House Dems reach deal on key health care elements

[mvd]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON — House Democrats reached agreement Wednesday on key elements of a health care bill that would vastly alter America's medical landscape, requiring virtually universal sign-ups and establishing a new government-run insurance option for millions.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi planned a formal announcement Thursday morning in front of the Capitol. Lawmakers said the legislation could be up for a vote on the House floor next week.

The rollout will cap months of arduous negotiations to bridge differences between liberal and moderate Democrats and blend health care overhaul bills passed by three separate committees over the summer. The developments in the House came as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., tried to round up support among moderate Democrats for his bill, which includes a modified government insurance option that states could opt out of.

Read more: http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20091027/U... /

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Not quite ideal, but I believe progress will have to come slowly.

[Hawkeye-X]

1. Get rid of the "sunrise" option of 2013. It needs to be implemented IMMEDIATELY

fuck the insurance companies. They'll go the way of CC companies, increasing premiums to stiff people.

Hawkeye-X

[tritsofme]

5. That would make the price tag substantially higher.

Many new taxes will begin to be collected immediately, while new benefits do not begin until 2013.

[pinto]

2. Thanks for the post mvd. Some on-the-record sources finally -

House Dems reach deal on key health care elements
By ERICA WERNER, AP

One change expected to be revealed Thursday is that some of the provisions of the bill, which were set to take effect mostly in 2013, have been moved up so Americans would see the benefits of the legislation more quickly, according to Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami.

"I'm pretty confident that we've got the right pieces in place," said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, one of the three panels involved in writing the bill. "We can quibble over parts of it, but the fact is when you're taking a 60-year-old system that grew up in a rather haphazard fashion and you're trying to bring some coherence to it, these are sort of the things you have to do at the beginning of that process."

<snip>

Some liberals were prepared to accept the negotiated rate structure. Others were still withholding support, even while pointing to Reid's inclusion of a government insurance plan in the Senate bill as a victory in itself.

"We were laughed at in August. Who would have thought that the Senate bill would have a public option?" said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Woolsey was noncommittal about whether progressives would accept the negotiated rates. "This is not walkaway time and it is not acceptance time," Woolsey said.

and, of course -

Republicans criticized the bill even before it was unveiled.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20091027/U... /

[Laelth]

4. k&r for the Honorable Lynn Woolsey.

She said, "This is not walkaway time and it is not acceptance time," and she is exactly right. Like her, I remain guardedly optimistic but uncommitted.



-Laelth

[msongs]

3. smashing victory for the republicans masquerading as democrats? nt

[joeycola]

10. sadly yes. But Woolsey not ready to throw in the towel.

[Thornleylv]

6. http://namesofthedead.com/

[KatherineEgan]

7. How much will the premium cost

us every month? I really want to know how much I will have to pay. Has anyone seen this? Even an estimate would be nice to see.

[Doremus]

8. Anything less than $1,000/mo. is going to save me $$$$.

I realllly wish they could implement it sooner though.

[earcandle]

9. Looking good.