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Public Option

Substance Over Symbolism

Mike Lux | Posted 11.23.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Harry Reid, 2009 Obama Administration, U.S. Senate, Public Option Trigger, Public Option, Senate Democrats, Politics News
Mike Lux

Given the stubborn logjam between progressives and conservatives on the public option and other issues, here are six different scenarios for what might happen next.

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When Can A Public Option Not Be A Public Option?

Miles J. Zaremski | Posted 11.23.2009 | Politics

Read More: Public Option, Health Care Bill, Health Care Reform, Roland Burris, Blanche Lincoln, Health Care, Politics News
Miles J. Zaremski

There are proposals for opt-out, opt-in, and "triggered" public options. What are Americans to think or to do? Let's get back to basics.

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Ryan Grim

Bernie Sanders Pushes Back On Public Option

HuffingtonPost.com | Ryan Grim | Posted 11.23.2009 | Politics

Read More: Lieberman, Public Option, Sherrod Brown, Senate Health Care Bill, Tom Carper, Health Care Reform, Mary Landrieu, Health Bill, Joe Lieberman, Health Care, Roland Burris, Bernie Sanders, Politics News

While conservative members of the Democratic caucus threaten to block passage of health care reform if it includes a public health insurance option, a...

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Schumer: Public Option Can Pass The Senate

AP | Posted 11.22.2009 | Politics

Read More: Chuck Schumer, Chuck Schumer Public Option, Public Option, Schumer Passing Public Option, Schumer Public Option Can Pass, Politics News

WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer says health care reform that includes a public option can pass the Senate. Schumer says he is assuri...

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Sam Stein

Two-Thirds Of States Would Offer Public Option: CBO

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 11.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: State Governments, Public Option, Public Plan, Cbo Senate Bill, State Opt Out, Congressional Budget Office, Opt Out, Politics News

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that roughly 33 states -- or two out of every three -- would offer a national, government-run insurance opti...

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The Ersatz Public Option

Robert Reich | Posted 11.23.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Harry Reid, Robert Reich, Public Option, Health Care, Politics News
Robert Reich

Harry Reid's public option is a token public option -- a fleeting gesture toward the idea of a public option, so small and desiccated as to be barely worth mentioning except that it still contains the word "public."

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Counterfeit 'Public Option' Holds Americans Hostage to Inflationary Private Insurance Costs

Michele Swenson | Posted 11.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: Blue Dogs, Jacob Hacker, Kip Sullivan, Comprehensive Coverage, Cost Control, Health Care Reform, Congressional Revolving Door, Physicians for a National Health Program, Market-Based Public Option, Medicare-for-All, Stephie Woolhandler, Health Care Lobbyists, Public Option, George Mcgovern, Don McCanne, Pharmaceutical Lobbyists, Deficit Hawks, Politics News
Michele Swenson

Democratic leaders have short-circuited the reform "debate" and permitted the process to be hijacked by health insurance and pharmaceutical industries.

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Obama Gets 11-Dimensional Chess Win; Epic Fail for Media, GOP

Matt Osborne | Posted 11.20.2009 | Media

Read More: Senator Harry Reid, Blue Dogs Public Option, Ben Nelson, Obama Blue Dogs, Public Option, Ben Nelson Health Care, President Barack Obama, President Obama, Ben Nelson Health Care Reform, Ben Nelson Reconciliation, Obama, Blue Dogs Health Care Reform, Blue Dogs Health Care, Barack Obama, Consensus-Building, Ben Nelson Nebraska, Consensus Building, Consensus, 11-Dimensional Chess, Health Care Reform, Democrats Public Option, Blue Dogs, Harry Reid, Joe Lieberman, Healthcare Reform, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Health Care Public Option, Harry Reid Public Option, Obama Public Option, Media News
Matt Osborne

The Republican strategy of delay escalated their misfortune; their "tea party" movement is a great, big Teabagger Fail, and the media's credibility is shot right along with them.

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The Public Option: Why Not Allow 80 Million Americans to Join?

Miles J. Zaremski | Posted 11.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: Public Health Insurance Plan, Public Option, Nancy Pelosi, Health Care Reform, Harry Reid, Health Care, Eyes and Ears, Politics News
Miles J. Zaremski

After all, if a public option pays for itself, and does not cost a nickel to create and operate, why not allow as many as 80 million citizens to become eligible when any bill becomes law?

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Ryan Grim

Read The Abortion Compromise In Harry Reid's Senate Health Care Bill

HuffingtonPost.com | Ryan Grim | Posted 11.18.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Bill, Women's Rights, Health Care Reform Bill, Public Option, Health Insurance, Stupak Amendment, Read Senate Abortion Health Bill, Read Health Care Reform, Senate Health Bill, Anti-Choice, Abortion Language, Senate Health Care Reform Bill, Pro-Choice, Politics News

The health care reform package unveiled by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Wednesday night bars the use of federal funds for abortion servi...

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Ryan Grim

Senate Dems Close In On Reform: Details Of Health Care Bill Revealed

HuffingtonPost.com | Ryan Grim | Posted 11.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Bill, Abortion, White House, Ben Nelson, Cbo, Landrieu, Cloture, Public Option, Health Care Costs, Senate Health Care Bill, President Obama, Obama, Senate Health Care Reform Bill, Mary Landrieu, House, Cbo Score, Deficit, Senate, Blanche Lincoln, Uninsured, Senate Public Option, Lincoln, Nelson, Details, Health Care Reform, Stupak Amendment, Harry Reid, How Many Would Be Covered, Senate Health Care, Text of Bill, Senate Health Bill Online, Senate Health Bill Text, Politics News

Read the bill (PDF). Senate Democrats have posted the legislation on their web site. --------- Senate Democrats made a big step toward comprehensive...

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Public Option Opt-Out Not Favored By Americans: AP Poll

The Associated Press | Erica Werner | Posted 11.18.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Bill, Public Option Favorability, Public Option, Health Care Reform, Public Option Opt-Out, Health Care Poll, Public Option Support, Health Insurance Reform, Health Care Public Option, Politics News

More Americans support creation of a new government-run health insurance plan to compete with the private insurance market, a new Associated Press pol...

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Sam Stein Talks Jobs, 2010 Elections On The Ed Show With Ed Schultz (VIDEO)

Huff TV | Posted 11.18.2009 | Media

Read More: Unemployment Numbers, 2012 Elections, White House, Unemployment, Public Option, Democratic Party, 2010 Elections, Health Care Reform, Ed Show, Jobs, Obama, Democrats, Tea Party, Media News
Huff TV

Huffpost political reporter Sam Stein appeared on The Ed Show Wednesday and weighed in on the nation's high unemployment rate and what it could mean f...

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Progressives To Reid: Hold Firm On Public Option (VIDEO)

Posted 11.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Harry Reid, Video, Senate Public Option, Public Option, Sherrod Brown, Sherrod Brown Public Option, Harry Reid Public Option, Politics News

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met on Monday night with a group of Senate Democrats who urged him not to back down from his decision to put a publi...

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Health Care Reform -- The Battle Has Just Begun

Miles J. Zaremski | Posted 11.16.2009 | Politics

Read More: Antitrust Exemption, The More in the Public Option, The Less It Costs, Final Push for Health Care Reform, Public Option, Health Care as a Right, Politics News
Miles J. Zaremski

All Americans must know that the (American) way to create competition in the private market is to have a public offering -- a choice among choices.

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Health Care: Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Jim Wallis | Posted 11.18.2009 | Politics

Read More: Dialogue, Fundamentalism, Culture War, Health Care Plan, Compromise, Immigrants, Poor, Health Care Provider, Abortion, Values, Health Care Coverage, Insurance Plan, Contraception, Poverty Reduction, Justice, Pro-Life Democrats, Member of Congress, Health Care, Status Quo, Pro-Life, Pro-Choice, Health Insurance Reform, Religion, Pregnancies, Democracy, Abortion Reduction, Culture Wars, Subsidies, Public Option, Tax Dollars, Common Ground, Medicaid, Families, Federal Subsidies, Stereotype, Healthcare, Interpretation, Moral Values, Agendas, Progressive, Culture Warrior, Women, Application, Health Plan, Principle, Segregation, Faith Community, Schip, Abortion Debate, Moral Imperative, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance, Healthcare Reform, Religious Community, Rhetoric, Politics News
Jim Wallis

We've recently seen the abortion rhetoric really heat up to ridiculous proportions. Those with opposing views are being stereotyped and demonized. And facts are taking a back seat to sound bytes.

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Candlelight Vigil for Health Care Reform at Senator Lieberman's Front Door

Mary Ann West | Posted 11.16.2009 | Politics

Read More: Stamford, Health Care, Dan Malloy, Health Care Reform, Joe Lieberman, Public Option, Health Insurance, Health Insurance Reform, Politics News
Mary Ann West

People continue to die because of senators like Lieberman, who have determined that their convictions are more important than their constituents' lives. Go figure.

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Chamber Of Commerce Solicits Money For Economist Who Will Give Bad Review Of Health Care Bill

Posted 11.16.2009 | Politics

Read More: House, Senate, Health Care Reform Bill, Public Option, Lobbying, Lobbyists, Health Care Reform, Chamber of Commerce, James P. Gelfand, Health Care, Joseph Cao, Politics News

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is soliciting funds to pay an economist $50,000 to study health care reform legislation and issue (what the lobby presume...

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Big Pharma Raises Prices 10% Even As It Promises To Cut Nation's Drug Costs

New York Times | DUFF WILSON | Posted 11.15.2009 | Business

Read More: Big Pharma, Health Care Bill, Merck, Public Option, Singulair, Senate Health Care Bill, Prescription Drugs, Reform, Pharmaceutical Makers, Drug Makers, Costs, House, Drug Prices, Drugmakers, Inflation, Consumer Price Index, Health Insurance, Health Care Reform, Aarp, Medicare, Health Care, Wall Street, Prices, House Health Care Bill, Wholesale Drug Prices, Business News

Even as drug makers promise to support Washington's health care overhaul by shaving $8 billion a year off the nation's drug costs after the legislatio...

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How to Save Health Care Reform: Teabagger-friendly Re-Branding

Katie Halper | Posted 11.16.2009 | Comedy

Read More: Baby Maddie, Health Care Reform, Teabagging, Teabaggers, Obamacare, Public Option, Health Care, Comedy News
Katie Halper

Poor branding, such as the term Public Option, didn't help the cause. But it's not too late to win the support of Republican enemies and the Teabaggers who control them.

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Rep. Schauer Challenged from Left and Right at Town Hall

Chris Savage | Posted 11.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Mark-Schauer, Healthcare Reform, Mark-Schauer-Town-Hall, Mark Schauer, Health Care Town Halls, Public Option, Michigan, Town Hall Meetings, Politics News
Chris Savage

Schauer, who narrowly defeated the very conservative Tim Walberg in 2008, represents a swing district.

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Abortion Rights Groups Scramble In Stupak Amendment's Wake

AP | JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS | Posted 11.15.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Bill, Abortion, Women's Rights, Congress, Naral, Public Option, Roe v Wade, Nancy Pelosi, Hyde Amendment, Pelosi, Obama, Roe Wade, Choice, Planned Parenthood, House, Senate, Rahm Emanuel, Center for Reproductive Rights, Health Insurance, Stupak Amendment, Health Care Reform, Bart Stupak, Anti-Choice, Medicine, Pro-Choice, House Health Care Bill, Politics News

WASHINGTON — Abortion rights groups, outflanked and outnumbered in the health debate, are scrambling to regain lost ground after the House passe...

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No, Rachel, No! This "Health Reform" Could Lose the Middle Class for Dems

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 11.13.2009 | Politics

Read More: Public Option, Health Reform, Rachel Maddow, Mitt Romney, Mike Elk, Health Care, Stupak Amendment, Politics News
Richard (RJ) Eskow

If Democrats and progressives are really concerned about middle-class votes -- and they should be -- it's statements like a recent pronouncement by Rachel Maddow that should concern them.

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Health Care for All Americans

Sen. Bernie Sanders | Posted 11.13.2009 | Politics

Read More: Bernie Sanders, Public Option, Single Payer, Health Care, Politics News
Sen. Bernie Sanders

In my view, the real solution to the problem of how to reform health care in this country is a Medicare-for-all, single-payer system.

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10 Reasons Why Democrats Who Opposed the Health Care Bill Made a Political Mistake

Robert Creamer | Posted 11.13.2009 | Politics

Read More: House Health Care Vote, Democratic Health Care Bill, Politics of Health Care Reform, Public Health Insurance Plan, Public Option, Frontline Democrats, Health Care Reform, Blue Dogs, Republicans, Pre-Existing Conditions, Health Insurance Reform, Health Care, Politics News
Robert Creamer

Even ignoring how critical it is to overhaul our broken health care system, most of the 39 Democrats who voted against reform in the House last week still made a political mistake. Here's why.

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