Is the Public Option back in play?

[PhilosopherKing]

Because if it is, then we can turn this Brown incident into a better bill.

And at the same time, we can kick Joe Lieberman out of our caucus.

[Bill219]

David Shuster is tweeting that the Public Option lives again

HCR public option will produce the $ to pay for "fix" House/labor groups want, if they go along with Sen bill. PO can be passed with 51.

about 8 hours ago from web

Again, the "patch" that will get the house to pass the Senate bill can be passed in Sen w/reconciliation, or 51 votes. $ for patch from PO

about 8 hours ago from web

@karoli no, not at all. House passes Sen bill with consumer protections. Sen then takes up a "patch" on cad tax, paid for by PO. Separate

about 7 hours ago from web


@karoli again, separate legislation. Sen bill as is... House passes with assurances of a "patch" passed by Sen through reconciliation.

about 7 hours ago from web


And keep in mind, HCR mandates poll a lot better when paired with PO. And again, house will get something in return for passing Sen bill.

about 7 hours ago from web

It will be separate legislation... but again, since it's budget related, a patch to cad tax paid for by PO needs only 51 votes in Senate.

about 7 hours ago from web


Passing Sen bill doesn't exclude altering HCR afterwards. House/Sen differences: raising/spending HCR $. Patches fall under reconciliation

about 7 hours ago from web


Key question: How would you pay for a "patch" to Cad tax/mandates? CBO said PO would save $60Billion/10 years. Reconciliation = 51 votes

about 7 hours ago from web


The public opposes health care reform? Actually, a clear majority supported it when it had a public option. House dems know it. Watch.

about 7 hours ago from web



House dems will insist on a patch for passing Sen bill. Patch will address cad tax/mandate, and will be paid for with PO. 51 votes wins

about 7 hours ago from web


Public option coming back to life as House insists on separate Senate "patch," via reconciliation, for House passing Sen bill as is.

about 6 hours ago from web



We will have a full report, and an explanation of how this would work, tomorrow morning on our 10am show.


about 6 hours ago from web


Public option lives again. Dems ready HCR reconciliation. http://tiny.cc/LQhc9 We have additional reporting that will air 10am tomorrow.

about 2 hours ago from web

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I know I will be tuning in tomorrow to find out more details

[Bill219]

1. self delete

duplicate post

[OregonBi]

2. Great premise!

If it is or close we MUST do all we can to promote it. Other than telling Americans to fuck off over it.
As for LieberScum, isn't about time we pushed him into insignificance?

[regnaD kciN]

3. Not unless we pass the current Senate bill through the House first...

That bill has all-important regulations against insurers being able to deny people coverage because of pre-existing conditions or dropping them when they get sick, along with several other rules which, because they are non-budgetary, cannot be passed through reconciliation.

Sure, we could just design an entirely budget-related HCR bill including a public option, and ram it through the reconciliation route. But, if we do that without first passing the regulations in the Senate bill, what will simply happen is that insurers will drop everyone who might cost them in the near future (based on medical history and demographics) and force them onto the public option. The eventual result will be that only the perfectly healthy will be able to get private insurance, and everyone else will be on the public option -- making premium costs for the public option higher than private insurance. And it will go down in history as proof of "the failure of big-government solutions."

We can definitely pass a public option bill via reconciliation, and I hope we will. But it will have to be after the Senate bill is passed by the House and signed into law. If that doesn't happen, we'll have a fiscal disaster on our hands unless we go right back and try to get another bill with those same regulations through Congress, including getting 60 votes for cloture in the 59-41 Senate.