Progressive Public Option Pressure Grows

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius created a firestorm among liberal pols and activists when she reiterated on Sunday that the White House, while supportive of the public option, does not view it as "the essential element” for health care reform. On the airwaves and in print, lefty commentators blasted the Obama administration for its newest hedge, including Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson, who wrote that "we didn't elect Obama to be an expedient president." Meanwhile, 60 congressional progressives sent a letter again warning they would vote against any bill -- either the House version or the conference report -- that does not include a public option. Unlike the last letter, which was sent to Speaker Nancy Pelosi in late July, this version landed on Sebelius' desk and included three more signatories. And netroots activists are raising money to "reward" lawmakers who stand by their promise.

The main concern of House progressives like Rep. Jan Schakowsky is that any co-op model created by the conservative Senate Finance committee would be too small and fragmented to provide real competition to the insurance companies. At least 500,000 people would have to join the non-profit insurance pools, according to estimates from Sen. Kent Conrad (D-North Dakota), before they would be powerful enough to negotiate reasonable prices with health providers. As Ezra Klein wrote yesterday, "the co-op does not solve a policy problem so much as it solves a political problem." That problem, of course, is finding a compromise that public option critics -- those who don't believe a public insurer limit costs and provide access to high-quality care better than the profit-driven private system -- can support.

Will it work? Republican obstructionists, including Rep. Peter Roskam, have already decided that the alternative is equitable to government-run health care and won't back the plan because that provision was included. "We have to make sure [the public option] is really off the table," Roskam said on WLS' Don Wade and Roma yesterday, "and not recast with a different name." Activists raging against the plan aren't going to ease up, either. At a health care town hall last night in Moline, Rep. Phil Hare expressed some openness for the co-op proposal. For that, he was rewarded with one taunt that he was a "socialist."

A bill with co-ops would likely gain enough support in the Senate Finance Committee, however, clearing the way for two full chamber votes and the possibility of intense conference negotiations. Ultimately, Congressional leaders are going to have to take a gamble. Should they include a public option in the final bill, knowing that some Senate Dems may do the unthinkable and join Republicans in a filibuster of President Obama's major campaign plank, or risk losing the support of reformers in the House? For those in the latter camp, the stakes are probably too high to miss another chance at extending coverage to the vast majority of Americans. After all, it's easier for lawmakers to strengthen than write a new law. But their public pressure at this crucial stage is valuable if it keeps all options -- public or otherwise -- on the table.

Comments

To hell with the Just Say No Republicans.
None of them are going to vote for what ever plan finally comes to frutation.

They want this to be Obama's Waterloo....They want Dems to fail!

I vote medicare for all. I know, that SOCIALIST. I'm not afraid to admit it. Communists take better care of their people's health than the US system does. Go ahead, raise Sen McCarthy from the grave.

Many reformers recognized roughly 30 percent of all health-care spending in the U.S. -some $700 billion a year- might be wasted on unnecessary tests and treatments, and payment reform could solve this problem. Is this claim overstatement ?

As one instance, please visit http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111967435, you will be stunned !

Provided the American people pay around double the amount of efficient systems, the result is still well below them, the ratio of waste might be estimated to far more than 50% in the U.S.

Let's be conservative regarding the ratio. If 10% of savings apply to the combined Medicare and Medicaid cost of $923.5bn per year, as of July, the savings of $923.5bn over the next decade are possible.

And when these savings add to the already allocated $583 billion, the savings of wastes involving so called "doughnut hole" , the unnecessary subsidies for insurers, abuse, exorbitant costs by the tragic ER visits etc, the concern over revenue might be a thing of the past.

As a matter of fact, with the promising redesign in the pipeline, some patient-focused clinics in 10 regions have already achieved 16% of savings in Medicare while their quality scores are well above average.

Please be 'sure' to visit http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/opinion/13gawande.html?hp for credible evidences !

Thankfully, the provisions in the reform include more expansive, systematic policies such as 'a patient's outcome-based payment system' than they have. I for one firmly believe this American innovation, 'a patient's outcome-based payment system' , is capable of turning profit-oriented practices into patient-focused system / value.

Dr. Armadio at Mayo clinic says, "If we got rid of that stuff (waste), we save a third of all that we spend and that is 2.5 trillion dollars on health care. A third of that and that is 700 billion dollars a year. That covers a lot of uninsured people."

Please visit http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=820455&catid=391 for detailed infos

Thank You !

In spite of the highest annual health plan cost per employee, the revolutionary mandatory-coverage plan in Massachusetts was enacted in 2006 and more than 97% of all Massachusetts residents are now covered -- whereas nationally some 40% of Americans have no health insurance.

Even though the state is suffering financially due to the highest premiums, without the affordable public option and removing all kinds of wastes etc, it achieved near universal health program.

I think now is the time to consider sustainable power for Now and the Future as time does not fix energy depletion.

1. War, as opposed to democracy, breeds corruption & decay.

As history proves, war, as opposed to democracy, breeds corruption & decay. As one critical example, medical fraud, abuse is estimated to reach $600 to $6000 billion over the next decade lost to it.

Please visit http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111967435, you will be stunned ! Thankfully, in May 2009, the Obama administration announced a new task force made up of officials from the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to work on health care fraud.

In another instance, as common sense goes, fire needs to prevent ahead, or contain in earlier phase, nevertheless, from what I've learned, the special interests have hindered the budget request for preventive care program in Medicare & Medicaid so far, which has resulted in health Catrina, exceedingly high level of chronic disease and expense, and astronomical cost of overall health care compared to any other nation, as data shows.

There is no doubt that in ordinary time, investments in a fire safety system do not go into economic effect, but due to the lack of it, once preventable fire breaks out, it overwhelms the narrow calculation, and even goes beyond monetary value. As the swine flu pandemic shows, investment in vaccine could bring about tens, hundreds, even thousands of economic effects in a short period. Thereby, in an effort to prevent another health Catrina, coordinated, systematic non-profit efforts for preventive care, more primary doctors are of critical importance. Probably that also explains why the successful systems in all free nations are committed to public policy.

2. The savings via removing wastes turn into limit to medical access, rationing, tax raise, and deficit etc via lies.

Unlike high fuel price and mortgage rate in recent years as the roots of great recession and bankruptcy of middle class, the severity in the high cost of health premiums has come to light lately. Similarly, in an attempt to hide these painful corruptions & wastes, the greed allies struggle to connect the savings via removing these wastes with limit to medical access, rationing, tax raise, and deficit etc. But, hope should not be replaced with fear, just like people don't have to fear quitting drug.

3. Hope for pioneer spirit, innovation.

Interestingly enough, pioneers like Ted Kennedy are changing the world somewhere in the U.S. Recently, GM has surprised the world with the adoption of EV-conversion technology from pioneers and outpaced the excellent hybrid cars.

And in spite of the highest annual health plan cost per employee, the revolutionary mandatory-coverage plan in Massachusetts was enacted in 2006 and more than 97% of all Massachusetts residents are now covered -- whereas nationally some 40% of Americans have no health insurance.
Even if the state is suffering financially due to the highest premiums, without the affordable public option and removing all kinds of wastes etc, it achieved near universal health program.

Today, another innovative, fundamental change in payment system, or patient's outcome based payment reform that is able to turn the profit-oriented malpractices and volume into the patient-oriented value and quality is waiting for a final decision.

4. Enough room for savings.

Many reformers recognized roughly 30 percent of all health-care spending in the U.S. -some $700 billion a year- might be wasted on medical abuse, unnecessary procedures, unnecessary visits to the doctor, overpriced pharmaceuticals, bloated insurance companies, and the most inefficient paper billing systems imaginable, and payment reform could solve this problem.

Provided the American people pay around twice the amount of the efficient systems, the result is still well below them, the ratio of waste might be estimated to reach far more than 50% in the U.S.

Let's be conservative regarding the ratio. Even If as little as 10% of savings such as removing the wastes involving medical fraud, so called "doughnut hole" , the unnecessary subsidies for insurers, exorbitant costs by the tragic ER visits etc apply to the combined Medicare and Medicaid cost of $923.5bn per year, as of July, the savings of $923.5bn over the next decade are possible. And when these savings add to the already allocated $583 billion, the concern over revenue might be a thing of the past.

As a matter of fact, some patient-focused clinics in 10 regions have already achieved 16% of savings in Medicare while their quality scores are well above average, with the more expansive, systematic reform than them in the pipeline. Aside from the already allocated $583 billion and the savings of this reform package, 16% of $923.5bn (the combined Medicare and Medicaid cost per year) is around $147.76bn per year and 1477.6bn over the next decade, enough to meet the goal.
Please be 'sure' to visit http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/opinion/13gawande.html?hp for credible evidences !

Dr. Armadio at Mayo clinic says, "If we got rid of that stuff (waste), we save a third of all that we spend and that is 2.5 trillion dollars on health care. A third of that and that is 700 billion dollars a year. That covers a lot of uninsured people."
Please visit http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=820455&catid=391 for detailed infos

5. Choice between hope and manipulated fear.

To be sure, time does not fix the endless greed, energy depletion. Considering the current fuel price is hovering around $60 to $70 per barrel in this economy, supposedly it might be equivalent to the peak price last year while the similar runaway premiums keep on rising, heading for financial ruin. And it is firmly believed if people fail to build a bridge for the next generations, the current generation, too, can not avoid falling off the cliff, as the world-wide overpopulation & immense consumption in conventional energy and the other resources no longer allows waste.

As usual, when the positive effects including job creation and savings generated by investments are left out of the equation, fear and scare are left alone. Today choice between hope and manipulated fear lies with people's will.

Thank You !

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