I've purposely avoided writing very much about the alleged debate allegedly going on over health care reform. As I see it, up til now, we haven't been debating anything. However, now with President Max Baucus' (D-MT) immaculately-conceived version of health reform coming up for a vote today in his Senate Finance Committee, we're getting closer to starting the real debate. What we've had up til now has been the equivalency of a pre-game cheerleader dance routine……something to look at and divert our attention but having nothing, really, to do with the "game."
Worth noting is how Village conventional wisdom on health care reform legislation instantly coagulated around President Max Baucus' Finance Committee bill. You would never know that there are FOUR other congressional health reform versions to be considered, all of which, by the way, include a strong public option alternative.
Villager media members exist only to please the national status quo powers, therefore insuring continued "access" to those powers and maximizing their future career and financial opportunities. So it has been no surprise that the most conservative committee with the most insurance and big pharma-friendly version of a bill, the only bill out of five which does NOT include a public option, has been made the centerpiece of attention for most Village coverage of the health care reform process.
Baucus' horrendous piece of sewage-bill proposes exactly what I had predicted earlier. It hands over tens of millions of new customers to big insurance and big pharma, uses tax dollars to subsidize poorer new customers and does absolutely nothing to "bend the cost curve", nothing to keep for-profit, Wall Street listed, insurers from continuing their parasitical pillaging of the American people. No public option to keep insurers honest and no bulk discount purchasing rights for government to drive drug prices down.
Indeed, in a classic Village piece in the Washington Post yesterday, Ceci Connelly, obediently, told us what her Insurance Masters are really thinking. Astonishingly, or perhaps not, big insurance….the same big insurance that President Max Baucus is seeking to guarantee tens of millions of new customers to without any cost control mechanisms……responded to those proposed giveaways and handouts by saying something like this….
'F*ck you very much.'
Big insurance really knows how to express their appreciation.
Villager Ceci, by now probably capable of channeling the brain-waves of the powerful status quo players, tells the unwashed masses that in appreciation for all the Mad Max giveaways, big health insurers are promising to thank him, and us, by significantly raising the prices of all Americans' health care premiums.
I've never seen a more persuasive argument for adopting a single-payer, government run health care system in my entire life.
What we're seeing with big health insurance is the same attitude we saw with the banksters. Banksters showed their appreciation for tax payer handouts by refusing to negotiate troubled mortgages, by rejecting any transparency of how they spent all those tax dollars, and by a continuation of their in-your-face practice of rewarding billions in individual bonuses. Insurers are now doing the same.
It is only more proof that "too big to fail" corporate monsters, whether in banking or insurance or pharma or whatever…..control our federal government, and thus, control important aspects of every American's life.
Now to the crux of the matter, the pivotal point, where the rubber will hit the road…or any other stupid, yet applicable, cliches pertaining to health care reform…..
For those who would like to see effective health care reform legislation passed (that excludes most Republicans and conservatives) pay close attention to the final cloture vote in the Senate, which is still weeks away. Obstructionist Republicans plan on filibustering the senate bill no matter what it contains, which means that Democrats need 60 votes to bring the bill to the floor of the senate for final amendments and then on to a final vote which requires only 51 votes for approval.
The still-unknown dynamic is whether any senate DEMOCRATS will join in with the obstructionist Republicans to try to stop any bill from moving forward. Further muddying the situation is the fact that Senator Byrd (D-WV) is in poor health and may not be able to vote at all.
If a bill reaches the floor of the senate, if a filibuster by obstructionist Republicans fails, then there is a 50-50 chance that a public option will survive the final bill and tougher people-friendly provisions will be included. The final bill, in this scenario, could actually benefit the American people.
If the obstructionist senate Republicans are successful in blocking the will of the people from moving forward….then the "reconciliation" process may have to be resorted to in order to accomplish any reform worth the paper it's written on. That's a subject for another day.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Rev,
Don't you think that the health insurers are using the same tactic as bin Laden's Kerry endorsement? Seems designed to leave the message, "if the insurance companies hate it, it must be good".
What do you think about the states opting out of a public option? I don't know how financially that will work but I am here in NY and I feel pretty certain NY will pass it. Then the red states will have to suffer the consequences when their citizens cant afford health care . I think might be a good idea!
Could be Andrea…but I wonder about a couple of things.
First: Who in each state would have the power to opt-out? Who decides? I see that point as an opportunity for abuse.
Second: All things being equal, opting out, I think, would be fine. But we are living in crazed times. I'm afraid of what would happen if red states rally, claiming a "defeat" for Obama, claiming to their base that the mighty Republicans had successfully resisted Obama's public option, as a victory over "socialism", etc.
If a state can opt out of a public option, can they opt out of Medicaid? Just one of many questions I would raise here.
frank…there could be some of that going on because insurers and big pharma cover all the numbers on the political roulette wheel. One of those "please don't throw me in the briar patch" moments. Could be.
There's no question the establishment desire here is with the Baucus bill. Who wouldn't want 40 million new customers without any price controls? Sign me up.
What I think is remarkable here is the Tony Soprano flipping of the bird perception (at least), thanking Baucus for all he'd done for them by telling all of us whiners, we're not only getting 40 million new customers without price constraints, but we're gonna' keep on raising rates too, so eff you.
The Humane Society of the US has issued their fact sheet on Issue 2. Please vote no.
Click on my name to see the link. thanks
Reverend,
You're saying the Senate bill passed by the Finance Committee is terrible (and I agree), but then you blame Republicans and some Dems for voting against it ???
That doesn't make any sense to me. Why should anyone vote for something terrible ?
And you can't blame the insurance companies for having to raise premiums under the Senate Finance bill. They won't have any choice. The Senate is forcing them to raise premiums via taxes and mandates.
The tax I just "love" is the tax on high-priced health care plans. It's the government saying, "we want you all to have health insurance. We just don't want it to be TOO GOOD." I could have sworn the original stated purpose of health care reform was too make health care GOOD.
The Republican plan, weak though it is, would be better than the Senate Finance plan. The GOP plan was 1) make all insurance tax deductible 2) Tort reform to lower costs 3) natiowide competition among insurers to drive down costs. While that leaves some major issues unaddressed, it would at least be a step in the right direction. The Senate plan is a step in the wrong direction.
And none of this is going to help unless we start creating some good jobs in this country.
"Why should anyone vote for something terrible?"
To fulfill the desire of their corporate constituencies.
"you can't blame the insurance companies for having to raise premiums under the Senate Finance bill. They won't have any choice."
Typical apologetic for those corporate constituencies. As if health insurers are helpless in their endless pursuit of profits.
Understatement of the year…
"While that leaves some major issues unaddressed, it would at least be a step in the right direction."
If the "right direction" leads to higher insurance costs and fewer Americans having it…then, sure. Apparently, King believes that all economic problems are solved by making the rich…richer.
You do not need Republican votes to pass your nonsense. That was shown by the ramming of the stimulus package down the country's throat.
The reason that Democrats want Republicans to be on board, is that when it destroys what it is supposed to fix, you want to be able to share the blame.
You don't want co-sponsors, you want co-defendants.
The stimulus had 3 GOP votes. That's how it was passed and the only way it could have passed.
And, really….all the Democrats need is more and better Democrats in the Senate….and the Republicans will be absolutely impotent. It will be the GOP's own fault when it happens, they allowed their party to be taken over by extremist carnival-barker-types, some of whom are tied to evangelical groups. It's a mess, I think.
I have the feeling the democrats wanted something passed and now that this passed they have to work on how to make it affordable. And since the republicans are stuck now with having to insure everyone perhaps they might concede to a few things or their taxes will go up.
At the health care meeting I went to it was very clear the opposition didn't give a crap about the uninsured. Not my problem so who cares. But I also think their perception on who they are is wrong. Now a days I am hearing about so many your people in their in twenties without insurance because they are graduating college and can't get a good job to pay for it.
I really don't believe Republicans will have anything to do with health reform. They are gambling on one of two things happening: 1) They can help a few moderate Democrats stop reform cold….or…2) The final reform, even if it passes, will be so weak and insurance friendly, it will be a massive failure and can be totally blamed on Democrats.
Many average conservatives just see health reform as another form of welfare. All the noise is to hack away at a Democratic president who has great promise.
Rev says, "If the "right direction" [on health care] leads to higher insurance costs and fewer Americans having it…then, sure."
Earth to Reverend. Do you really think the Senate health care bill reduces costs ? If so, why haven't you been paying attention ?
Rev says, "And, really….all the Democrats need is more and better Democrats in the Senate"
Um, the Democrats have a veto-proof majority in the Senate. The Republicans can't do a thing to stop them. Everything that's happening now is BECAUSE OF THE DEMOCRATS. Wake up and smell the aroma.
Rev says, "Many average conservatives just see health reform as another form of welfare."
Well, duh. That's exactly what it is. If we can't call things by their actual name, then we're just a bunch of liars. I know lying is the favored liberal form of disinformation, but most of us prefer the facts.
Yes, Democrats…especially Clinton Democrats….have sold their souls for their scraps of campaign contributions from corporations.
And see?….that's why we need more and better Democrats.