Judd Gregg: Could He Help Salvage Health Care Reform?

POLITICO:

Is Judd Gregg a tease or a real potential partner for President Barack Obama in trying to salvage some health care reform in this Congress?

That's one question the White House has to answer for itself before the much-ballyhooed televised sit-down with Republicans on Feb. 25 on how to break the current stalemate. But it's clear already that Gregg's restless energy is drawing him back into the fray, and the New Hampshire conservative brings both a proven ability to swing Republican votes and a background in health care and deficit issues.

Read the whole story: POLITICO

Comments

[Bude]

09:22 AM on 02/12/2010

Who would make-up such a ridiculous notion?

[MyrtleJune]

01:58 AM on 02/12/2010

Judd Gregg could certain help savage health care reform........ fixed that for you... no charge.

[Georgia1992]

11:26 PM on 02/11/2010

Sn@ke!

[chomedey]

10:49 PM on 02/11/2010

He will

[peowlemeow]

10:29 PM on 02/11/2010

Why bother to ask whether Republicans want to work with anyone ? Doesn't a year of this during this administration and more than 50 years of similar obstructionism provide a clear picture of where they're at.Democrats should form a Universal Health Care tax and forge ahead with managing any patients that come forward.No payroll tax based on healthcare would make employers take a second look at why they would want to pay insurance companies for something a sales tax would pay the health care providers.
Republicans should be disregarded and made to ask to speak with the grown-ups.They can commit their votes in support of universal health care or they can leave.I don't know why anyone would want to get an insurer between them and their health care provider.It's disgusting.They're an unecessary middleman protected by anti-trust exemptions and they should be abolished.The time and money spent on talking to insurers would be better spent on a government paid not run health care system.

[hadenuf68]

10:15 PM on 02/11/2010

Oh please!!! This guys was the AUTHOR of the the tactics the Rethugs used to delay Health Care (helped by certain wussie Dems). I do not think ANYONE can trust him at all!!!

[sandals]

08:34 PM on 02/11/2010

I don't trust any of these BASTARDS!

[JadedAggie]

06:48 PM on 02/11/2010

He could, any republican could, but none of them will especially not Gregg.

[KathyinCT]

05:41 PM on 02/11/2010

Catastrophic coverage SOUNDS good.

But what people NEED is basic coverage so they can go to the doctor when they have symptoms, to avoid a catastrophe.

This is a bait and switch designed to get Gregg on TEE VEE and HP.

And it worked.

[nooel]

06:46 PM on 02/11/2010

But what is misunderstood about the fact that people need basic coverage, is that it should come out of pocket. Its not like having insurance means that it doesn't.

That's such a massive misunderstanding.

Basic care should be bought and paid for by people, and this would reduce the costs of the services as much as humanly possible, as if you paid out of pocket, you would go to the cheapest provider. Understandably health care is not as cheap as buying a new couch, so Paul Ryans idea, Ron Wyden's idea, etc, was to give the employer subsidy back to the people, and they can make these decisions on their own.

[KathyinCT]

01:37 AM on 02/12/2010

That line about "if you paid out of pocket you would go to the cheapest provider" is a right-wing scam.

First of all, that implies that poor quality care, if it's cheap, is OK. If you get a bad quality TV, you're annoyed. Bad quality doctor --you're dead. Different outcomes, eh?

Second -- ever seen a hospital price list? Unbundled?? They don't exist.

Third -- if you think hospitals and drug companies will all get in a big price war to get more buyers, you are living in Utopia.

Fourth -- diagnostic testing alone, for even moderately routine conditions, can run into THOUSANDS of dollars. We'd have more people bankrupt and homeless than we do now.

The whole point of INSURANCE is to pool the risk and spread costs out over a larger group. Employers are paying part of coverage for a group so they get cheaper premiums -- and if they give me the $500 or so they spend on me, and I have to go buy as an individual, I'll be paying twice or three times that much. So the employee is screwed and the employer is thrilled. A classic republican, corporate solution.

"Understandably," you say "health care is not as cheap as buying a new couch."

That's the one correct thing you said. Basic treatment for Stage I breast cancer, from biopsy to lumpectomy to chemo and radiation -- so far, nearly $74,000. And you say "hey, shop around, get it cheaper and pay for it yourself."

[Periwinkle]

05:20 PM on 02/11/2010

This must be the funniest headline I've ever read on HuffPo. Judd Gregg is my senator and, trust me, the only thing he cares about is that the uninsured don't drop dead on the sidewalk so he has to walk around them. He might fund plows to move the bodies, but that's about it.

[speechteach]

07:27 PM on 02/11/2010

My first thought was that he was putting on the act of bipartisanship; then, if the Dems don't accept his plan, the GOP could gripe about that.

[robertsandimas]

08:23 PM on 02/11/2010

Thanks for your input. I just heard him on Chris Matthews. He has no intention of compromising and Chris usually sees through these phonies.

[Billl]

04:43 PM on 02/11/2010

Public Option Universal Government Health Care Needed For Half of the Fix

Alternate Choices Would Offer Private Options

Dual Coexisting Systems

Total care for all 300 million Americans including medications for primary, inpatient, long-term, ophthalmology and dental care could be supplied free if we had Universal Government Health Care.

A national sales tax, instead of insurance for funding, and government hospital provided care instead of private, would cost a $1trillion less than the $2.6trillion devoured by private systems last year.

Employers could optout of paying for employee care.

A new public option would allow all states to get out of the health care business eliminating all of their costs and obligations.

Everyone choosing free government care could have it regardless of age, financial circumstances, or pre existing conditions, there will be no restrictions, no insurance, no co pays.

Everyone who receives government funded health care from any source anywhere in the US whether it be Medicare, Medicaid, all states, cities, school systems everything, all employees from the President, legislators, and lowest pay scale workers would be consolidated into the NHC thus ending the government’s entitlement disasters and consumers would have all care free period.

The second system would be private only; consumers would pay to recieve private care, which would be delivered in private hospitals, no public funding would be paid to private insurers or providers and they would not be subjected to any government mandates.

Lots of choices and free care always available.

[timewaster2dcore]

04:02 PM on 02/11/2010

Wasn't it this same guy who quit from the Commerce Sec. appointment for his party's political reasons? The sad thing is that Democrats and Obama are gonna be 5u(kered into this n0n$en5e again.

Time to get some pop-corn and beer.

[CAHertzfe]

03:13 PM on 02/11/2010

I wouldn't trust this guy. He is a Rethug, nothing more nothing less. He is against health reform.

[nikky]

04:02 PM on 02/11/2010

trust is not even the word for this one he is worst a repug snake

[AudreyinGA]

02:32 PM on 02/11/2010

Another ploy to delay the inevitable. Gregg is trying to look good for the 2/25 meeting and say he tried to
do something decent before he retires. It will not work. He can not be trusted. Democrats need to kick
this man to the curb along with his plan that comes a year too freaking late.

[Rastaman1967]

01:08 PM on 02/11/2010

I can't stop laughing ...this is too funny AH AH AH AH AH AH!...Hey, give the republican credit, each time they throw the dems and the President a bone, these naive dems grab it. Folks this is how you stall progress. Dems can't say no, because they are more worried the country will think they don't want to work with republicans. The sad thing is that the Dems keep taking the same bate...Olympia Snowe...remember her.