Pelosi Prepares To Move Ahead With Robust Public Option

[t0dd]

Source: TPM



A preliminary analysis from CBO may have sealed the deal. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is preparing to move ahead with a "robust" public option--one that reimburses hospitals and providers at Medicare rates, plus five percent--in the House's health care bill.

The analysis finds the reconstituted House proposal to be deficit neutral, and require about $870 billion in new spending, over ten years.

The bill remains nominally more expensive than the Senate Finance Committee proposal, but would cover 96 percent of all Americans, providing greater bang for each federal dollar spent. And, aides note, the bill that comes to the floor of the Senate will be a hybrid of the Finance and more expensive HELP Committee bills, so the price is expected to rise.

The move is sure to make progressives ecstatic, and puts Senate leaders, who have been unable to reach any decisions about a public option in their own bill, in an uncomfortable position. In recent days, Pelosi has insisted that she intends to send House negotiators to a health care conference committee with the maximum possible leverage for the public option. And House health care principals have been working doggedly to keep the price of reform down with the help of the public option--so in a sense, the news comes as little surprise.

Read more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/10/pelosi-prepa...

[Deja Q]

1. K&R

[Mind_your_head]

2. Hope that Nancy saw this political cartoon. I hope she does 'right', but I don't trust her AT ALL.

edit to add: "hat-tip" to RC for posting it on this DU thread here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[wroberts189]

5. That cartoon is indeed excellent.

she is getting heavily pressured by several caucuses ..progressive..black etc.

[geckosfeet]

9. +1

[liberal N proud]

11. ++++1

[JimWis]

22. Now that cartoon exactly nails what I have been thinking about

all along. Thanks for sharing it.

[gorfle]

54. LOVE THAT CARTOON

Sums it all up righ there.

[Roland99]

74. +676 (as in H.R. 676)

[niceypoo]

80. This is good news but...

..as with anything involving the Democrats in congress, I reserve the right to be skeptical.

It is time to stop the talk and start the walk.

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. I would have prefered impeachment, but thanks for bring out the powder now, Nancy.

I can only hope Harry Reid has the same clarity of thought.

[tabatha]

7. No impeachment meant democrat in WH.

I am hoping Bush and Cheney still get their due.

[Ruby the Liberal]

24. I know, and have known, but please go back in time and tell 11/06 me.

[hughee99]

78. Don't worry, the powder will be put away before it's needed.

They're going to keep it dry. I'm sorry to say this, but I think it's just for show.

[wroberts189]

4. knr ..its not over till its over... we will get it. nt

[urgk]

6. What excites me the most about govt. funded healthcare...

Is that:

1. Once the government has to pay for obese children, it will become cost efficient to limit McDonald's advertising to kids.

2. Once the government has to pay for cancer and other chemically-driven conditions, it will become cost efficient to jump on poisons like BPA, mercury, lead and anything else the EPA should have been regulating all along.

3. Once the government has to pay for pre and post natal care for teenage mothers, it will become cost effective to provide better information and protection to our kids.

All in all, if the taxpayers, through the government have to foot the bill for health care, they're far more likely to push congress to protect the health and physical well-being of American citizens.

[Mind_your_head]

8. That's an EXCELLENT POINT!

Among many which could be made along those lines!

Thank you.

[MrMickeysMom]

34. Well said...

We're all the stakeholders now, eh?

[clear eye]

44. Look closer

Option is not gov't funded except for what tax breaks and/or subsidies make it into law. The option as written is administered by private not-for-profit health insurerers like Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Look it up. Ask your Congressmember's staff person; find out what you're supporting. The best thing the privatized public option does is to start decoupling health insurance from employment, taking the burden off our businesses to help hiring and the economy in general.

Medicaid already pays for pregnancy-related care for poor teenagers, and unfortunately it hasn't stimulated a rush on good health ed. The public costs of environmental poisoning have been known for decades--we've been paying for it for decades in many ways--but our gov't is still happy to socialize the costs of industry's and regulators' negligence.

We have been footing the bill for unaffordable health care already in the cruelest, least efficient manner possible, by paying for emergency room care, medical bankruptcies, and in many places written-off bills in public hospitals for advanced illness that could have been treated less expensively if caught earlier.

If all these expensive realities haven't motivated the federal gov't to be more pro-active toward the health of our citizenry, I just can't see how this bill would do it. I encourage you to work hard for the more responsible gov't you picture, though. The Internet has made it easier to research candidate's records on these things than in the past. Learn from sites of groups like the League of Conservation Voters. Work for and vote for candidates who move toward the gov't you envision. Ask others to join you. Make it part of your weekly schedule, your life, or even your career.

You may have been active in getting support for a "public" option, and I wish I could say that this one, somewhat compromised, victory would solve all those other problems. Unfortunately the struggle to get gov't to act in the interest of the gen'l public instead of for the wealthiest and most powerful is, and always will be, neverending. Victories will always be in shades of grey. We win when we do not permit the basest instincts of the most power and money driven among us to cause utter destruction. We win when running as fast and hard as we can does more than keep us in the same place. This bill is a small win. Maybe a very small win. We can celebrate it for what it is. But imagining it will do so much more than it does is only a prescription for heartache, alienation and eventual apathy.

[SandWalker1984]

66. Good point. Make the public option Medicare, a proven success.

Why set up a new administrative program for a public option or use a company such as Blue Cross (which now costs as much as other private, for profit plans in most areas)?

We already have the delivery system that alraedy works, and at a low administrative cost. Medicare. A proven success.

[defendandprotect]

75. Up and running and ready to go -- !!! MEDICARE FOR ALL . . .

[tridim]

56. And there will also be a huge incentive to keep people healthy before they get sick

Instead of the complete opposite, as it is now. More sick people equals more profit for the corporations and shareholders.

[defendandprotect]

76. Right . . . maybe we can start looking into the environmental causes for our illnesses . . .

Oops! Corporations wouldn't much like that . . . would they?

[David Zephyr]

10. Nancy Pelosi simply rocks!

!

[onehandle]

12. Of course. nt

[MannyGoldstein]

13. Go! Go! Go! Nancy!

Dear God, let this be for real.

[G_j]

14. K&R

[Jane Austin]

15. Outstanding!

Go Pelosi!

[femrap]

16. k and r

I commend her efforts. We have to have a Public Option or there is no reform.

[niceypoo]

17. Yay!

If they pull this off this means they keep majorities and OBama goes eight years.

And I dont get screwed next year when my 'insurance' company goes into the stupid savings plan BS.

[Barack_America]

18. K&R. Excellent news.

[JackDragna]

19. Pelosi will go up a notch if she gets this passed.

I've been skeptical of her leadership before, so we'll see. It's a positive step.

[bertman]

27. Echo that, JackDragna.

[JimWis]

20. K&R

[Kind of Blue]

21. Go Girl! KnR. n/t

[ShadowLiberal]

23. Hope she has enough votes for it, last I heard she was about 10 votes short of 218 needed to pass

I read about a week ago that the strongest public option was roughly 10 votes short of passing the house according to multiple house insiders.

At the same time we've recently had 2 blue dogs who once opposed the strongest public option change their minds and decide to support it (they're both counted as yes votes for the strong public option in the 10 vote short total), one of which used to strongly oppose the public option. I forget the name, but that lady who used to strongly oppose the public option flipped after a health insurance company dropped her son after he got expensive illness.

[MannyGoldstein]

31. Maybe some more Blue Hyenas will hop aboard the Clue Train!!!

Let's hope...

[earcandle]

36. The Clue Train indeed!

[Hippo_Tron]

39. They're likely holding out for pork

[laughingliberal]

51. I believe that lady was Jane Harman (D) CA nt

[tinrobot]

25. Robusto! Magnifico!

Ti amo Nancy !

[Vidar]

26. K&R

[kmlisle]

28. Why are the Ads on this post anti public option?

The Ad right next to Nancy's pic is from Americans for Prosperity which I have seen reported as a lobbyist funded group back by insurance cos to sink the heath care plan. There it is asking us to sign a petition against government health care. WTF!

[MannyGoldstein]

29. Great!!! We're Wasting Their Cash!!!

[oasis]

30. kick

[stevedeshazer]

32. Woo-hoo! Here we go, enjoy the ride

We're making a difference.

[Faryn Balyncd]

33. Only the House can save our party. The Senate bill would destroy the middle class & end our majority

......and Obama NEEDS the House to demand what's right. He can't do it by himself.





(K & R, by the way.)

[tmyers09]

35. Awesome.

Awesome. Now we just need Harry Reid to get his shit together and be a leader.

[earcandle]

38. Yes, Harry. Do your job.

[earcandle]

37. Go Girl! That's Democracy at work!

[mvd]

40. Keep it up. Nancy!

[Frank Booth]

41. Baucus, Reid, Obama and the rest of the "centrists" aren't going to like this!

Pelosi's boxed them into a corner.

[MannyGoldstein]

47. Let's Elect Only Woment To Government

I'm not joking - it would be a great improvement.

[Frank Booth]

81. That might be true for the most part,

but two of the scariest politicians in the world are women -- Palin and Bachmann.

[tomm2thumbs]

42. If this gets traction, she could end up the heroine of this entire issue!

(crossing fingers, toes, everything not locked down....)

[eridani]

43. There is absolutely no information about "robustness" here

Nowhere does she say that all Americans would be eligible to join, instead of just 5%. Which makes no difference anyway because we can't have it until 2013. This is meaningless unless people start to see benefits immediately. All she has to do is to let people buy into Medicare voluntarily.

[bluestateguy]

45. Notce how a lot of the Pelosi bashing has stopped around here over the last few weeks

nt

[MannyGoldstein]

46. Because She's Started Making Noise Like A Democrat

Exciting stuff... I hope it's for real!

[Enthusiast]

67. Right! There will be no bashing

of REAL Democrats.

[kestrel91316]

68. That's because she finally grew a reasonable facsimile of a spine

and started doing at least part of her FUCKING JOB.

[stlsaxman]

48. Is this the "Medicare Plus 5" i've heard about? Sounds great!

[City Lights]

49. K&R!

[FourScore]

50. You go, girl!

k/r

[valerief]

52. K&R

[tavalon]

53. The unforgiveable woman may just have found her way to redemption

Or, we may be seeing another act in the dog and pony show.

I sure hope it's the former.

[sabrina 1]

55. K&R

Hope this works. And good for her!

[TomClash]

57. It's public option or no option - go Nancy go!

Without a public option, NO BILL.

We should remember who our friends and enemies are.

[ej510]

58. Pelosi's 'Public Option' Bill Gets Boost From Report Pegging Cost Below Obama's $900B

Source: Fox News

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's drive to put the federal government in the business of selling health insurance got a major boost Tuesday with a new report that showed the cost of a health reform bill that included the so-called "public option" could be less expensive than the $900 billion projected by the Obama administration.

If approved, the change would bring the insurance industry under stricter federal regulation. While a 60-vote majority is likely to be required for passage, the decision by top Democrats to seek a vote underscores the antagonism that lately has sprouted between advocates of Obama's ambitious health care plan and insurance companies who are dissatisfied with key features of the legislation.

Cont'd at the link:

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/20/house-receiv... /

[FourScore]

59. GO P.O! GO P.O.! GO P.O.!

[tomm2thumbs]

60. Seems to me this slam dunk is getting slam-dunkier

The majority of people want it
The Democrats will reap the vote-benefits
The costs are much lower

Pelosi will trump Obama as the one who got it done.

Obama better step up to the plate or get booted from the line-up of history.

[Dawgs]

61. This will be Obama's accomplishment; good or bad.

Sorry.

[Beetwasher]

63. No, It's Smart For Obama To Let Pelosi Take The Lead

Especially going into the '10 elections. Think about it. O's pretty damn popular anyway and he will STILL get mucho credit for this thing. Let Pelosi bask and glow. He can afford to be magnanimous.

[earcandle]

62. Keeping pushing Pelosi. Bring America into the 55 other countries that pay for

healthcare with collected tax dollars!
Dump all of those divisive plans that cause us to be a
classed society instead of a free one.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

64. can we have single payer please!

[mikelgb]

65. 96% = Over 12 Million people still not covered.

[RufusTFirefly]

69. The phrase "robust public option" will put almost anyone to sleep

You could hardly come up with a more wonkish sounding term for a simple, humane, inspiring idea.

Medicare Part E: Medicare for Everyone!

[damntexdem]

70. How widely available?

We need a PO available to all.

Yes, if not available to all, it would still be great if it all almost everyone to be covered. But it really does need to be an option for all of the public.

[apnu]

71. Pretty Wicked, cram it up their asses Nancy!

If she pulls this off, I'll have to reevaluate my low opinion of her.

[LiberalLovinLug]

72. She plays the 'good cop'

Harry Reid will play the 'bad cop'

And kill any teeth in the Public Option, or Medicare for All, or whatever they come up with. Citing bipartisanship as the only thing that is important (not Americans health). He will claim that its 'the best we could do', and then get dressed up for a lavish cocktail party hosted by the Insurance Companies in celebration.

cynical? who me?

[TheEuclideanOne]

73. He is up for re-election

He may want to hold off on that bad cop routine....for a little bit at least.

[defendandprotect]

77. Makes sense from every angle . . . for Obama relection ....Dem re-elections . . .next 40 years!!

IF THEY DO MEDICARE FOR ALL --

[HughMoran]

79. Good. A quadrillion recs

This is the story of the day.