Graham Open To Dem's Health Care Compromise, But Not Public Plan (VIDEO)

Senator Lindsey Graham became the latest Republican and most conservative Senator yet to express a willingness to consider a compromise approach to health care reform based around co-ops providing insurance coverage.

The South Carolina Republican, appearing on ABC's "This Week," set a firm line in the sand when discussing the creation of a public option for insurance, insisting that such a proposal would not pass the United States Senate.

"The reason you are not going to have a government-run health care pass the Senate is because it will be devastating for this country," he said. "The last thing in the world I think that Democrats and Republicans will do at the end of the day is create a government-run health care system."

Later in the program, however, Graham offered what his co-panelist Sen. Chris Dodd and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich (who appeared later in the show) both viewed as openness to compromise. A system of state-based co-ops -- which would be run as non-profit entities, subject to private insurance rules, and operating out of the premiums paid by its members -- could be an adequate substitute for a public plan, he said.

"I think this idea needs to go away," Graham said of a public plan, "and replace it with something maybe like [Senator] Kent Conrad's proposal."

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Comments

[ramal]

Meanwhile, Senator Graham will enjoy premium health care now and for the rest of his life paid for by the United States Taxpayers. Typical Republican hypocrite. Typical Republican mantra: "I've got mine now screw the rest of you."

[nellpost]

Yep!

[CanadianBeef]

American health care will only improve for everyone when Senators and the rich must share the same system as the poor.

[homas]

No, Graham, you and the rest of the 20 percenters need to go away. 72% of voters want a public health plan to compete with insurance companies.

[nhop]

Lindsay Graham is a royal pain. . . . His most notable achievement remains his role as a House Manager in Bill Clinton's impeachment trial. He was as ineffective in that effort as in most of what he has done in his career -- most recently campaigning for John McCain for president.

As a military officer, House member, and now Senator he has enjoyed comprehensive medical and dental care under public plans much of his life. He just doesn't want to share his advantage with other Americans.

[TheSojourner]

To me Lindsay Graham will forever be "Goober",and he's not much smarter than the character he played. Remember Goober and Gomer?

[ngoron]

Lindsey, there are some rocks waiting to shelter you.
Can you crawl back under one.

[ibwilliamsi]

Without a public plan, it's not healthcare reform. It's just a pi_g in a poke.

[David N Taiwan]

I am so sick of the repubs saying that having public health care will mean that the government will stand between you and your doctor. If any of you belong to a health maintenance organization or any other mangled care organization and you've had to get prior approval before you could see a specialist or get a procedure done, then you know that the insurance companies ALREADY stand between you and the care you need.

I am all too familiar with this process because I used to work for one of those organizations that insurance companies would hire to "just say no." Our company was paid millions and millions of dollars, and do you know where that money came from?

From your insurance premiums!

Insurance companies are in the business to make money. They are FOR PROFIT. Public health care is NOT for profit.

I am now living in Taiwan and they have so-called "socialized medicine" here. I can see any doctor or specialist I want anytime I want. My fee is about $3.00 USD. When I needed a cardiac stent last year, my doctor and I made that decision withOUT any government involvement.

Stop lying about what public health care will mean, Repub Reps!

[Lorianne]

Forget the Republicans
Democrats can pass any plan they want.
Why aren't they doing it?

[LemonMeringue]

Ralph Nader explains.

[CaptainVideo]

Because they need 60 votes in the Senate and they do not have them.

This requires an all out effort. Supporters of having a public option need to put inexolerable pressure on the two "moderate" Republicans from Maine and the Blue Dog Democrats to support this. The need to have their arms twisted until they pop out of their sockets.

[ProgressiveView]

Watched a part of "Sicko" yesterday and noted that the Republican response to health care reform never changes. Same whining, same arguments, hopefully a different result this time. The people want a better system. Come on Dems, the people are waiting for you to catch up. Now or never!

[TrueSense]

I could not believe how Dodd just sat there and listened to all those lies from Graham. He should have stopped just short of callingg him a liar and deliberately doing so !

Have to wait in long lines ? Please ask him to be specific about what countries have that ! Most ot thei waits are comparable to ours and they have everyone covered.

Do you mean in the US all but richest people in are country can call a doctor for what seems non-emergent and be seen the same day or even the next day ? Especially for a specialist ? What world is he living in ?

The government bureaucrat line ! What about an insurance bureaucrat whose job it is to figure out way not to pay and wants to deny your medical care ? His concern is money not your health !

Million dollar CEO's who profit while we suffer and die and have 20 - 40 % overhead ?

In Canada, one lady said she is middle class and has a premium of $48 a month but will never receive a medical bill beyond that. Sounds good to me.

In France they make house calls ? Why did not Dodd ask about why the US has shorter life expectancy and more infant mortality and more obesity and unchecked diseases that can be controlled ?

What about jobs and the cost to employers?

Ask Graham to give up his gov subsidized health care insurance !

[wanda665]

no the party of no will not say no to their gov subsidized health insurance

[ChelseaC]

Dodd is on the take too--that's why he said nothing to defend a national health program--in fact he too called it "socialized medicine". He's a phony Dem as we are discovering. Dodd needs to go just as the Graham cracker needs to go away.
What's worse than a Republican--a phony Dem on the take. At least with a Republican you know up front not to expect anything good.

[David N Taiwan]

You are exactly right (see my post about 3 above you). Instead of government bureacrats, the USA now has insurance bureaucrats.

When I was in the USA and needed to see a doc through my health plan, it would take about 10 days to get an appointment. Here in TW, I can get an appointment the same day, or even just drop in unannounced and be seen within an hour or so.

[Lorianne]

Forget the Republicans
Democrats can pass any plan they want.
Why aren't they doing it?

[Lorianne]

The Hard Part

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/22/opinion/22ross.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

[ChelseaC]

Lorianne,
Bad article, no mention of the fact the HR-676 would save money and that Dems and Republicans are for the most part ignoring this issue .
BTW, what type of health reform do you support?

[Lorianne]

If we're going to have government health care, it should be 100% health care ... no insurance companies, no 2-tier system. This is what the Democrats have been yammering about for decades. Why can't they deliver?

If they don't pass the above, then deregulate insurance companies and decouple them from employment so we have true free market insurance (no State-to-State restrictions, no State sanctioned monopolies).

[ibsteve2u]

Somebody should investigate the recent purchases, orders, and contracts of the insurance company exec's and their major shareholders.

If they have new yachts on order and are working with architects on the design of additional homes, you'll pretty much be able to conclude that the only change that will happen is mandatory premium payments by all Americans into their coffers, with little or no corresponding change in the accessibility or quality of health care.

[GLT21]

All the great people in our history had bold goals and visions.
George Washington - Gave us freedom from England.
Abe Lincoln - Preserved our union and freed the black people.
Teddy Roosevelt - a republican, gave us the national parks.
FDR - Saved the county from the great depression, gave us SS and led us to victory in WWII.

History will remember the great ones. Pres. Obama inspires to be one of the great ones. I hope he succeeds. We all win if he does.

To Graham, history will say "Graham who?".

[southbay]

The idea that, "A system of state-based co-ops -- which would be run as non-profit entities, subject to private insurance rules, and operating out of the premiums paid by its members -- could be an adequate substitute for a public plan," is patently absurd. The very definition given, "... subject to private insurance rules ..." guarantees the insurance industry will be running the co-ops.

"Private insurance rules" are designed to effectively screen out the most threatened segments of our population, and leave them with no protection. Without those rules, there is no profit for the insurance companies. Calling it "non-profit" and applying the same rules, is as disingenuous as it is absurd.

When the idea of "insurance" was first created, it was a means for a total population (in those days commercial sea shippers) to share the risk. It was not a means for investors to get rich at the expense of the population. There was no profit involved. Furthermore, there wasn't an elaborate scheme of managing the billings and payments for the shippers, and controlling the size of the payment. If a shipper lost a fleet, the insurance co-operative gave the member the funds to replace his fleet. It was that simple.

We need something just as simple. A citizen goes to see the doctor ... the doctor's bill is paid. End of story. It's called Single Payer ... HR676.

[ChelseaC]

Southbay,
You're fanned. Great post.

[CaptainVideo]

A public option YES!

Single Payer NO!
A government monopoly is still a monopoly. People deserve the right to choose.

[jjgg5]

Ms. Graham is a very poorly trained actress.

[macweenie]

If only we could get him to stop flashing his cooch in public... YEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!

[dandypuddin]

Full quote from Obama in 2003: I think we all need to email him and remind him...Than­ks to ChelseaC for the link. http://www.pnhp.org/change/

"I happen to be a proponent of a single payer universal health care program." (applause) "I see no reason why the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, spending 14 percent of its Gross National Product on health care cannot provide basic health insurance to everybody. And that's what Jim is talking about when he says everybody in, nobody out. A single payer health care plan, a universal health care plan. And that's what I'd like to see. But as all of you know, we may not get there immediately. Because first we have to take back the White House, we have to take back the Senate, and we have to take back the House."

Obama speaking to the Illinois AFL-CIO, June 30, 2003.

[ChelseaC]

Thank you Dandy.
Fanned.

[CaptainVideo]

But that is not the plan that Obama ran on in this election and not what the people voted for.

A public option is an absolutely essential part of health care reform.

But single payer is a monopoly. A monopoly owned by the government is still a monopoly. People are entitled to a choice of being covered by a public plan or by private insurance.

I am retired now, but when I was working I was very satisfied with my private coverage and would not have wanted to be forced into a public plan.

[Peabodies]

The public option is an OPTION, Captain, a choice. No one will be forced to give up their private plan, if they're satisfied. Sheesh!

[Acidic]

This is B.S. We don't need a compromise. Dems are really tucking their tails on this one. Pathetic

[mrgrieves0914]

Shouldn't every segment on health care begin, " Uh, Senator, most polls say seventy percent of the public wants the public option." Most polls say around fifty percent of Repub's want a public option. Let's get real. Most of us are either uninsured or know somebody who had/has insurance and they might as well have not had insurance. I work full time and my wife works part time and we can't afford to give our two children health care. My father had to have triple bypass surgery. He belonged to a UNION and his healthcare has left him screening phone calls to avoid constant intimidation. This is not right and if the democrats in congress cannot see that this is not a radical issue. I will take this to the streets. I hope I am not alone. I am from just a few miles from where Abraham Lincoln was born, tell me Lindsey what would Lincoln think?

[mrgrieves0914]

It is a shame that anybody profits from disease like we do. Long live NEDA. Real health care reform can solve so much.