Not So Fast, Mad Max: Jay Rockefeller Wants Changes To Baucuscare Or He Won't Support It
By dday Wednesday Sep 16, 2009 6:00amJay Rockefeller is actually the chair of the health subcommittee in the Senate Finance Committee. Any "Gang of Six," or really any legislation on the Committee, should at least have his input, if not his controlling hand. Yet Max Baucus froze him out of the legislation in favor of Republicans who will never sign on to the final version and worthless schemes like the Conrad co-op proposal (which is just a thin ploy to get Blue Cross of North Dakota, which controls 90% of the market in Conrad's state, the "co-op" label so it can access federal start-up funds). Rockefeller may have the last laugh when the bill moves into the full committee.
U.S. Senator John Rockefeller, a Finance Committee member and a strong backer of a government-run insurance option, said on Tuesday he will not support the panel's healthcare bill in its present form.
Rockefeller told reporters he was unhappy with the lack of a government-run "public" insurance option in the bill, which is scheduled to be made public on Wednesday, and had problems with some of its changes in children's health insurance and Medicaid, or healthcare for the poor.
In particular, Rockefeller wants a public insurance option instead of the weak co-ops, better affordability provisions so working people can actually use the bill, and changes to the way that Baucuscare deals with the Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid.
Rockefeller specifically said "There is no way in its present form that I will vote for it... unless it changes during the amendment process by vast amounts." Now, getting amendments through may not be an easy task. Each Rockefeller amendment in that committee would have to get the votes of all the Democrats plus at least a couple Republicans, if Baucus and Conrad hold firm on them. Considering that 10 of the 13 Democrats on the panel were completely shut out of the process during the Gang of Six talks, I'd expect a lot of support for what Rockefeller wants to do, but Baucus and Conrad can basically nullify anything meaningful on their own, should they want to.
Still, Rockefeller's advocacy is important because it sets the tone for Democrats with the full Senate, where votes like his will be needed. Jon Cohn explains.
A little over a month ago, right before the August recess, I spoke with Rockefeller at some length. And he was clearly wrestling with how to position himself.
No living senator has done as much to promote health reform as he has. It's the cause of his life and, for the first time, the goal is within reach. He admitted that voting against a package, even a flawed one, was difficult to imagine.
But Rockefeller also made clear his frustration with the compromises Baucus was making, whether it was replacing the public plan with a co-op or gradually reducing the subsidies to help people pay for insurance. He was particularly incensed about the changes to Medicaid and CHIP, programs to which he's devoted much of his time--and on which many West Virginians rely.
At the time, it seemed like Rockefeller was still on board, if only to help get a bill out of the Finance Committee and onto the Senate floor. But you got the feeling--well, I got the feeling--that he was near the breaking point.
Sometime since that interview, clearly, he's hit it.
Every vote is precious in the Senate, given that votes on the Republican side other than Olympia Snowe and maybe Susan Collins will not be forthcoming. Harry Reid has laid down the marker that anything less than 60 votes will lead him to go through the reconciliation process (and I don't think Reid's low poll numbers in Nevada will be much of a factor - the consequences of doing nothing on health care would be far graver for him). Therefore everyone in the Democratic caucus, essentially, represents an interest group to be satisfied. Rockefeller is standing up and saying that he's perfectly willing to vote against something that doesn't fulfill the promise of health care reform as he sees it. Bernie Sanders probably feels the same way. Maybe Barbara Boxer does. Or others. Max Baucus and his cronies will have to wrestle with that.
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Keep doin what you do man!
you rock!
Max Baucus shadowboxer.
He goes into a room with 5 other people and now after months the Republicans won't support it. So he has a plan without a public option.
sign petitions and demand single payer. You can get the links at http://democratz.org
Stall stall stall stall stall stall stall stall; then at last release a bill that’s so laughable it will ether reluctantly be made into law , or be rightfully thrown out. If passed it doesn't do anything but help the insurence companies, if blocked they then make a big fuss about how they have to start all over again. Then its back to the stalling game, By then 2nd,3rd round of stalling healthcare reform will be dead .
maybe it's time for a national petition for Harry Reid to strip the Bribe-O-Crats of their seats on the committee. By their actions in this healthcare fiasco, they have demonstrated that they are far too corrupt and untrustworthy to be trusted with anything relating to finance.
BTW, how the hell did the finance committee ever end up doing healthcare refrorm? Something about that has always smelled fishy to me.
No clue I don't think anyone else has a clue ether as to how they took over. Yea let’s put the people that have taken the most money from the healthcare industry and put them in charge Of reform what could possibly go wrong.
This is one of the reasons I think its possible Obama might be purposely killing Health-care reform. The refusal to take it out of the hands of "the gang of 6". It was clear long long ago that these 6 would not produce a bill that would reform anything.
look like it was set up by all the major players to fail from the outset. If it goes through, it's just one more privatization scam to further enrich the parasites that are preying upon society.
That's one of the things that really, really pisses me off about the rationalization that Obama has deployed to justify his refusal to support a single payer plan: that the insurance industry represents 1/6 of the economy and he doesn't want to "disrupt" it (his words). The premise of that argument is so pathetic as to be absurd on its face, because the insurance industry does not create wealth as do other legitimate segments of the economy. The insurance industry only parsitizes the wealth that has been created by others, and they provide little to nothing but harm in return. If Obama were genuinely concerned about the economy (which is difficult for me to accept given his appointments) he would be single-mindedly working to turn that 1/6th segment into a memory.
Harry Reid has laid down the marker that anything less than 60 votes will lead him to go through the reconciliation process...
Unless he changes his mind, which has a greater chance of happening than meaningful healthcare reform passing.
Reid is a jackass!
Maybe Baucus just wants to Faucus us?
There was NEVER going to be ANY GOP support - they made that perfectly clear.
So as fair minded folks the D's surrender nearly every point - strip the bill of nearly everything the GOP whines about. The only question is . . .
Why don't the D's just put up the original ideas as formed BEFORE the false and fake negotiations?
If there is no GOP support why cater to their stupidity?
If this bill is gutted to favor the HC industry...then we know this country has no chance.
Baucus will find a way to blame his fellow Democrats for the lack of Republican support. I'm waiting for that.
.................not the DINOS just the progressives with Rahmie's total backing and support. F**k Rahmie!!!
" If there is no GOP support why cater to their stupidity? "
Because the majority of alleged Democrats are really corporatist whores and Republican operatives?
I'm from Canada. And I'll admittedly Don't understand all the process involved here.
But if Democrats are the majority... why not simply declare that the Republicans have muddied the process so much. They are scrapping the legislation and going with:
SINGLE-PAYER OPTION.
And suck it up Republicans.
The moment he signs Single-Payer option, they will have confirmed a re-election in 2010.
J
Unfortunately, the "process" here includes large piles of corporate cash doled out to Republicans and Democrats alike. The voice of the people is secondary.
If I may?
There is a pretty good number of Democrats called Blue Dogs who are more loyal to Republican ideals than their democratic party or base.
In other words, the majority in the house is a majority in number, not ideology. The ideological majority is still on the right. As it is with the judicial and executive branches.
and gave us a single-payer health insurance option
it would assure my vote for them in 2010-12.
But the Democratic Party doesn't want to upset the poor, misunderstood Repuglicans.
and how they've suffered O these many years.
diptshit bacus is nothing more than repug with a "D" after his name. WTF. I just do not get it,over and over the repugs have stabed Obama in the dack "with help from Dems like bacus". Just when is he going to see this. Hell,if you cant get elected as a repug, just change your party. If the shit that is going on today was going on during bush, they would all be in jail. GD Obama, grow a pr of Balls, get your party in line. If not, 2010 will be a disasters for the dems and you.
.
Be thankful no Canadian bombed the World Trade Center.
If it had been Canada, logic follows that we would invade Mexico.
Why wouldn't we?
We invaded Iraq when it was Saudi Arabia.
Don't get me started on Afghanistan. It was recently admitted that there are no more AlQueda in Afghanistan.
So we are fighting the Taliban.
Who also did not attack us on 911.
Which is all money that could go towards healthcare.
(way to bring it back on topic Kurt, now you won't be deleted - Kurt's monitor)
nice save!
for products not controlled by Big Pharma.
However, first we take out the Candadians to ease
access to the fertile fields of post Palin Alaska,
and take out the Canadian cheap drug trade in the bargain.
They're doin it on purpose ya know!
Makin us 'Murkans look like unedjacated hicks!
try telling that to Joe The Lieberman .
Dem because he knew he could not get elected as a repug, And Obama just did a money thing for him. Obama there is a real DEM running, how about supporting the real dem...
I totally agree with your suggestion. (and I REALLY like that "suck it up Republicans".... However, we are dealing with TOTAL IDIOTS in this country....you know, the ones we work our asses off to help get elected...and those who SHOULD be able to run, cannot afford to...not being wealthy....
aaaarrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh........................
We already have bi-partisanship . . .
In corruption!
http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org
remember the lobbyist?
high paid prostitutes, trips to scotland, golfing, and such?
http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/22794/p...
abramoff...links to a whole lot of them..
The Baucus (R-Aetna) BUYpartisan bill has been released, described here
PDF here
It is the 'Chairmans Mark' which means it is in plain (more or less) English. You might think you understand it but the real mark up will convert it to legalese so you will NOT be able to understand it. This is very clever.
Will it be what Wendell Potter said it could be:
Wendell Potter here
Stay tuned.
"Baucus (R-Aetna)"
Well Done! Brava!
Wendell Potter's comment that the Baucus bill (or any bill that doesn't include at the least a public option) should be entitled: The Health Insurance Industry Profit Protection and Enhancement Act is right on.
After all this, it will take many more months before an actual piece of legislation gets voted upon in both houses, and even then it will not go into effect for 3 or 4 years. How many more Americans will have to suffer and die because our government is now owned by gigantic, greedy corporations run by fascist cretins??!!
(I still think this is all distraction - PR - bait&switch stuff to keep the pubic occupied while the crooks figure out how to steal the rest of our wealth and crash the economy For Real!)
At this point, I think we should all just start promoting Medicare for All and be done with it. It's already in place, it works reasonably well, and it would be relatively painless to phase in coverage for everyone. And, many of the people currently employed by the insurance companies could use their skills working for the government program.
UGH!
GREAT Colbert episode last night. It was actually pretty educational. He and Jeff Toobin describe how the corporate personhood came into law in 1886. It was never even a decision by the supreme court, but something the court reporter wrote down that became part of the record.
Must watch!
linky-poo
http://www.colbertnation.com/home?gclid=CNGTg...
Top left is full episode. He gets into it the story of the case from 1886 pretty quickly. Toobin is in the middle segment. The video that auto plays on this link describes the decision and case.
Thank you!
http://www.boingboing.net/_sciatica_images_pl...
Nice alternate linky-poo ys. Thx!
it will be very interesting to follow this and see exactly how the court (and each individual justice) will decide it.
I don't think it will really make a difference - in that we're already owned by the corpora-fascists - but it will surely hasten our demise.
Over at commondreams.org, Thom Hartman has a nice piece on the history of this wacky ruling.
More and more the public perception is exonerated that all politicians are ignoranuses.
that required exoneration?
but here goes...
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/09/15/exclus...
(I'm sure this has been well covered but NTL):
Report: Senator Max Baucus Received More Campaign Money from Health and Insurance Industry Interests than Any Other Member of Congress.
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/6/16/report_...
Montana Senator Max Baucus, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, is the Senate’s point man on healthcare reform. A new article in the Montana Standard finds that Senator Baucus has received more campaign money from health and insurance industry interests than any other member of Congress. The article says, “In the past six years, nearly one-fourth of every dime raised by Baucus and his political-action committee has come from groups and individuals associated with drug companies, insurers, hospitals, medical-supply firms, health-service companies and other health professionals.” [includes rush transcript]
why not scrub it and go for broke with a 100% Democratic bill? This is exactly what Bill Maher meant when he said Democrats need to find their inner asshole.
Republicans have weakened the bill in the hopes the Democrats will vote for a weakened bill and put it into law. Then, when it fails, they'll come back and say "see, we told you so." This will, in turn, KILL Universal Health Care in this country for at least another generation or two. So come on Democrats, be assholes and be bold. Do the plan the President wants you to do and when it works and we move towards a better system, be sure to point it out to the Republicans.
Grow-A-pair
Grow-A-Pair
Grow-A-Pair
in contradistinction to what he "says" he wants, the public option. The man speaks from both sides of his mouth, one to the voters, the other to the corporations.
.
Rockefeller's
At least someone is not beholden to the insurance lobby.
I have never seen in the definition of 'bi-partisanship' anything about letting the MINORITY party rule the roost, get EVERYTHING they want from the M A J O R I T Y party....and the minority party STILL won't vote for it...............
I really need to stay off these blogs for a while...my blood pressure has gone up dramatically.........
What!? You mean that there other senators besides Max Baucus who is actively not representing his almost 970,000 constituents? And you think that they should have some say in matters of vital national importance? Well, I never!
The gang has dragged their feet all this time. They don't really want change. It would be the best thing in the world for the Republicans if it was the Democrats who shot down the healthcare bill.
Bipartisanship and will lead to pain for we the people and a bail out for the insurance companies. I mean honestly only in America can a health Care REFORM bill become a healthcare bailout bill. And sorry but all of them are full of bad ideas from tort reform to co-ops.
Throw the current bills out and put forth a no holds bar no compromise healthcare bill. Let GOP explain why they want to hurt to working class, and let the blue dogs explain why they think we elected them to pander to the right.
http://rightwingsuperturds.blogspot.com/2009/...
Yeah i said it.. lobbyist and insurance pay for favors.. these guys gladly bend over and take it.. and pass it down to the people.. They are the prostitutes.. we are their b
Max Baucus D-MT
Health and insurance cash 2003 - 2008: $3.75 million
Chuck Grassley R-Iowa
Health and insurance cash 2003 to 2008: $2.64 million
Ben Nelson D-Neb.
Health and insurance cash from 2003 to 2008: $1.64 million
Kent Conrad D-ND
Health and insurance cash 2003 to 2008: $1.44 million
Blanche Lincoln D-Ark.
Health and insurance cash from 2003 to 2008: $1.18 million
Mike Enzi R-Wyo.
Health and insurance cash 2003 - 2008: $.9 million
Mary Landrieu D-La.
Health and insurance cash 2003 - 2008: $ .83 million
Olympia Snowe R-Maine
Health and insurance cash 2003 - 2008: $ .55 million
and maipulate the process to favor these guys looks to me to make an almost air-tight case for quid quo pro bribery and for influence peddling cases, from which they can offer no plausible defense. If Obama himself weren't up to his ass in the same kind of money, he would be directing the AG to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate these crooks for near certain prosecution. These assholes have bartered away our trust for mere baubles and have betrayed their offices in the process. They belong in prison, not in the hall of Congress.
yup,
follow the money mstyle183..
how many more politicians will you
catch,
with their hands in the
piggy bank?
is bullshit. There are some people in congress who do want to help the people in this Country. It's bad there only about 10 or 12 of them. The health insurance companies have been Fing the working class for the last 20 years. they have put millions, billions into buying the congress. I have watched time and time again when one of these people try to get things fixed they would get trashed. It would never get on TV. The club in congress is paied by courporate America to keep things ONE WAY, THERE WAY. Not just health insurance, home loans. You pay the banks thousands in intrest and panies on your loan. But all you here is You have a GOOD interest rate.Then when you get about 8 to 10 years on your home loan, Bammm, a new housing shit storm. people get there home taken. I have seen this at least 2 times. Who makes out, the rich who own the banks. WTF. I know there are more people out there who want this to change I just see them. What you do see is the wack jobs getting most of the press. Do you think this is planed.
I knew baucaus was going to sell out the American people a month ago when he would not let any of the people in the herrings who wanted change, them this asshole says, We Need more COPS. what a dirtbag. The only way I see any change is for the people who want change to start doing something. I will not hold my breath!
What the people want is secondary to this debate. Both parties are so corrupt the only solution is for the people to rise up in protest to force the issue to be correctly reported.
There's the biggest problem after all when you think about it. The media is guiding the perception of this issue and this debate. Who controls the media? The corporations control the media. Therefore, perception of this issue is controlled by the corporations.
Americans need to get fired up and get angry like we did during Vietnam. We need to hit the streets with fire in our eyes and force these corrupt politicians and media outlets to listen to our demands and desires. As long as citizens do nothing, nothing good will be done.
At a minimum, everyone needs to write their congress critters twice a week and flood them with the contempt you feel for THEIR SOLUTION, and force them to take stock of OUR SOLUTION!
the moment the people rise up in that kind of number, martial law will be declared and there will be killing in the streets. It has to come from the inside, with trusted people. How I am not sure, but it has to be soon.
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