Krugman: Baucus Plan "Better Than Many Of Us Expected"

New York Times:

You see, it has been clear for months that whatever health-care bill finally emerges will fall far short of reformers' hopes. Yet even a bad bill could be much better than nothing. The question is where to draw the line. How bad does a bill have to be to make it too bad to vote for?

Now, the moment of truth isn't here quite yet: There's enough wrong with the Baucus proposal as it stands to make it unworkable and unacceptable. But that said, Senator Baucus's mark is better than many of us expected. If it serves as a basis for negotiation, and the result of those negotiations is a plan that's stronger, not weaker, reformers are going to have to make some hard choices about the degree of disappointment they're willing to live with.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[Doofus]

The only thing good about this plan is it re-inforces our realization
that US healthcare is too d.a.m.n. expensive, and can only get more
so, unless drastic action is taken, including dumping this plan.

[aflyinyoursoup]

Hey, Krugman, you're full of S#!t.....
The bill is a gift to the Insurance Industry!!

[kid5rivers2]

He said the same thing...in his NYT article to which this Huffo story links.

[wildedge]

Mr. Krugman, I love you, and I get the irony, but here's the basics: NO PUBLIC OPTION, NO REFORM. the Baucus plan must die.

[jmpurser]

If you read the article Krugman says that while the Baucus bill is better than many expected it's still too bad to vote for.

And frankly, the "public option" style of plan was designed to KILL real reform. That's the only reason it exists.

[wildedge]

I did read the article, and that's why I mentioned the irony. The public option may have been intended at first to kill off real healthcare reform, but in the current circumstances it does present some real benefits. Certainly without it any mandated insurance program is intolerably unjust.

[lonbwoy]

Krugman likes the Individual Mandates because he says the young are gaming the system by not buying insurance:that tells you how Liberal he is.

MANDATES will hurt everybody eventually!!.

[jmpurser]

That doesn't make him liberal. That makes him an economist as well as intelligent, educated, and right.

If you're going to go with fake reform you need a mandate to cover everyone.

[Whinger]

Yeah Paul, plus it's universally unacceptable to the people that matter!

[PhilipTaylor]

Two myths d!ed Wednesday with Baucus Bill making it more likely liberals will get REAL reform:

Myth 1. It's possible to reach a bipartisan deal on health care -not enough middle ground to split the difference. So the Democratic approach is the one.

Myth 2. That every significant Bill must first pass through Senate Finance Committee!

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/liberals-more-likely-to-get-way-on-health-care-2009-09-17?pagenumber=2

[Helzapoppin]

I've been a staunch defender of Krugman's economic statements over the last few years, but he's just flat wrong on this topic. The Baucus bill has ZERO redeeming qualities. It's not the basis for negotiation, it's the basis for ridicule.

[jmpurser]

If you read the article you'll see that Krugman says the Baucus bill is much better than many expected BUT it's still to bad to vote for.

[twofish]

Krugman was coming down pretty hard on the Obama administration until he went there for a meeting. It makes me wonder what they slip into your drink there. I had the same creepy feeling when the Obamas went to meet with the Bushes after the election -- hey, if those are substitutes, they are damn good copies. Maybe all of the originals are chained to the wall in Cheyney's undisclosed location...

[kid5rivers2]

If that were true, there be no TEAbaggers in existence.

[H321]

Read the article people and not just the headline.

[MuchMadness]

It is amazing how the choice of a headline can influence the reaction to a story. What if the headline had been "Krugman: Baucus Plan is Unacceptable"? If you read the column, you will see that Krugman says that the plan needs a lot of fixing.

[northstar11]

negotiating seems to be backwards from the peoples point of view--

-this starts skinny and needs to add weight.

--shouldnt the proposal be real fat then trimmed to where all feel good.

[Yasmine]

MAX HP YES you are really right ......we should ask for the best.......and then give back a little.
NOT THE WAY THESE FOOLS WENT about it.
STARTING by already conceding. AND the PUBLIC option they offer is so WEAK AND LIMITED.
AS wendell POTTER says it is a GIFT TO THE INDUSTRY.........
I AM DISAPPOINTED IN the WHITE HOUSE................rahm Emanuel has been NO HELP at all to OBAMA

[PlaceboStudman]

Anyone who believes that a bill that is referred to as Health Care that has no mention of Health Care is in any way shape or form a Health Care billl is delusional. This is NOT a Health Care bill, this is an economic recovery through insurance bill, and has absolutely no chance whatsoever of saving lives or reducing suffering...unless of course you believe that going without your IPod or IPhone or Blackberry suffering

[northstar11]

the kid with lukemia who can now get treated might disagree

[hivanh]

Krugman must have swine flu. I don't care if it is "better than we expected": we expected totally worthless crap, and we got "almost" totally worthless crap. Baucus wasted mountains of time, energy and manpower to produce a bag of hot air which only pumps up the insurance companies and pours boiling oil on everyone else, below.

When I first read the proposal, I thought it was a comedy sketch. Then, to my complete horror, I realized that Max was serious. I guess dementia can really sneak up on you.

[SimianNation]

I could care less if it was better then was expected, it is a complete sellout for the citizen. Let me repeat that, it is a complete sellout for the citizen. The Public Option is the ONLY thing that can create a fair and level motivation for healthcare insurance.

The MAX TAX bill is a sham, a complete sellout to his (and their) lobbyist and corporate overlords. Ed Schultz has the right take on all of this.