Possible details on new health care deal

[Frank Booth]

The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said on Tuesday night that he had reached “a broad agreement” among a group of 10 Democrats who have been working to resolve the dispute over a proposed government-run insurance plan that has posed perhaps the biggest obstacle to major health care legislation. . . .

But Democratic aides said that the group had tentatively agreed on a proposal that would replace a government-run health care plan with a menu of new national, privately-run insurance plans modeled after the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, which covers more than eight million federal workers, including members of Congress, and their dependents.

A government-run plan would be retained as a fall-back option, the aides said, and would be triggered only if the new proposal failed to meet targets for providing affordable insurance coverage to a specified number of people.

The agreement would also allow Americans between age 55 and 64 to buy coverage through Medicare, beginning in 2011.

http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/senate-votes-down-effort-to-tighten-abortion-restrictions-in-health-bill/?partner=rss&emc=rss

[dflprincess]

1. "privately-run insurance plans"

The status quo has been protected.

[gateley]

2. Well, they're not publicly traded, then -- so that means they aren't required by

law to make a profit for their shareholders. I wonder how it works, and what the government workers who are on a current plan like this feel about it.

[dflprincess]

10. I believe "privately run" means companies like UHG or Aetna

they are part of the private, not the government sector and they are for profit and care first about their shareholders. I believe several for-profit, public ally traded companies currently participate in the Federal Employees exchange

[gateley]

12. Oh -- I see -- thanks! nt

[dysfunctional press]

3. "modeled after"....the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program,

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

bend over, folks...(and btw- lube isn't covered under your plan)

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. modeled after the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program"

That's an employee heath insurance program. How much is that going to cost the average person without access to affordable health care in this country?

[Frank Booth]

6. That's a good question.

I can't imagine a privately run program that actually provides good benefits would be affordable to most.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

11. I don't see how it can be affordable to most

Certainly not for those who are either underinsured or currently uninsured for financial reasons. What kind of health care will those people have offered to them? Medicaid? The program which is accepted by too few providers and is a nightmare of paperwork to qualify for? That's not even mentioning the fact that they have to lose all most everything before they're even considered for the program.

We've come a long way to end up almost back where we began.

[Neecy]

5. I knew it.

He gave in on the trigger. What a major screwing of the American people.

[Ruby the Liberal]

7. President Snowe got her wish, aye?

So much conflicting information coming out right now.

[frazzled]

8. Reid statement: "It is a consensus that includes a public option ..."

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/reid-issues-statement-on-tentative-health-reform-deal-reached-tuesday-night.php?ref=fpa

[IRemember]

13. yeah, he's calling the trigger a public option.

[Odin2005]

9. FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!!!

GO TO HELL, HARRY! Take your bill and shove it up your spineless ass! :grr: