Klein: Senate Health Care Bill Already Contains What The GOP Wants

Habitual readers know that I'm fond of pointing out this article by Igor Volsky, which thoroughly documents the way the substantive concerns of the House GOP Caucus have been addressed in the chamber's health care reform bill. As you can read for yourself, the Republicans got a lot of what they wanted.

I'm thankful to Ezra Klein of the Washington Post, for getting his citizen-wonk on, and doing the same for the health care reform bill passed by the Senate.

Klein identifies "six Republican ideas already in the health-care reform bill." The first four come right from the GOP's "Solutions For America" website.

1. "Let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines."

2. "Allow individuals, small businesses, and trade associations to pool together and acquire health insurance at lower prices, the same way large corporations and labor unions do."

3. "Give states the tools to create their own innovative reforms that lower health care costs."

4. "End junk lawsuits."

Plus, a bonus two that aren't codified in their list of "Solutions" but nevertheless reflect the way the Democrats have attempted to respond to the GOP's concerns: placing a cap on the "tax break for employer-sponsored insurance" (Klein points out that Dems typically oppose this; the idea lives on in principle via the excise tax), and, of course, taking anything that looks like a "public" health care plan off the table. As in: no single payer, no public option.

I don't want to steal Ezra's thunder so, for the nuts-and-bolts details, I encourage readers to click on over and read for themselves. It's worth pointing out, however, that there seems to be this popular idea that those who crafted the bill just excluded the GOP entirely and failed to address their policy concerns. It's not in the least bit true, but it's a myth that the media has deemed fancy enough to perpetuate.

RELATED:
The six Republican ideas already in the health-care reform bill [Ezra Klein]
Top 10 Reasons Why Republicans Should Support The House Health Bill [Wonk Room]

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Comments

[opinion8td]

08:01 PM on 02/16/2010

IMO - the Republicans have adopted the Palin stance - they were for Health Care Reform (portions) before they were against it because BO decided it was a good idea to have reform. They follow her lead to the T, maybe they'll march right off the cliff with her. We can only hope.......

[amt77]

11:12 PM on 02/11/2010

Thanks for this post! Ezra's article does deserve to be echoed over and over.!! He's the BEST policy wonk on Health Care out there!!! Also several very true comments! The Republicans will NEVER come around, but the president has taken on the task of proving it's really THEIR lies and demonizing and obstructionism that has dragged this bill down, to the detriment of the entire nation. So hopefully, we can help Obama out with getting that message out!

[guveqzero]

02:47 PM on 02/10/2010

The GOP doesn't care about America. They only want to get back the power they lost. It makes them do stupid things. Personally without the public option, there is no reason to mandate that everyone be required to get insurance. Don't compromise this fundamental right for a bad bill. Agree to the Republican's demand but take back our most valued bargining chip.

[bannorhill]

06:29 PM on 02/10/2010

58% of Americans agree with the Republicans that the current bills should not pass. THAT IS caring about America.

[opinion8td]

07:53 PM on 02/16/2010

What 58%? They didn't poll me or any of my friends or co-workers. What poll are you citing?

[jjgg5]

02:45 PM on 02/10/2010

Mitch, you shouldn't be so revealing about such private matters.

[FutureUnperson]

02:42 PM on 02/10/2010

Nice "reporting", Jason. Post a Klein article and put your name on it.

[imusintheevening]

02:20 PM on 02/10/2010

Weren't there something like 137 republican amendments to the Senate version of the bill?

[rtwyatt6]

09:43 PM on 02/10/2010

Yes. I get so sick of hearing them say they were excluded. Heck, Snowe practically wrote the Baucus bill and the blue dogs wrote the other ones. They talk about how the bill needs to go towards the center. Reid's bill IS the center or, some would argue, to the right of the center.

[imusintheevening]

09:45 PM on 02/10/2010

CAM - couldn't agree more

[purplet]

10:14 AM on 02/11/2010

more than that- Their claim of being shutout is a lie

[rtwyatt6]

01:35 PM on 02/10/2010

This isn't about health care. The Republicans decided to take this complicated issue and use it to try and sink Obama's Presidency. They took a complicated issue and muddied the water so much that people who didn't follow it closely had no idea what was being done. From day one, they lied about every single bill that was voted on. They sold every bill as a government take over, socialism, a killer of the health insurance industry, death panels, etc. It was all lies. Every time the Democrats gave up something that the Repubs were against they moved the freakin goal post again. The only people compromising on what they wanted to do to reform health care were Dems.
If the Republicans were serious about health care reform they would have supported what Reid got out of the senate because it didn't have a public option, it set up an exchange just like the federal exchange they have and it had state based co-ops like the state of Washington has. Both of which THEY WERE FOR! Demint and the other Repubs set out to make it Obama's waterloo and their tactics definitely had an effect on how people viewed health care reform.

[dmsdzinr]

01:40 PM on 02/10/2010

Well NOW it has come to the Republicans pulling this strategy on EVERYTHING that the President thinks is a GOOD IDEA, EVEN IF that idea came from the Republicans!!! Now, how can anyone NOT call that OBSTRUCTIONIST?!?!?!

[rtwyatt6]

01:46 PM on 02/10/2010

Absolutely! I hope the Dems can get their act together and start pushing back harder and faster on all their lies.

[Genep34]

02:16 PM on 02/10/2010

Very well said - fanned

[KeyInfo]

01:24 PM on 02/10/2010

A point I would love to see added to health care reform. It seems all Teabaggers are against health care reform. Fine don't reform their health care but take them off the public funded Medicaid (a socialist health program any way you look at it). It really ticks me off to all of these Republicans not want health care reform. That is, no public option. What is Medicaid/Medicare. It is a public option socialized medical program. If these Republicans really believe in their cause I think they should turn in their Medicaid cards immediately. HYPOCRITES!

[lapdogs]

12:50 PM on 02/10/2010

Rachel Maddow showed us the hypocrisy of John Boehner, regarding all the items he demanded to be in the legislation and yet he is still against it.

Where is the regular NEWS MEDIA doing articles on their newscast with this type of analysis?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PASBHz_ng2o&feature=player_embedded

[Grunty1]

01:34 PM on 02/10/2010

Never. Not as long as the Rushpublican Party exists and is allowed to own the majority of the media.

[FutureUnperson]

03:00 PM on 02/10/2010

Rachel is engaging in disingenuous reporting, because people like you "lap" it up. Congressmen and Senators from both sides of the aisle have engaged in this strategy forever. It is a fall-back, in case the bill happens to pass, so you will have something to show for it. What are you, 15 years old?

[Genep34]

03:19 PM on 02/10/2010

You know you should look at facts. Instead of just calling people names - you didn't see the piece and if you did you couldn't disagree.

Your side is an embarrassment and unamerican.

[dmsdzinr]

12:24 PM on 02/10/2010

Here is MY Solution for the Party of NO & The Blue Dogs: From now on, whenever a politician from EITHER side votes against a bill that provides say Jobs/Health Care/Stimulus Money, etc. and that bill eventually passes, then THAT Senators State or that Congressman's District gets NONE of what the bill provides. Let us American People HOLD these Obstructionists ACCOUNTABLE!!! How DIFFERENT America would be if say ALL the Republicans who trashed and then voted against the STIMULUS then got NONE of their share for their constituencies!!! I GUARANTEE things would change IMMEDIATELY!

[jsgaetano]

11:04 AM on 02/10/2010

Typical GOP. Always the Party of Hypocrisy.

[Genep34]

10:50 AM on 02/10/2010

Look - this country needs health care reform. And no matter what the dems do to the bill - even if they scrap theirs and put all GOP in it - the GOP will vote no.

I and many said that the GOP would water down the bill and still vote no.

They are unamerican when it comes to policy.

Only reconciliation will get this bill through. These people will bring this goverment down if it mean bringing Obama down. That is their whole agenda. They want the power back so they can drag us into another depression.

[sc300nc]

11:56 AM on 02/10/2010

I disagree. The country wants a healthcare plan. They just don't like what the Dems have come up with. The people will decide this measure, Congress will ultimately vote and pass the legislation, but the people have been and will continue to be very active and very vocal on what they expect. The GOP knows that. They are on the side of the people on this. The people don't want what Pelosi and Reid have put together.

[Genep34]

12:24 PM on 02/10/2010

If anything the people want more than the dems have put together - close to 2/3 want a plan.

The GOP doesn't want a plan. Pure and simple. They most of everything they want in this plan and they still vote against it. And they will do so because they have always been opposed to it and on their knees to the insurance industry.

[PNic]

12:27 PM on 02/10/2010

You can disagree, but that doesn't make you right. You seem to be unable to grasp the fact that any/all opposition to the health care bill does not automatically put them on the republican side of the issue.

There are a great number of people who disapprove of the plan because it doesn't GO FURTHER. (No Public Option, it still leaves about 14mill uninsured, and never even considered single payer.) The bill has be watered down to get Nelson/Lincoln/Lieberman's support or the elusive, mythical beast, Bi-partisan.
To try and claim that all those who oppose the bill do so for the same reasons as the Repubs, is at best disingenuous and at worst delusional.

The only thing the Republicans know, is that by feigning bispartisanship, they could get the Democrats to leave out some good things out and make a good bill worse.
Mission Accomplished.Unfortunately they are on the side of insurance companies, not the people...

[layopinions]

10:37 AM on 02/10/2010

The stated purpose of the House bill is, “to provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.”

Subsidies don’t make healthcare more “affordable,” they simply transfer the cost to taxpayers.

Raising the price of (taxes on) medical equipment does not facilitate an increase in “quality.”

Mandating that healthy people overpay for health insurance they don’t need while exempting the poor who need it hardly qualifies as providing “health care for all Americans.”

Cutting Medicare benefits doesn’t count as reducing the “growth in health care spending.”

The only objective thing this bill comes close to meeting is “other purposes,” like incentivizing employers to drop their existing coverage and giving the government the power to regulate our choices in the name of reducing health care costs.

I can’t imagine why freedom-loving Americans don’t like this bill.

[Genep34]

10:45 AM on 02/10/2010

You are wrapped in the flag but a hypocrite when it comes to what is best for Americans. The GOP are on their knees to big insurance, big oil, and big banks. And so are all that support them.

They are a disgrace.

[layopinions]

01:50 PM on 02/10/2010

Are you implying that the Democrats are squeaky clean?

Are you implying that because I’m against a horrible bill that doesn’t do what it says it’s trying to do that I must be a GOP Kool-Aid drinker?

Most politicians on both sides are a disgrace. This health care bill is a disgrace.

I really don’t know where the “hypocrite” accusation is coming from.

By the way, I am not “wrapped in the flag;” that would be disrespectful to the flag. My icon is from a night time picture of the flag that hangs in my front yard.

http://layopinions.blogspot.com/2009/11/thoughts-on-veterans-day.html

[Joel Redman]

11:56 AM on 02/10/2010

'Mandating that healthy people overpay for health insurance they don’t need" -- Everyone needs health insurance. You WILL get sick, or have an accident, or simply get old. You WILL need routine health care regardless.

Insurance is a risk pool. By adding more people to the pool, you lower costs for everyone. Furthermore, your side is constantly arguing about personal responsibility. Take personal responsibility for your health care and get your frakking insurance. What?! You can't get insurance because you have a pre-existing condition, like spouse abuse?! Then you need the health care bill passed.

[sc300nc]

11:59 AM on 02/10/2010

Yes, especially when you add those with pre-existing conditions or are now un-insurable. That's gonna drive those costs way down!

[layopinions]

01:29 PM on 02/10/2010

“You WILL get sick, or have an accident, or simply get old. You WILL need routine health care regardless. Insurance is a risk pool. By adding more people to the pool, you lower costs for everyone.”

If all you need is routine medical care, it is MUCH cheaper to pay the doctor per visit than to spend thousands of dollars on insurance that pays the doctor less. Adding these people to the “risk pool” makes it cheaper for everyone ELSE, not cheaper for everyone.

“Take personal responsibility for your health care and get your frakking insurance.”

I agree that people need to take personal responsibility. If they choose not to get insurance and something happens, they should be responsible for the bill. Forcing them to buy insurance to offset the cost of other people’s care has nothing to do with personal responsibility.

“You can't get insurance because you have a pre-existing condition"

Like you said, it is a “risk pool,” and people with pre-existing conditions are more (if not 100%) likely to need medical care that costs more than they can charge for the “insurance.” You can’t add comprehensive coverage to your auto policy AFTER an accident and expect them to pay for it. You can’t buy a retailers replacement policy AFTER your TV breaks.

I agree that a mandate would help to offset this, but I don’t believe those means are justified by these ends.

[gingrich2012]

10:21 AM on 02/10/2010

It still boils down to more than 60% of Americans want no part of this

[jsgaetano]

11:15 AM on 02/10/2010

If by "this" you mean what the GOP wants done, you are correct.

Over 70% of Americans support a public plan, national health care, etc.

Heck, at least half of Republican voters want it too.

[bannorhill]

06:31 PM on 02/10/2010

No...the bills in Congress and what the Democrats have done.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/obama_and_democrats_health_care_plan-1130.html

[Grunty1]

01:37 PM on 02/10/2010

LOL. If only reading were fundamentalist, then they would know it.

[den1953]

10:11 AM on 02/10/2010

Let me get this logic straight the GOP everything they want is in the bill yet they choose to obstruct it, that seem to warrant the type of logic that all Americans can't conceive. The American people are dieing and losing there houses over health care,so if the GOP wants to deny every American the right to survival then i think every American has the right to take away there health care.