Medicare and Medicaid.

Medicare expenditures would be cut by 1.3 percent annually, Pelosi’s office said.

Under the House plan, health care providers would be allowed to negotiate reimbursement rates with the federal government, according to Democratic leadership aides.

Any bill passed by the House of Representatives will eventually have to be merged with legislation passed by the Senate. Both chambers would then have to pass a revised measure before sending it to President Obama to be signed into law.

You may have only thought that the “robust” public option was still alive…….

Are you ready for the fun?  The GOP already hates it….go figure and as more details are released the more of an overall picture we will have of the proposal.

I will begin……”negotiated rate” public option?  What happen to there would be a “robust” public option?  Negotiated rate does not sound robust to me.

Sorry, progressives….so far you guys are getting bumpkus of the stuff you wanted….the GOP ought to be thrilled….why?….they have succeeded in killing the possibility of ALL Americans getting adequate health care….that is a win….so far the Dems are losing…but as the pundits say…if Obama gets a bill to sign, then that would be a win….

And that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard……

More to follow…………….

It’s Alive! But Will It Live?

The public option is dead…as predicted in the media and now….it lives!  Well, it is walking with a limp, but walking…the best question to ask is “can it be rehabilitated”?

I listened to the guys and gals step in front of the mic and tell us all about the “new” public option with the opt-out clause…..many of us that were listening are totally confused….what the hell are these people talking about?

The opt-out provision is a compromise between lawmakers who want a government alternative and those who don’t. Details of how it would work were still sketchy, but states would get a year after the 2013 phase-in of health-care legislation to decide whether to participate.

How the Plan Might Operate

Some details of a provision, to be included in the Senate bill, for the government to sell health insurance in competition with the private market:

Probably beginning in 2013, insurance-buying “exchanges” would be open to people buying coverage on their own and to small businesses. They could choose from private plans, or from the public one, which probably would be cheaper, since it would not need to turn a profit.

The public plan would be in effect nationwide, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s proposal would allow states the opportunity, starting in 2014, to “opt out” of it.

Various proposals are being considered for how states could opt out.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D., N.Y.), who came up with the idea, proposed requiring that states

pass laws to exit the public plan.

The public plan would get startup money from the government, but that would be paid back over time, and the plan would be paid for by premiums from participants. Rates paid to providers would be negotiated by the government.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20091027_Senate_bill_has_public_option.html

There you have your answer on how the plan could possibly work….satisfied?  Or are you as confused as the rest of America?  The best I can tell is that it will actually insure few of the uninsured……I still do not see the insurance industry losing in any way….costs will most likely shoot up before it is implemented……so, is this a good idea?  It is a beginning…that is the best I can say right now…..

Why Do Democrats Crap On Each Other?

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?

A Pale Reflection Of Intent

The vote is in!  The Baucus bill will get to the Senate floor for more debate….one Repub came along for the ride…..

I thought the intent of any health bill was to get the uninsured health care, to hold down consumers cost and to make the industry more responsive to the consumers needs….apparently I was mistaken because I see very little of that in the bills….

46 million Americans are uninsured!  Remember that war chant from the Left?  Alright, we can argue the actual number, but let us say that tens of millions of Americans are uninsured.  But with that said, how are we doing on correcting that situation?  We STINK!

If you have read the bills from the Congress then we will noticed that not one of them addresses ALL the uninsured.  Whatever comes out of the conferences and meeting and negotiation…nothing will cover ALL uninsured Americans.  That is right!  No matter what is done or what is agreed upon there will still be million, if not tens of million Americans that will still suffer from being uninsured.

Also all the bills now will just help keep high insurance costs and drug pay outs…..in other words, these so-called plans will be a godsend to them as far as their profits go.  Why?  We will be adding many more to the rolls of the insured and without thumb screws the health industry will continue the practices that are making them the most profitable industry.

The newest piece of….thinking……crap is the “opt out” proposal.  It is an attempt to find a comprise that will sound like a public option while protecting insurance companies and increasing their profit base……it is a worthless compromise to gain that elusive super majority of 60 votes…..it does little for those uninsured people that all say they want to help…….so far very few have actually done anything to help ALL Americans.

Unfortunately, universal health care was dead before it was born…..that would have solved almost all problems….but it was NEVER given a birth date.  The president will be happy, at this point, to have any bill that he can sign….the public option is a good beginning, but too many Americans will die without a universal coverage.

It will be fascinating to see just what abortion the Congress will give to the president and also to see how he reacts and then signs.

Is “Opt Out” Proposal Good Or Bad?

It is about enough of who won what prize and who wants to own a NFL team…there is far more important issues that need analysis……

Since single payer was a NO SHOW in the deliberations and the public option will most likely be in name only….what options are being considered now?  Glad you asked….and this one is a doosey (sp?)…….

As reported in the Huffington Post:

Senate Democrats have begun discussions on a compromise approach to health care reform that would establish a robust, national public option for insurance coverage but give individual states the right to opt out of the program.

How such a system would work is still being debated, according to those with knowledge of the proposal. But theoretically, the “opt-out” approach would start with everyone having access to a public plan. What kind of public plan isn’t yet clear. States would then have the right to vote — either by referendum, legislature, or simply a gubernatorial decree — to make the option unavailable in their health care exchanges.

A simple thought experiment might clarify the issues at hand: What if Medicare had been passed with this ‘opt-out’ provision? To make the thought experiment more appropriate to the situation at hand, we must imagine that the 1965 law creating Medicare had already been subject to the same compromises that the public option has been: that its ability to negotiate with certain suppliers and providers has been negotiated away, and that instead of being available to all older Americans, access has been restricted so that only an estimated 5% of them are expected to join.

A plausible answer is that a number of states, especially in the South, would have chosen not to participate.

This appears to be a weak lame attempt to pacify as many Dems as possible with the chance that a 60 vote super majority can to reached……in other words, it is all about the vote not what is best for the people, who those voting have taken an oath to serve….did I miss something?  Is that not grounds to throw the ilk out of office?

FOX Pundit Goes Rogue

First, I like to give due to people I think have “Cajones Of Steel”, those people that may go off  message or who jump up and do what I think ios the right thing.

This time it is FOX News pundit Shep Smith….recently in an interview with Dr. and Senator Barrasso of Wyoming:  Thanks to thinkprogress.org—-

“Why would we not want a public option?” Shep Smith asked Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), kicking off a tense and lively exchange this afternoon on Fox News. When Barrasso quickly launched into his Frank Luntz-inspired GOP talking points, calling it a “government take-over of health care,” Smith — who’s been known to go off the Fox News reservation from time to time — pushed back:

SMITH: It’s not a government take over, Senator! That’s not fair and we both know it. It’s not a government takeover because what it would be is a government option if you have insurance now and you like it you can keep it. … That’s not a government take over if we’re being fair is it Senator?

Barrasso struggled to muster a response. “Well compare it to Medicare, which we know right now is going bankrupt,” he said. Later, Smith engaged in fierce advocacy in favor of the public option:

SMITH: As the costs have gone up, the insurance industry’s profits on average have gone up more than 350 percent and it’s the insurance companies which have paid and have contributed to Senators and congressman on both sides of the aisle to the point where now, we can’t get…what more than 60 percent of Americans say they support, is a public option. This has been an enormous win for the health care industry. That is an unquestioned fact. […]

[E]very vote against a public option is a vote for the insurance companies, sir. It is!

Again, Barrasso replied with trite talking points. “We’re not even allowing the people of America to read the bill,” he said, later adding that “Washington is incapable” of running health care. “I want to be clear,” Smith told Barrasso, “this wouldn’t be Washington running the system, Senator. It would be a government run plan paid for by the people who sign up for the plan.”

That is a big OOPS!  Smith went off the reservation of FOX by calling the senator out on the crap about the government take over of health care.  This is not the first time Smith has left the fold….my question is…how much will FOX tolerate before he is bounced?  God forbid one of their pundits actually hold politicians accountable for their words…FOX does not…..

Will This Be The Public Option?

Repubs are screaming that there can be NO public option…..Conserv Dems are screaming that a c-op is the only way to a public option….and now there is a negotiation gpoing on with Sen. Snow of Maine for a “trigger” that would be met that would enact a public option.  But what the hell is a trigger and what does it mean?

From talkingpointsmemo.com:

Snowe’s idea is to use the threat of a government plan to force private insurers to become more competitive and cost conscious. She has been advocating the approach for months in closed-door negotiations with fellow senators and in talks with White House aides and the president.

The precise details have yet to be worked out, but the general idea is to give the insurance industry a fixed time to show that it can stem rising medical costs. If the private carriers fail, the government-run plan would be created. The approach could be tailored so that the government plan is used only in areas of the country where one or two private insurers control the market and have failed to bring down costs.

But the government plan wouldn’t have to be used in regions where consumers have a choice of insurance companies and competition has kept prices low.

However, liberals are wary of Snowe’s plan, favoring a robust government-run plan.

To me this is and will be a cop out if it is the rule……the so-called trigger is too broad and that will give the insurance industry too much leeway to keep the status quo.  I do not see where this will help the uninsured get insured.  This is a tweek not a reform and is just what the Repubs want…it will be much easier to eliminate down the line.

Even the president is lowering expectations by calling the public option “only a small sliver of the bill”.  His speech this week will be closely watched by many on the Left to see if he will cave to the BS of the cowards.



Health Debate Gets Creepy

Much and I do mean much has been reported, written and said on the subject of health care and its reform….much of it was pure BS or rather ouright lies….most of that coming from the Repubs but then there are just as many BS artists within the Dems also……..do I have anyone in mind?  Oh, you betcha butt I do!

How about one of the Dem leaders in the Senate….Harry Reid?

“I’ve told people, whoever will listen, that I am in favor of the public option,” Reid said, adding he thinks it’s essential in order to provide competition for private insurance companies that are exempt from anti-trust laws. “We’re working now to try to come up with a program that would allow that to take place.”

Reid went on to say that most people “misunderstand” a public option as “some government run program.”

“But there are many ways we can do it,” he said. “One would be to have an entity like Medicare. I really don’t favor that. I think what we should have is a private entity that has direction from the federal government.”

So Reid is thinking of the public option that is privately run……think about that for a moment…..what the hell would that look like?

To me that sounds like he is working on the idea of the health co-ops, if so then the real public option is DEAD before it was ever brought to life.  Sad to say, with the loss of Sen. Kennedy this could well be the future of health reform….and that would NOT be what the senator had envisioned for the direction of health care.

I have asked if I would support the idea of the creation of health co-ops….I can answer that in one simple word…NO!  Now you would like to know why?  That is a very easy one to answer…it will NOT help the uninsured……it will not help ease the costs over time….and I have a good reason for thinking that…Blue Cross/Blue Shield started off as a type of co-op and it has morphed into a run for profit giant.  That is a perfect example of what the next series of co-ops will become.


Could Public Option Actually Save Money?

A Professor’s Classroom

I try to find info for the reader that is not commonly out there to help in the understanding of the issue of health care and the debate.

While doing some research I found an article in Reuters about this subject.

Opponents say a cheaper, government plan will make it impossible for private plans to compete and may drive some out of business. It could also encourage employers to drop coverage and make employees buy a government-backed plan, they say.

Overall, an exchange with a Medicare-like plan will save nearly $3 trillion through 2020, saving consumers up to $2,200 per household, Commonwealth found. About $2 trillion of that would come after about five to six years, it said.

In comparison, an exchange including a government plan with higher rates would save $1.97 trillion and a private plan-only exchange would save almost $1.2 trillion. Both options would save a household $1,600.

Still, an exchange won’t keep health costs from rising, the report added.

The increase in federal budget costs from 2010 to 2020 with the Medicare-like public plan would be $112 billion, it found. That is compared to $232 billion under the public plan with somewhat higher rates and $360 billion under a private plan-only exchange.

All three options would help insure nearly all Americans, it said, with the number of uninsured dropping to about 4 million people by 2012.

The group’s analysis assumed other changes would also be made to the U.S. healthcare market. These include payment reforms to the Medicare program, an expansion of existing government coverage and new regulations that would require insurers to cover a wider range of consumers.

These figures should appear in the debate somewhere.  Repubs will most likely avoid using or mentioning this report in any way for it would crap all over their “cost too much” argument.

But there is a desparate need for ALL the information to be given to the people….that is assuning the Congress is truly listening to the people they say are contacting them on the subject….personally, I think it is not all that true….the opinions are being bought.