He announced it yesterday afternoon.
Of course, we haven’t seen the pressure that he got applied to the Blue Dogs, once again proving that you don’t count if you are a liberal.
Category: Healthcare
Breaking: Pelosi Says Dems Have the Votes
I think that the bill really sucks, though not as much as the status quo, and I doubt the “Camel’s nose under the tent” argument, but still from a purely political calculus, this is good news.
I just hope that she’s twisted Blue Dog arms hard, they always seem to the carrot, and never the stick.
What Miserable Excuses for Human Beings
The usual suspects, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, and News Busters (Scott Whitlock & Tim Graham), who decided that it was somehow ethically good to smear an 11 year old boy who simply said, that he did not want other little boys to lose their mothers because of a lack of health insurance.
Why anyone buys any products from people who advertise with them is beyond me.
These are evil people, and not only should we not patronize their sponsors, we shouldn’t piss on them if they are on fire.
</rant>
But Note: Strident Does not Mean Crazy
Case in point, Alan Grayson, and his Public Option Act, which require the Secretary of HHS to set up a medicare buy-in at cost.
It’s only 4 pages long, and I’d love to see it hit the floor, because it would seriously jam-up the ‘Phants and the Blue Dogs.
H/t C&L.
Full press release after break.
GRAYSON INTRODUCES PUBLIC OPTION ACT
Bill Opens Up Medicare To Anyone Who Can Pay For ItMarch 9, 2010
Washington, DC
Congressman Alan Grayson, D-Fla., today introduced a bill (H.R. 4789) which would give the option to buy into Medicare to every citizen of the United States. The “Public Option Act,” also known as the “Medicare You Can Buy Into Act,” would open up the Medicare network to anyone who can pay for it.
Congressman Grayson said, “Obviously, America wants and needs more competition in health coverage, and a public option offers that. But it’s just as important that we offer people not just another choice, but another kind of choice. A lot of people don’t want to be at the mercy of greedy insurance companies that will make money by denying them the care that they need to stay healthy, or to stay alive. We deserve to have a real alternative.”
The bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish enrollment periods, coverage guidelines, and premiums for the program. Because premiums would be equal to cost, the program would pay for itself.
“The government spent billions of dollars creating a Medicare network of providers that is only open to one-eighth of the population. That’s like saying, ‘Only people 65 and over can use federal highways.’ It is a waste of a very valuable resource and it is not fair. This idea is simple, it makes sense, and it deserves an up-or-down vote,” Congressman Grayson said.
In keeping with the “Grayson style,” the bill is clear and concise. It is only four pages. You can read the bill here.
What’s to Love About Obama Care?
Well, if it passes, Rush Limbaugh says that he will leave the counrty:
“If the health care bill passes, where would you go for health care yourself?” a caller asked Limbaugh on his radio show Tuesday.
Story continues below…“I’ll just tell you this, if this passes and it’s five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented — I am leaving the country. I’ll go to Costa Rica,” Limbaugh replied.
OK, I’m feeling a bit better about the Senate plan.
OK, This is Freaky
So, Eric Massa (D-NY-29) will resign Monday, following an ethics investigation regarding sexual harassment of a male staffer. He claims that it was simply, “Salty language,” and that the main reason was his diagnosis of Cancer, but this is decidedly odd.
One of the odd things here is that his resignation makes passing healthcare reform easier, because he is a conservative, though not officially a Blue Dog, Democrat, who voted against healthcare reform the first time around, so his exit removes a “no” vote.
Good
Nancy Pelosi is saying that notwithstanding the healthcare summit, the house will not move until the Senate passes a reconciliation fix:
However, the House can’t act, she noted, until “we see what the Senate will be able to do.”
Now, Pelosi stopped short of saying–as she’s said in the past–that these changes must be made before the House passes the Senate bill. And, in a surprising statement to reporters today, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) said it would “help a lot” if the Senate simply wrote a letter–signed by a majority of members–pledging to make the fixes.
I think that her statement is a strong rebuke to the Senate, as well it should be, it is a body that rewards prima donnas and drama queens.
Still, she is moderating her language a bit, which does make me worry.
A Canadian’s Deep Thoughts on Losing to Team USA in Hockey
Click for full size
The protest sign is properly spelled, so Canadian education does not produce “morans“.
OK, the Canucks win in the bigger scheme of things.
It would be nice not living in a country with the politics and attitudes of a 3rd world nation.
But we have … We have … We have … We have … We won that damn hockey game.
Anthopny Weiner Calls Republicans “A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of the Insurance Industry.”
Some Republican objects. He no likeee to be called a whore….
More of this from Congress, please.
House Passes Bill To Repeal Antitrust Exemption For Health Insurance Companies
The vote was 406 to 19, because even the Republicans know just how toxic it would be to allow insurance companies to keep their antitrust exemption.
Now, it goes to the Senate, where it will, of course, die ignominiously.
Yes, This Pretty Much Nails It
In discussions of the White House’s complete capitulation on the public option (to say nothing of their taking single payer off the table), a progressive activist, nails the problem:
But the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, the group that’s behind a letter being circulated among Senate Democrats to push the plan, isn’t giving up. “The White House obviously has a loser mentality — but America rallies around winners,” co-founder Adam Green e-mailed reporters shortly after Gibbs’s remark. “Polls show that in state after state, voters hate the Senate bill and overwhelmingly want a public option, even if passed with zero Republican votes. More than 50 Senate Democrats and 218 House Democrats were willing to vote for the public option before, and the only way to lose in reconciliation is if losers are leading the fight. That’s why Democrats in Congress should ignore the White House and follow those like Chuck Schumer and Robert Menendez, who know that the public option is a political and policy winner.”
(emphasis mine)
I’m not sure why Barack Obama and His Stupid Minions™ are so eager to play to lose, it could be that they are so risk averse that they are paralyzed with fear, it could be that they are closet Republicans, or it could be that they believe that Republicans can be successfully courted on this.
I hope that it’s not the 3rd option, because if they believe that, it means that the man with his finger on the button to destroy the world is completely delusional.
Obama Finally Comes Out With a Healthcare Plan
So, after months of deferring to Congress, and pissing away much of the political initiative, has finally released a proposal.
It’s not a full bill, it’s just a proposal, so it’s about 14 pages long, and it’s pretty much an exercise in splitting the baby, as Igor Volsky’s handy table shows.
Yep, once again, when there is a possibility to do something bold, Obama splits the difference, and dumps the public option, because an actual statement of policy, as opposed to just splitting the difference would be “distasteful”.
Seriously, what does he actually believe in?
| Provision | Obama’s Bill | House Bill | Senate Bill |
| Affordability | Improves the Senate bill’s subsidies for lower income Americans. Families below $44,000 and above $66,000 would pay less in premiums. Also raises the percent of health costs that are paid by insurers from the Senate proposal. | Families earning below $55,000 would still receive more subsidies under the House bill, but Americans earning more than $55,000 would pay higher premiums (as compared to Obama’s proposal). The percent of costs paid by the insurers is higher than Obama’s proposal. | Families making under $55,000 would see higher premiums than Obama’s proposal and the percent of costs paid for by health insurers is lower than Obama’s proposal. |
| Excise Tax | ‘Labor agreement’ for everyone. Changes effective date of the Senate policy from 2013 to 2018. Raises the amount of premiums that are exempt from the assessment from $8,500 for singles to $10,200 and from $23,000 for families to $27,500 and indexes these amounts for subsequent years at general inflation plus 1 percent. | No excise tax. | 40% excise tax beginning in 2013 on individual polices worth $8,500 or higher and family policies starting at $23,000. |
| Payroll Tax | Adopts Senate bill approach and adds a 2.9% assessment on unearned income. | 5.4% surcharge on high-income households. | Payroll tax increase of 0.9% on earnings above a specific threshold for a total employee assessment of 2.35% on these amounts. |
| Individual Mandate | Mixed bag. May be easier for younger Americans to opt out. Lowers flat dollar amount to $695 by 2016 from the Senate bill and raises the alternative percent of income to House levels that individuals will pay for not having health insurance. Hardship waiver when premiums over 8% of their income, and couples under $18,700 are exempt from the requirement. | 2.5% of income by 2016 with a limit of the average national health premium. | Flat rate of $750 by 2016 and hardship waiver when premiums exceed 8% of income. |
| Employer Mandate | No mandate, free rider provision. Large employers (50+ workers) have to pay a fee if employees receive subsidies. Improves transition to free-rider policy by subtracting first 30 workers. (A firm with 51 workers that does not offer coverage will pay an amount equal to 51 minus 30, or 21 times the applicable per employee payment amount.) | Employer mandate. The House bill requires a payroll tax for employers that do not offer health insurance that meets minimum standards. | No mandate, free rider provision. Large employers have to pay a fee if taxpayers are supporting the health insurance for their workers. |
| Grandfathered plans | Plans have to conform to new regulations. Plans have cover adult dependents up to 26yo, prohibits rescission. After exchanges begin in 2014, plans can’t institute annual and lifetime limits or pre-existing condition exclusions. Beginning in 2018, the President’s Proposal requires “grandfathered” plans to cover proven preventive services with no cost sharing. | “Grandfather” policy that allows people who like their current coverage, to keep it. Abide by all rules after 5 years. | “Grandfather” policy that allows people who like their current coverage, to keep it. |
| Medicare Donut Hole | Completely closes donut hole. Replaces $500 increase threshold increase limit with a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the donut hole in 2010. Closes donut hole by phasing down the coinsurance so it is the standard 25% by 2020 throughout the coverage gap. | The House bill fully phases out the donut hole over 10 years. Raise the dollar amount before the donut hole begins by $500 in 2010. | The Senate bill provides a 50% discount for certain drugs in the donut hole. Raise the dollar amount before the donut hole begins by $500 in 2010. |
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
In a good way.
Harry Reid has just said that he will support the public option in healthcare reform via reconciliation.
Yes, we are have porcine aviation.
Jon Stewart Calls Republicans Pussies
2 snaps up for the Star Wars reference.
Don’t Let the Door Hit Your Ass on the Way Out, Billy Boy
So PhRMA (the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) has just fired* Billy Tauzin, because the deal that he cut with the Obama administration, basically a few penniess in promised savings so as to forestall price controls and drug reimportation.
Now that the healthcare plan is in shambles, it’s likely that stuff will be passed piecemeal, and high on that list will be drug reimportation.
Tauzin got his $2 million a year job because he pushed through the Medicare drug benefit, which was basically sloppy anilingus to PhRMA, and the gig was his payoff.
Couldn’t happen to a more evil piece of sh%$.
*Yes, I know that the story says that a, “friend of Mr. Tauzin, speaking on condition of anonymity,” says that he is, “leaving the trade group job voluntarily to pursue other activities,” but seriously, don’t take us for idiots.
Capitulation On Healthcare?
So, Obama has announced a televised summit with the Dems and the ‘Phants on healthcare, where everything is on the table.
It appears that he’s pushing Dems to come on board for the idea, which appears to me to continue to be, “Just put ‘Healthcare’ on a piece of paper, and I’ll sign it.
Well, the response from the Republicans was that he must kill the House and Senate bills and forswear reconciliation before any such meeting, and the White House response to this, at least insofar is Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is concerned, is to say that they are willing to talk without preconditions.
One interesting twist to this is that John Boehner is also objecting to it being televised, because, I think that he realizes that “no” is not photogenic.
So, is this yet another misguided attempt by Obama to get Republicans to like him (my choice), or is it a bit of elventy dimensional chess where Obama gets Republicans to hang themselves on live TV? (What Boehner fears)
US Healthcare in a Picture
Click for full size
Life Expectancy vs. Healhtcare Spending
It’s been all over the net, and I thought that this would be a useful pic.
Best healthcare in the world, my ass.
Don’t Give to the DNC
Contributions to the DNC Paid This Man to Sabotage Healthcare Reform
Here’s a shocker, the DNC just spent nearly ½ a million dollars for the Nebraska State Democrats to run a campaign commercial for Ben Nelson’s obstructionism:
Turns out, though, that it’s [see attached video] not a Ben Nelson campaign ad. It’s hard to read the disclaimer, but the ad was paid for by the Nebraska Democratic Party. It’s one of a series of ad touting Nelson’s “courageous” effort to bring down real health care reform. More of the ads can be seen here and here.
So, one wonders, where did the Nebraska Democratic Party get the money to pay for these TV ads?
We already know that they are doing nothing about LGBT civil rights, now we know that since Howard Dean has left the chairmanship, they oppose meaningful healthcare reform too.
Find your candidates, and donate to them. The DNC, DCCC, the DSCC, and OFA are going to spend your money on people like Ben Nelson.
Is Joe Biden Suggesting that He Might Rule the Filibuster Unconstitutional?
He’s coming down very hard on the filibuster, and I’m wondering if he is sending a signal that, as President of the Senate, he is prepared to rule that the filibuster is unconstitutional:
“As long as I have served … I’ve never seen, as my uncle once said, the Constitution stood on its head as they’ve done. This is the first time every single solitary decisions has required 60 senators,” he said at a Florida fundraiser, according to the pool report. “No democracy has survived needing a super majority.”
The author of the story seems to think that this is an attempt to create a groundswell for using reconciliation to fix healthcare, but I think that Biden might be suggesting something even more radical.
I think (hope) that he is prepared to kill the filibuster.
The interesting thing here, is that the “Centrists” must be crapping their pants over this possibility, since their real agenda is to do nothing ever, and a change to the filibuster rules would make it much more difficult to do nothing ever.
Just Primary Her
Yes, once again, another Senate “sentrist” appears to be determined to ensure that nothing good will pass the senate:
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D[INO]-AR) will oppose Dem efforts to move health care legislation through Congress using budget reconciliation, hurting Dems’ chances for using the controversial parliamentary maneuver to pass a reform bill.
“I am opposed to and will fight against any attempts to push through changes to the Senate health insurance reform legislation by using budget reconciliation tactics that would allow the Senate to pass a package of changes to our original bill with 51 votes,” Lincoln said in a statement on Tuesday. “I have successfully fought for transparency throughout Senate deliberations on health care, and I will continue to do so.”
“I will not accept any last-minute efforts to force changes to health insurance reform issues through budget reconciliation, and neither will Arkansans. We have worked too long and too hard on this reform effort – we need to get it right,” she said.
By “We”, of xourse, she means “her”, and she does not want a process that diminishes her ability to f%$# with people’s lives, because she wants someone kissing her ass.
Matthew Yglesias is right when he calls out the Senate “centrists”, and notes that they “seem prepared to resume their customary role as the villains whose consistently egomaniacal and self-destructive behavior has badly damaged the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans.”