Daschle Urges Obama To Drop Federal Public Health Care Plan

*** UPDATED BELOW ***

The man once slated to head Barack Obama's health care system overhaul is now coming out against one of the chief components of that effort.

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said on Wednesday that the Obama White House would likely have to scrap a federal public option for health insurance coverage if it wanted to get the votes needed to pass systematic change.

"We've come too far and gained too much momentum for our efforts to fail over disagreement on one single issue," the Senator and one-time HHS Secretary nominee said, according to ABC News.

The remarks came after Dashcle, along with former Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole and Howard Baker introduced his own proposal for health care reform. That plan actually included a version of a government-run option. The Daschle proposal calls for (among other things) public insurance pools to be administered by state government, not the feds.

In coming out against a federal public plan, Daschle adds kindling to an already roaring debate on health care reform. On Thursday morning, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean repeated the mantra that you cannot have effective legislation if it does not include a public option. At the White House on Wednesday, several state legislators who had met with current HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius argued the same point.

Certainly, the public seems to be weighed in Dean's favor. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll conducted on Wednesday night showed that 76 percent of respondents wanted a choice between a public option for insurance coverage and private providers.

UPDATE: A spokesman for the former majority leader called the Huffington Post to insist that Daschle is "still committed to the public plan" and was not urging Obama to drop it from his proposal.

"He was saying that we shouldn't let any issue derail what would be health care reform," said Eileen McMenamin, Director of Communications at the Bipartisan Policy Center. "He definitely did not say there should be no public plan."

Daschle, said McMenamin, did believe that a public plan could be administered by the states. And his chief concern with Obama'a approach was not the policy basis but the politics of getting it through Congress.

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Comments

[unwashedmasses]

UPDATE:
What a bunch of BS.

[StopSexismNow]

Tom Daschle's email address is... [e-mail]

Shoot him a quick email and let him know how you feel about his duplicity!

[janereally]

What duplicity????!!! He was a LOBBYIST for health care industry, took money from them, who ever thought he was going to be on the public's side?

[StopSexismNow]

I'd like to think Obama did before Daschle ran in to his tax problems. He's was Obama's first pick for HHS Secretary after all. Of course, given what Obama is doing with this issue, I am now not sure what he was really thinking.

[lynnewrites]

GEEZ-- how glad are we that Daschle did not get the cabinet position after all--talk about status quo--is he kidding ?? how does he not get that any ploy these days to perpetuate the ridculous extra layer known as "Health Insurance" is coming straight from the $$$$$$-horse's mouth. It is just like the bankers and their ilk screaming about how it is not fair that they would have new rules--just like the old rules that used to protect us. It really is quite simple---the protection of these cash cows at the expense of true health care or fair banking or real environmental reform must stop. It is interesting to me how none of these jokers has the ------- to get the job done or even to make enough noise. Scary that they are all in someone's pocket!!! I guess the real fix would come with campaign finance reform -like that'll ever happen. One exception may be Bernie Sanders from Vermont--as mentioned, all should go to his website and sign the petition for SINGLE PAYER which is THE only way to get the real deal. I am pretty sure that Bernie is the only Senator that sleeps well at night.

[Cloud7Raymaker]

Back in the 1990's when this debate was started I was able to get Health insurance coverage for ~$100 per month. The best I can get from an insurance company today is ~$800 per month (still young, healthy & no pre-existing conditions). The entire medical system has failed us patients, a public option needs to be included for the poor, unemployed, self-employed, small businesses and pretty much any American that wants health coverage.

As for Republicans, the AMA and (especially) the Insurance Industry - I'm sorry but you're on the wrong side of this issue and if the current group of Elected Officials can't get a public option passed I'll vote for someone that can, and I WILL be looking closely at how my representatives vote on this issue!

[ibsteve2u]

Starting to look like several giant insurance corporations are going to get awful rich, doesn't it?

lollll...t­he same folks who have killed Americans with a rubber stamp: "Benefit Denied".

[rshrink]

Healthcare does not cost. It pays. Keeping Americans more healthy actually saves a lot of money and makes us more productive. There is no good reason to not make sure everyone is properly cared for. Allowing people to get more and more unhealthy is really seriously bad for business. Currently, we have the most ineffecient healthcare delivery system in a developed country. If someone wanted to design a plan that would be extremely chaotic and user unfriendly, the current healthcare delivery in the US would meet the criteria with flying colors. The patient's needs are practically the last thing considered. The profit motive is definitely the first. Our system also hinders the development of better medical practice and medical products. Profit and politics drive our services and product development.

[DSOTM]

Looking back one can be rally happy that he forgot to pay his taxes.

What a D-bag.

[Forman]

How pathetic. Obama, my choice for president, seems to be more of the same. Tom Daschle- he's gotta make up for getting busted not reporting that couple hundred thou income tax. Of course he's gotta sell out We the People to his "health, who cares" industry backers. Democrats looking as nasty as the other guys, almost. WE NEED A REVOLUTION; PEOPLE OUT IN THE STREETS. STOP PAYING TAXES. MILLIONS IN FRONT OF THE WHITE HOUSE AND CONGRESS.

[derekc06]

Exactly! G0d dam n... Where has the outrage gone in this country?

[mlmn08]

I did not vote for him.....WE WANT A PUBLIC OPTION....­.or else a third party!

[greatscot]

Great, I love that one ... A PUBLIC OPTION or a THIRD PARTY..... maybe we can build on this?

[morgan1]

The Democrats always talk the talk for being for the "little people"--The blue collar worker, the unions, teachers, nurses, etc, but they don't walk the walk once they are in place. They have had decades to pass universal health care and have not. Now they are truly in position to make this happen and they are protecting the AMA, pharmaceuticals and the powerful lobbyists for the medical field without guilt or shyness. They are actually Republicans wearing the suit of a Democrat and cannot ever be trusted to put the American citizens welfare first. Obama just doesn't have the nerve to take a stand and force this down their throats which makes him part of the problem and actually a Red instead of a Blue. I miss LBJ (Forget the Vietnam debacle which destroyed him) for he meant what he said and had the cajones to get it done. He was the very last President to protect the little people.

[aero56]

Yes, and I'm tired of it. They all seem to be totally afraid of the big AMA.......­.......do they think these doctors are all going to just drop out and not work if there is a public option? I don't think so! The AMA is a bully pulpit. Our President needs to get in their face and tell them things are going to change. And he needs to do it NOW and not back down.

[peachfuzz]

There are already doctors who refuse Medicare patients -- yes they will refuse to work for wages that are too low. We need to have them involved in a public option planning.

[Ohsherri]

When a Democrat President gets in...they move to the right once their in.
And then there's dissapoint­ment....an­d then a a Radical right President gets in....

even more dissapointment.
It seems you might have to try voting a so-called Radical Democrat in....
since he or she will move in to the right once their in...
but just enough to be a true Democrat.

and thus you will FINALLY have a Democrat President.
And CHANGE.

(sad.....b­ecause I still love Obama)

[RightsGuy]

Please sign Senator Bernie Sanders’ Petition for Single Payer Healthcare for All. Sanders is one of the few senators who is a public servant - and who has a spine.

http://sanders.senate.gov/petitions/index.cfm?uid=7fd59f2e-88e1-477a-8eaf-762a5b050809

[StopSexismNow]

Yes, and if your congressperson is not on this list of co-sponsors to John Conyer's HR 676 bill, write to them and ask WHY????

http://www.healthcare-now.org/hr-676/ --->scroll down for co-sponsor list

[RightsGuy]

It's time for Montanans to BEGIN CIRCULATING LEGAL PETITIONS TO RECALL SENATOR BAUCUS. 50,000 signatures will trigger a recall election. The mere presence of petitions in circulation would concentrate the mind of Baucus on the interests of voters not donors.

[Geraldine30]

Every (every single one, not 2/3 or 3/4) American should be covered by Universal Health Care. Senators and congressmen/women should have exactly the same coverage as everyone else. Then if something needs fixing, it will get done! We need it now, and we need it for every American - with no exceptions. Maybe we are spending too much time and money trying to run the world instead of taking care of what is going on right in our own back yard.

[aero56]

AMEN!

[heal57]

Dump Daschle; oh that's right, it already happened!