Pushing Toward Closure (and Cloture) on Health Care
It was good to see President Obama shifting toward a more directly confrontational tone with the insurance industry today in his weekly radio/YouTube address on health care. One of the biggest mistakes Clinton made in the last fight was shying away from directly taking on the insurance companies standing in the way until it was too late. It is only this kind of directly populist message that will carry us home.
It was also very exciting to see Obama be very clear and the strongest yet about how much he wants the public option.
We have reached a crucial moment, perhaps the crucial moment. All those folks pushing for delay (with the possible exception of Ron Wyden) are pushing for delay because they don't want to take on the insurance industry, and they want to slow the momentum of the Obama approach, especially the public option. Now is when Democrats and all of us progressive activists on the outside need to get very tough and very specific. Conservative Democratic Senators need to understand that they need to vote for cloture even if they can't bring themselves to vote for the bill itself, that to break with Obama and the party on this is the ultimate disloyalty. They need to understand that the White House, and Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi will cut them off at the knees on all future requests. They need to understand that progressives will recruit primary candidates against anyone who stops health care reform, and that progressive donors will stop giving to anyone who helps the Republicans on a filibuster fight.
This is the biggest issue for Barack Obama, and his ability to get anything else significant done will die if health care dies. This is the ultimate measure of whether you are part of the team, and the consequences of defeat on health care need to be made clear -- yes, crystal clear -- to everyone. All of us in this fight -- from Obama, Reid, and Pelosi to all of us who are progressive activists -- need to ratchet up the pressure even more than the insurance company lobbyists. This is our hill to die on.
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Why do you not see many Progressives who are business owners and the creators of jobs?
Why do you not see the sun rise in the morning?
Next misguided question.
Have you ever noticed that most "Progressives" are either academics or indigent. You don't see many Progressives who run businesses and provide jobs. Wonder why?
LOL.
Historians will end up writing that "new politics" or "bipartisanship" for its own sake was one of the single biggest political blunders ever made. Running for office and governing are not the same place.
Not one single progressive achievement EVER happened in America through negotiation with conservatives. Abolition, women's suffrage, labor organizing, environmental protection, social security, medicare, child labor laws, overtime pay, ONLY came about when they were rammed down unwilling conservative throats.
We will probably all end up being forced to buy crappy overpriced private insurance policies under penalty of taxation if we don't, with no cost controls, no more actual amount of health care dispensed, but a huge windfall for the insurance companies who can pay their CEO's even bigger bonuses, and the politicians will pat themselves on the back for their "bipartisanship" knowing their own health care is secure.
Is anyone here really surprised that conservatives weren't willing to set aside their failed ideology and negotiate in good faith?
Is anyone here really surprised that conservatives, and the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, used their seat at the table to water down the legislation which Republicans will vote against anyway?
Is anyone really surprised that by triangulating against his base and not even allowing single-payer health care advocates at the table that the public not-for-profit option was seen by the elites as the expendable rather than the compromise position?
"New politics" is an utterly naive and impotent failure.
Spot on. Welcome to my world, the State of MA.
where it is totally Kafkaesque: you have to buy it, but you can't afford it, so they fine you for not buying what you can't afford, and all the while the CEOs of insurance companies who control the game are paying themselves millions of dollars in compensation.
The state is now broke (because there were no attempts to regulate the spiraling costs - which, by the way- Sen Kennedy and Sen Kerry don't have to worry about because we pay for their expensive health care, and that of their families FOR LIFE ) and so, the State is now "slowing enrollment" aka denying people subsidized coverage because they have no money to pay for these people.
the upshot: millions uninsured and under-insured, spiralling costs, and no more money in the bank.
Still the politicans brag about affodable health care in MA.
It is totally bogus, a complete fiction, and now the WH is trying to dupe the entire American public into the same kind of set up.
Single Payer is the only corrective to this madness.
End for-profit insurance, pay for medical school to eliminate huge debt loads for new docs, reward preventative programs, limit pharmaceutical profit margins like they do in every other civilized nation, and we will be on our way.
Why is this so hard for everyone but the American people?
Because the politicians are OWNED.
The facts are in, the crooks need to go.
-
47 million un insured
20 million under insured
Subtract 10 million poor/indig
18.5 million can pay $50/mo = 925,000,000
18.5 mill can pay $100 = $1,850,000,000
20 mill under insured will switch and can pay $100 = 2,000,000,000
That is a grand total of $4,775,000,000
That is FOUR BILLION, SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS IN PREMIUM PAYMENTS PER MONTH. FIFTY SEVEN BILLION THREE HUNDRED THIRTY MILLION PER YEAR IN PREMIUMS FOR ONE SET OF PEOPLE.
That does'nt count the millions who'll switch from private companies if they can pay $100 or 200 per month and have their entire family covered even with pre-existing conditions. Repeal bush tax cuts asap another 700 billion.
After thinking about it more, we should have a 1 penny federal sales tax on EVERY item. I can hear the opponents shouting about making the poor poorer, but my statement is 1 cent on each item NOT on every dollar or hundred dollars. From candy bars to fruit to big screen tv's to your house. 1 cent on everything. If your grocery bill was $100. for 53 items, your bill would be $100.53. That's not putting people in the poorhouse especially when we've already been dealing with price increases
Read what the Mayo Clinic said about this ill-cinceived health care, "reform", bill,
learn something, then call your Senators and tell them to vote against cloture and
for closure on this bill, for good.
Like the clinic doesn't have a very strong interest in the status quo.
Yeah, let's sock it to doctors. Many are leaving the field because of the high cost of malpractice insurance, government regulation and insurance complexities. Does this bill solve any of those problems. My husband's excellent internist has decided to quit his practice and teach.
People commenting on the fact that we cannot control our government need to take a close look at their own activities. In France the government is afraid of the people - that is the way government should work. If government tries to cheat the farmers they dump their potatoes in the streets of Paris. Government gets the point. If government tries to screw Americans we just shrug and bend over.
If Health Care Reform is not passed this year - we need to be in the streets. We need to be moving for a Constitutional Convention. We need to be calling for the recall of the entire U.S. Congress. We need to get out and campaign against everyone currently in public office running in the next election - regardless of their party. We need to burn our insurance cards on the steps of the Congress.
That's how you make government afraid of the people. That's what will cause change. We caused change in the 70s and we can do it again.
Love it! We should hit the streets now and demand healthcare for all americans.
Americans should be marching in the streets but they won't - they're much too apathetic.
Has a 1% federal sales tax been looked at to "pay" for health care reform? Why is fear of change the ultimate tactic used by naysayers?
I agree Mike...we have come to the bridge and there's no turning back now.
we will never have another opportunity like this(at least in my lifetime) to take the power back to the people....
Such a lie.
Aren't medicare and SS going broke?
Not exactly - nice rightwing talking point.
That doesn't mean they don't have issues to work on, though. Nice how a major aspect of those programs (prescription medicine component) got gutted by the Bush administration in 2003 and handed to the private sector on a silver, money-lined platter. Plus the basic concept that those floating that argument never bring up which is that public programs like that can only achieve the efficiencies that public programs like that are fully capable of if the programs are applied to the ENTIRE POPULATION (as proven in other countries).
Excellent article.
The problem though, isn't progressives, the problem is the idiots that are still buying the lies and propaganda of the Republicans and "Blue Dog" democrats. Does it ever occur to these people to ask themselves "who benefits" from any republican proposal, CORPORATIONS AND SPECIAL INTEREST.
Wake up people, the Republicans, Blue Dogs and anyone else that is opposing health care reform is acting in their own self-interest, they dont give a "rats butt" about public concerns, bankrupting the country or anything else other than making more money, getting re-elected, and keeping the donations coming.
Unfortunately the Democrats fighting for reform won't call these liars out and so we, the public, have to work that much harder to put the pressure on.
Keep following the Republicans and you can kiss this country goodbye.
Here is a link to the senate website:
http://www
Start calling and call everyday if you have to until they listen. We need a public option and we need it now!
THanks, I will. I oppose the plan and am spending all of my waking moments writing and calling. I want my legislators to take their time and craft a well thought out plan that will be the envy of the world.
Government of the people, by the people, for the people ceased to exist some time ago. What we have now is a "good ole boy and girl" network run amok. Joe Lieberman is one of the senators delaying any decision on health care until September because he wants to take the "bill" home and read it--what subterfuge and chicanery. He doesn't want a health bill for we the people, he wants to continue reaping the benefits from the insurance industry for himself and other greedy politicians. Hey, Joe if you go home, stay home.
The more I read about Obama's health plans, the more I like the fact that I work for the gov't.
He promised our unions that we will not be inflicted with the public option. We can keep our
premium health care.
As someone who has worked for the gov't for fifteen years and three agencies, I must say I would
hate for them to handle my heath care. One size fits all is not a good stratagy for something as individualized as health care. I feel sorry for people who will lose their premium health care and
get stuck with the public option.
Surely they can come up with a better policy?
Obviously you have not worked in the private sector where your benefits package is reviewed and revised every year. Your cost goes up, your deductible goes up, and if your employeer switches providers--which happens quite often--you may have to find a new doctor and new treatment facilities. You should be happy that you have the gov't plan period.
I've worked in the private sector and had Blue Cross Blue Shield with dental and vision.
It wasn't bad, but Cigna is better.
I do not have the gov't plan, and will not have the gov't plan. I have premium private health insurance--twenty plans to choose from in fact.
Obama promised our Union he will not force the public option on us.
We know how the gov't works and it will be slightly better than nothing.
The gov't cannot respond to individual needs, it is a one size fits all.
It should encourage unionization because Union jobs are not subject to the
public option.
Do you really want the IRS, USPS or SS handling your health insurance needs?
Cat, you need to take your head out of the sand and look around. I have a small business and buy my own health insurance, to the tune of $1300/mo! That's without dental. And that's without whatever I pay to insure you. Plenty of people with what you term "Premium health care" would LOVE an alternative like the public option. Even better would be a singlepayer system, like what we already have with medicare.
The health insurers all know that if people have a real alternative, their multibilliondollar shakedown comes to an end. As for bipartisanship, we'd never have had medicare or social security if we'd waited on the Republicans to join us. The time for real reform is now.
You progressives should be a bit more careful about what you wish for.
If you get WAxman Markey, and whatever peice of crap they can throw together in a week on health care, you'll get your brains beaten out by the results in 2010.
Anything that purports to affect 1/6 of the economy deserves more study and a bipartisan approach. Anything crammed down peoples throats creates more resentment than good.
We have been studying this since Teddy Roosevelt was president. We have tried the bipartisan approach and it has not worked. We can't wait any longer.
I agree that a bipartisan approach is necessary, but I have yet to see good faith discussion and recommendations from the other side. So far the Republicans have been treating the issue as if there is no problem with our health care system. As long as they are ok with the status quo, they won't make this bipartisan.
Exactly - THERE IS NO "BIPARTISAN" APPROACH on the part of Republicans. According to them, we have the best health care system in the world and THEY DO NOT WANT ****ANY****THING DONE about health care. No reform whatsoever.
Therefore mentioning Republicans and "bipartisan" in the same breath is completely nonsensical and disingenuous.
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