Senate Democrats Consider Nightmare Scenario On Health Care

There is, currently, a nightmare scenario afflicting Democrats on Capitol Hill with regards to health care reform. And it goes like this: Sometime early next week, leadership gets word from the Congressional Budget Office on their latest outline of reform. The legislative language on which they've settled -- the one with the clearest promise yet of getting the votes needed to cut off a Republican filibuster -- has actually scored quite poorly, saving less money over time and covering fewer people than earlier versions of the bill.

Should this occur, it could complicate the entire process. It certainly will prolong it. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) has said that, in exchange for stripping the public option from the bill, Democrats should have to find another way to save $25 billion in health care costs (savings that, the CBO said, a government-run plan would have produced). It seems likely he would up this demand if the latest scoring turns out poor.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), meanwhile, told the Huffington Post this week that if the supplemental approach for the public plan -- a provision that would expand Medicare to people as young as 55 -- were to prove more costly or ineffective than the public option itself, then senators would have to "go back to the drawing board" and figure out another approach.

And on Sunday, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) echoed her colleague, telling "Fox News Sunday" that should the latest version of health care reform prove insufficient in bending the cost curve, she and others would "have to go back to the drawing board."

"Absolutely," said McCaskill. "We'll go back and look at other proposals. ... We have to be saving more money for our government then we are spending."

Under normal legislative circumstances, the desire to tinker with legislation until it is right would be a relatively inconsequential and even welcome development. But health care reform is on a different political clock. And it is easy to see how the prospects for passage worsen if Senate Democrats begin to demand more time to consider even more options. All of which makes the upcoming CBO score that much more significant.

Comments

[thestargazer]

12:41 PM on 12/15/2009

No need to consider a nightmare scenario because we're already there!

[brahdog]

03:19 AM on 12/15/2009

what a shi.tshow

[gfs5541]

10:51 PM on 12/14/2009

It won't matter what the CBO says. They need to come up with something via Reconciliation Now!

[meko]

09:20 PM on 12/14/2009

All that will be left is mandates to purchase insurance from private monopolies. In every day of discussion Democrats "negotiate" away more consumer protections without gaining a single vote.

Lieberman is just a beard. Harry Reid campaigned against the Democratic candidate for Connecticut senator on behalf of Lieberman. The President did more arm-twisting on behalf of Lieberman keeping his chair than he did on behalf of health care. They want him there, doing what he's doing - taking the heat off of Democrats.

The Democrats could have done more. Leadership could have taken away committee chairs (Lincoln's too), The party could have taken away reelection funds. Senators could have filibustered the bills. The Progressive Caucus could have kept their pledge about not voting for a bill that didn't include a robust public option. They didn't. They didn't want to.

So now we're stuck with a bill that will do more harm than good. But the President pushes through to be able to sign it for the State of the Union. Because they'll call anything called Health Care Reform a win - even if the American people lose.

[janiceh]

08:55 PM on 12/14/2009

"We have to be saving more money for our government then we are spending."

Dead wrong.

The government should raise taxes and pay for Medicare for everybody. It's the only fair way. People and companies will actually have more money left over at the end of the month without having to pay for health insurance.

[meko]

12:03 AM on 12/15/2009

If you cut bonuses, commissions, CEO salaries and stock dividends, I don't think it would cost that much more. Of course they won't let the CBO score it, because that would make the sellouts look bad.

[Kassandra]

08:45 PM on 12/14/2009

Do you think they might reconsider the PO which scored the best: the ROBUST Public Option? Or will they just throw their hands in the air and turn us all over to the "ender mercies" of the insurance monopolies? And call it a "win"?

[Variegated]

02:24 PM on 12/14/2009

President Obama and the wimpy dems should have scrapped this beast right after the election. . . but nooooooooooo, the wimpy dems were being magnanimous. Sometimes nice guys finish last. This is what you get for trying to be oh so decent.

[lordmi]

09:57 AM on 12/15/2009

so, in Your rep's opinion - it is tooo much to be...decent?

I never saw Reps even pretending to look decent - old army of Rascals

[GreatNews27]

12:46 PM on 12/14/2009

Always more money for killing people, never enough money for helping people. Why do politicians hate people?

[Kassandra]

08:47 PM on 12/14/2009

Makes ya wonder doesn't it...if we didn't know they were all bought and paid for.....they don't count us or our taxes in the "buying" tho

[meko]

12:34 PM on 12/14/2009

The Democrats have sold out. They are hiding behind Lieberman and the Republicans.

The health insurers are getting a great deal. In exchange for letting the oldest, sickest, unisured non-customers buy into Medicare, they get mandates for all young and healthy people to purchase insurance from private monopolies that are allowed to raise premiums and deductibles as high as they want and cap benefits as low as they want.

This setup ensurers Medicare will not be expanded. Insurers will not let captive, profitable customers go. Politicians who were unable to enact real reform with the momentum reform had will not do so when an even richer, more powerful lobby stands before them. Consumers who will be destroyed by paying skyrocketing premiums or facing the collection arm of the insurance industry, the IRS, will not trust anyone who claimed to be a "reformer" this time around.

Leadership could have taken away chairs. The party could have taken away election funds. The President could have used the oratory he used on behalf of Lieberman, Wall Street bonus contracts, Rick Warren and keeping Guantanamo open on behalf of real reform. "Progressive" senators could have filibustered. The Progressive Caucus could have kept it's against any bill without a strong public option.

If you don't vote in 2010, they will use the results to justify moving further to the right. If progressive primary challenges and third-party votes in the general elections hurt them, they MAY wake up.

[Kassandra]

08:49 PM on 12/14/2009

Just like the "credit card reform" Gads, I wish I'd moved to France....anywhere..... before I saw America turn into this capitalist Shock Doctrine state.

[Reiner-von-Sinn]

12:22 PM on 12/14/2009

Stop socialism in the middle East!

Contact your Senators today and urge legislation to cease all foreign aid to middle eastern nations with universal health care!

Joe, are you listening?

[Joan Jacobs]

12:03 PM on 12/14/2009

Shortly after his election, Pres. Obama said something to the effect that if he didn't get health care reform passed, with a public option to bring down costs & enable those without coverage to get some, the American people should refuse to re-elect him. Per HP something like 30% of Democratic voters have said they probably won't go to the polls in 2010 should health care not get get passed. That seems fair to me - if the Senate and the House (both of which currently enjoy a a Democratic majority) can't get this cornerstone of the Presiden't program passed - they deserve to lose their majorities. Hopefully those who opposed the bill - including Joe Leiberman will be the first to be voted out of office.

In the short run, the Democrats should relieve Mr. Leiberman of his committee chair position. Of course, if he doesn't lose his seat in the Senate, and the Republicans get voted back in, they may give it back to him b/c of his unswearving loyalty to their causes. Just a thought.

[GirlFriday123]

02:09 PM on 12/14/2009

It may have gone from hope back to a choice between the lesser of two evils, but one of them is lesser.

[Okieborn]

11:38 AM on 12/14/2009

Well Lincoln, , Baucus, Conrad , Lieberman,Landrieu, Hatch and the rest of the fill my coffers and I will forget the moral issues gang , should not even be looking forward to election day !!
This is one day that the American citizenry can put down the hammer on these crooks !!

[judiNJ]

11:29 AM on 12/14/2009

Why don't they just let them filibuster. So, let them stand up there for days and days and blab away. Everyone then can turn to C Span and watch them throwing themselves under the bus.

[BillLaimbeer]

11:54 AM on 12/14/2009

THANK YOU!!! I've been asking this same question since they first "threatened". Seriously Dem. Senators, get a PSP, micro dvd player, laptop computer, Amazon Kindle, a pillow, an intern to fondle, whatever. You just have to BE there, not take notes for a quiz! It's almost like the Blue Dogs are proud of the fact that they're going to tell their grandchildren, "Well, I wanted you to be able to go to the doctor, but my @$$ would have gotten so sore from all that sitting!"

[ez duz it]

10:53 AM on 12/14/2009

Is Congress looking for areas to cut back in order to fund the public option?

I suggest they eliminate spending on the armed conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In addition, Congress can eliminate funneling hundreds of millions of tax dollars to "Faith-Based Initiatives." When the Roman Catholic Church in St. Louis can send $10,000 to Maine to oppose marriage equality, they do so to fund a political posture that aligns with Church doctrine - not help the poor.

[BillLaimbeer]

11:59 AM on 12/14/2009

Katekid downthread just reminded me, you know we DO spend a lot of money propping up Israel...

[Arrech]

10:43 AM on 12/14/2009

This is a good eye opener for anybody, to look at how corrupt or government system is, looking at these politicians doing the bidding for the corporations, obliterating the American people that voted fro them.

[BillLaimbeer]

11:55 AM on 12/14/2009

Welcome to politics!