Obama Embraces HCR Reconciliation, Possibly Public Option

[ProSense]

Obama Embraces HCR Reconciliation, Possibly Public Option

by mcjoan

Two late-breaking stories breathe significant life back into healthcare reform and potentially a public option being included in that reform.

The first from Herszenhorn and Pear in the NYT says that the plan Democrats will present next week at the summit will be designed to pass as part of a reconciliation package.

<...>

The second major development was diaried last night by nandssmith: Sebelius, appearing on the Rachel Maddow show, said the White House would support a public option if Harry Reid moved it forward.

Maddow: "The private insurance company writ large hasn't done a great job. That's why we want a public option to compete with them. These 18 Democratic senators want to bring that back into the fold. If that happened, would the administration fight for it?"

Sebelius: "Well, I think if it's...Certainly. If it's part of the decision of the Senate leadership to move forward, absolutely."

The hot potato game between Reid and the White House over the public option continues, but now that Reid has the blessing of the White House, it would make a great deal of sense for him to include it. It has the support of one person on his leadership team--Chuck Schumer. It would help bring the House on board to this new WH approved reconciliation effort. The public option is very popular in Nevada. There are all sorts of reasons to include it, including that fact that it's smart policy that will significantly help to lower costs to the system. But there's still some resistance in the Senate caucus. Jon Cohn:

At this point, it's going to take a herculean effort by President Obama and the leadership to secure fifty votes even for a modest reconciliation bill, one that merely fixes some of the more egregious flaws in the bill the Senate finally passed. Adding a public option--something more conservative Democrats never liked in the first place--will make that task a lot harder. Here's how one Senate leadership aide put it to me on Thursday, following the news about Schumer:

Despite the flurry of press reports, nothing has changed over the last couple of days, except that maybe there are less votes for the public option that there were a few months ago.

more

Appears the President and Senate are working the two tracks toward a comprehensive reconcilation bill.

[Captain Hilts]

1. "Possibly."

[ProSense]

2. Remember when

the public option was completely dead and buried?

This is an excellent development, and it appears the Senators are serious.

[Donnachaidh]

15. yeah -- he's holding the football yet again

And his minions are set loose to spin the story yet again. :eyes:

[Teaser]

18. who cares?

they can pass this bill with or without a PO. I'm good either way.
If the Prez wants to use the PO as a lever to get the bill through reconciliation, cool.

[Arkana]

22. That dastardly Obama.

Always looking to screw Joe Lunchbox.

Imma go vote Republican.

[Jennicut]

3. I don't see a public option happening as long as some Senators stay cowards.

Short of threatening them with something, what can Obama do? They don't seem to care if their own constituents want it.

[ProSense]

5. There were already

more than 50 Senators who supported a public option. It just didn't have the 60 votes. It's a matter of getting them to support its passage via reconciliation.

[Teaser]

19. It may not really have had 50 votes.

Senators say a lot of shit they don't mean.

[CTyankee]

20. Maybe, but let's just have the friggin' vote!

Then progressives can primary the Dem bastards who vote against it. And win!!!

[w4rma]

8. The question is, who are these Senators more afraid of? Wall Street or Main Street.

Main Street wants the Public Option. Wall Street wants the money from the Insurance Company Mandates.

[Schema Thing]

4. It would make so much sense for the WH to say:

The recent radical rate hikes by the big Insurance companies, in a time of record profits, show that a Public Option is critical to force competitiveness in the insurance market - so the Public Option *will* be part of reform.



The timing is so perfect, the message so spot-on.... nah, no way will this happen.

[yurbud]

7. absolutely! Though it would have made sense from the beginning.

[yurbud]

6. if Obama did his job and actual squeezed the balls of some of the corrupt senators...

we could get it through reconciliation.

[whathehell]

9. I agree.

[cilla4progress]

10. This is why I was never in a hurry

to get "something" passed. It would require some time for things to sift out and political will to rise to the surface.

Keep making those phone calls people! (Just left my message with the White House to include the strong PO in the Pres's health care package!)

[TfG]

11. I agree

They kept wanting to pass a bill before the SOTU address and I kept thinking, what's the hurry? Get it done right. I didn't like that they left the PO out of the Senate bill.

[cilla4progress]

12. Hey! We're on the same page!

Nice! And welcome to DU.... :hi:

[TfG]

21. Yes, that's great!

I'm still learning my way around here - so I'm just now seeing your response. Thanks for the nice welcome. :)

[Rosa Luxemburg]

14. yes keep calling them and shower them with faxes for the public option

[Qutzupalotl]

13. Good. eom

[freddie mertz]

16. If, possibly, maybe. What ever happened to "must"?

Oh yeah, I remember now.

http://www.dailykos.com/tv/w/002055/

President Obama, July 17, 2009:
Any plan I sign must include an insurance exchange: a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, cost and track records of a variety of plans – including a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest – and choose what’s best for your family.

President Obama, August 15, 2009:
All I’m saying is, though, that the public option, whether we have it or we don’t have it, is not the entirety of health care reform. This is just one sliver of it, one aspect of it. And by the way, it’s both the right and the left that have become so fixated on this that they forget everything else.

[burning rain]

17. I saw that segment with Sebelius.

If you take her statement regarding the administration's support for public option at face value, that support is so tepid as to mean that Obama won't veto a bill with public option if it comes to his desk, but won't life a finger to secure a public option, either. Such is the upshot of Sebelius saying that if the Senate Democratic leadership and a majority of senators supported the public option, the administration would, too.