Senators Wyden, Collins Discuss Their Bipartisan Health Reform Amendments (VIDEO)

Republican Senator Susan Collins (Maine) and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden (Oregon) appeared on MSNBC's Morning Meeting today to discuss bipartisan amendments they're jointly offering to the Senate's health care reform bill.

Their goals are to keep insurance premiums down and ensure that people can choose from a wide range of plans in order to get one that best fits their lifestyle and income. Ezra Klein focuses on Wyden's Free Choice Act as the most important one:

The best of the bunch is the latest incarnation of Wyden's Free Choice Act, which makes an important tweak to the insurance exchanges. Right now, the exchanges don't permit employee choice. If your company buys into the exchange, it doesn't mean that you and your colleagues get to pick the plan that best fits your needs. It means your HR department picks a plan for everyone. Wyden would let employers choose to give their workers a voucher that the employees could use to choose their own insurance plans. It's a dead-obvious amendment, and it establishes an important principle in the exchanges.

Klein praises both Senators for offering amendments that are substantive and not just "message amendments and efforts at posturing." More details on the amendments package from Klein here.

WATCH:

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Comments

[breakingpoint]

07:37 PM on 12/10/2009

profits based on health is a silly idea and immoral.

[BarryS]

05:12 PM on 12/10/2009

when will Ms Collins give up her life-long renewalble, gold-plated, inexpensive government-paid-for insurance?? I dare her. Let her and her dependants live like the rest of us. Bought, bribed and GREEDY. She should go back to Maine and shovel snow without any insurance.

[MakeAWish]

04:54 PM on 12/10/2009

Wyden is just another corporate democrat.

[insultant]

12:47 PM on 12/11/2009

Wyden is NOT "just another corporate democrat".

[FlyOnTheWall45]

04:44 PM on 12/10/2009

The health insurance exchange should offer choice, if it does not the market principle does not work at all. Wyden's amendment is so dead obvious it scares me that it wasn't in there to begin with.

[cripes]

04:23 PM on 12/10/2009

None of that crap works.Everyone must know insurers offer management incentives (payola) to buy into their plan .All of which come out of premiums.Crooks trying to put on a pretty face.

[plaidsportcoat]

03:40 PM on 12/10/2009

In order to "keep" insurance premiums down - they would need to START OUT being down, right?
They are way too high ofr almost everybody to afford, and going higher by the minute.
--The question is how are they going to REDUCE insurance premiums BACK DOWN?

[grind88]

03:37 PM on 12/10/2009

someone give her a blanket

[AngelaQuattrano]

02:44 PM on 12/10/2009

Collins has no concern whatever about finding ways for the uninsured to get insured. Her position all along has been that whatever changes happen should benefit those already insured and those who employ them. She wants to expand Medicare benefits to those who are receiving them already, which she thinks will bring down costs enough so that the uninsured will be able to afford to just buy their own insurance.

[plaidsportcoat]

03:41 PM on 12/10/2009

How does expanding Medicare benefits bring down the costs for non-medicare people?

[Christy1947]

02:09 PM on 12/10/2009

Come on Huffpost, think journalism here. If you want a lead that says both Collins and Wyden had proposals, list the proposals for both, not just one. We can't use you as a factual resource if you won't put the information in the articles.

[PatLow]

04:57 PM on 12/10/2009

Follow the link to the actual article.

[BuzzyGreen]

01:38 PM on 12/10/2009

The Free Choice Act is a band-aid on on a gaping, possibly fatal wound.

Senator Wyden (who "theoretically represents me in Oregon) has been opposed to universal health care single payer -- the only solution that would ensure everyone in America has access to affordable essential health care AND be fiscally responsible by cutting out for-profit middlemen.

[vet64]

01:01 PM on 12/10/2009

Conflict of Interest and Collusion is the norm in Washington these days. The Corruption enabled the Neo Con Parasites to imbed themselves in all three branches of the American government where they now yank the puppet strings of the politicians and officials who pass laws and deregulations to financially benefit their corporate pimps and ultimately themselves since they took the bribes and are promised employment when they leave office.
Look at the 2 unwinnable wars the Neo Cons embroiled us into where they and their bought off politicians and officials are raking in record profits of blood money off the backs of our young military. Their policies of Colonialism are responsible for the Terrorist attacks on our country. So they are responsible for the Theft and Murder that constitute the policies of Colonialism and also for the Terrorist attacks on the U.S.

[JustBNice]

12:45 PM on 12/10/2009

Congress is working in the best interest of the corporations they represent, and the insurance industry does seem very pleased the way things are going.

[InfosolutionWiz]

01:28 PM on 12/10/2009

EXACTLY!!

[uglygnome]

12:43 PM on 12/10/2009

Political posturing and nothing more. Didn't Ron Wyden once say he could not support any legislation that does not drive down costs and create competition?

[hrc04]

12:16 PM on 12/10/2009

Now we just need your vote, Sen. Collins.

[mamala4]

12:14 PM on 12/10/2009

Bipartisan? Senator Thune has stated that the repugs will ALL vote no....so why did the dems work with them, water down the bill? Why? Because now the dems will vote for this half baked piece of cr*p and the repugs will say it stinks...they make the dems look like the fools they really are....I am embarrassed.