Serious Question

15 Comments

1. 

   Real History Lisa on March 12, 2010 at 5:01 pm

   It’s called not pissing off Big Pharma in an election year (mid-term elections). It sucks. Both bodies should be forced to vote on a public option in a yes or no vote so we can see where our reps and senators all stand.

2. 

   robertdsc on March 12, 2010 at 5:12 pm

   I’d rather have the complete package passed. I don’t care about PO hijinks any longer. If it passes without, then fine by  me.

3. 

   NMP on March 12, 2010 at 5:44 pm

   Who cares.  It’s dead, for now, and it’s time to move on.  Live to fight another day and revive it later.

   • 

     suejazz on March 12, 2010 at 5:52 pm

     Couldn’t disagree more. I’m with Greenwald on this one.

     http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/03/12/democrats/index.html

     • 

       dada on March 12, 2010 at 6:05 pm

       you’re not the only one. greenwald’s been right on this kabuki for quite sometime. there is no will, democRAT or RATpublican, to see a public option, but now the optics have changed, they’ve got to find a way to save face.

       as l posited earlier, in another thread, durbin’s mewling that “you just have to swallow hard’ and say that putting an amendment on this is either going to stop it or slow it down, and we just can’t let it happen,”… is total bs.

       • 

         Brendan Skwire on March 13, 2010 at 11:21 am

         we can’t allow them to save face (not that it’ll work anyway, I think this time they’ve fucked up too publicly).

         Greenwald’s saturday update is especially good: “the real reason there’s no public option — they don’t want one — is the one they can’t or won’t admit.”

         And that reason is that the Insurance Companies don’t want it.

     • 

       rikyrah on March 12, 2010 at 11:52 pm

       I want an up or down vote too. if it fails, it fails.

       • 

         Mac G on March 13, 2010 at 12:30 pm

         Agree, how does and up or down vote on a public option kill reform? We do not have the votes crapola is going to kill the base’s efforts to sell this reform package to the American people. The media and Republicans sure will not help.

4. 

   NMP on March 12, 2010 at 5:50 pm

   What I would introduce as a serious question is who does Representative Gutierrez thinks derailing HCR benefits?  Certainly not poor Latinos who need it the most.  Certainly not the prospects of immigration reform during this administration or the next.  Certainly not him.

5. 

   michaelmt on March 12, 2010 at 9:49 pm

   We are missing the logic of this.

   The House passes the Senate bill. The President signs it.

   Then we FORCE the Senate to vote on the PO. There are only about four more Senators to convince.

6. 

   Brendan Skwire on March 13, 2010 at 10:20 am

   Toldja so. This was predictable from the start. I honestly don’t even know why the Democrats even promised health care reform to begin with, since it was obvious (to me at least) they never had any intention of doing anything of the sort. All they’ve done us subject the base to an emotional roller coaster and making EVERYONE angry. Even you, Booman, who have been able to find the odd nugget of gold in a bag of rocks, are upset.

   What has been the point of this whole exercise? I am bewildered.

   • 

     BooMan on March 13, 2010 at 11:10 am

     the point is helping people who lack insurance either because they can’t afford it or because no one will sell it to them.  

     • 

       Brendan Skwire on March 13, 2010 at 12:05 pm

       but is it not true that these are plans with high deductibles, making them unaffordable to use? aren’t the restrictions on insurance companies essentially unenforceable?

       that is my understanding. my girlfriend can’t afford the insurance provided at work, and doubts she’ll be able to afford the “health insurance reforms” either.

       i’m getting really tired of seeing “insurance” conflated with “coverage”.

       • 

         Mac G on March 13, 2010 at 12:39 pm

         If I remember correctly, one of Obama’s most effective lines of his campaign was making the point that American’s should have the same Health Care coverage that members of Congress get.

         This bill will force members of Congress in these exchanges, which is a good thing but most people will not be able to get into these Exchanges.

         This bill has to pass for political, policy, and moral reasons but the base will not be happy because of the WH’s distrustful approach towards them after working their asses off to put them in power.

       • 

         BooMan on March 13, 2010 at 12:54 pm

         Let’s look at that.  Go here and scroll down to “Making Coverage Affordable.  Click on that.

         Cap on Total Out-of-pocket Spending
           Out-of-Pocket Limit

         o The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will put a cap on what insurance companies can require individuals to pay in out-of-pocket expenses, such as co-pays and deductibles.  

         o The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act also will eliminate lifetime limits on how much insurance companies cover if you get sick and restrict annual coverage limits.

         o Effective 2014, premium assistance tax credits will limit the amount an individual spends on their health care premium for the essential benefits package from two percent at 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to 9.8 percent of income at 300-400 percent of the FPL.  The amount of the credit is tied to the premium of the second-lowest cost (silver) plan in each area.

           Cost-sharing Reductions

         o Provides credits to reduce the amount of cost-sharing for lower-income individuals.  Their annual out-of-pocket limits would be a fraction of the standard amount: one-third for those with income below 200 percent of the FPL, 50 percent for those with income from 200 to 300 percent of the FPL, and two-thirds for those with income from 300 to 400 percent of the FPL.  

          Lower Premiums

         o The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will also require premium rate reviews to track any arbitrary premium increases and crack down on excessive insurance overhead by applying standards to how much insurance companies can spend on non-medical costs, such as bureaucracy and advertising.

         o State-based Exchanges will help eligible individuals and small employers compare and purchase health care coverage at competitive prices online.

         That’s the Senate version.  If anything, after reconciliation these provisions will be improved.  So, no, they won’t be high out of pocket plans.