Reid May Put Public Option In Senate Bill; Bowers Say We're Short In House, CALL NOW
WASHINGTON — Under immense pressure from the liberal wing of his caucus, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, has told colleagues that he may include a government-run health insurance plan in a health care bill he will soon take to the Senate floor, Democratic senators said Thursday.
Mr. Reid’s latest thinking seemed to reflect a calculated gamble that the 60 members of his caucus could be persuaded to vote for the public plan, if it included some mechanism for states to opt out.
His decision was shaped, in part, by opinion polls showing public support for a government insurance plan, which would compete with private insurers. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said again Thursday that the House would definitely include a public option in its version of the legislation.
At a meeting at the White House on Thursday, Mr. Reid informed President Obama of his inclination to add the public option to the bill, but did not specifically ask the president to endorse that approach, a Democratic aide said. Mr. Obama asked questions, but did not express a preference at the meeting, which was called on short notice by the White House.
Just six weeks ago the public option appeared to be dying, under fierce attack by the insurance industry. A clear majority of Democratic senators favor a government-run plan. But public statements by other senators indicate that the proposal does not have the 60 votes ordinarily needed to secure Senate approval for hotly contested legislation.
Democratic champions of the public plan, like Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, have urged Mr. Reid to take an aggressive posture, by putting the public plan in the bill and forcing opponents to try to strip it out.
“There is a growing sense that we need to lead on this issue and not wait for it to be offered on the Senate floor,” a senior Democratic aide said. “The idea is that it’s better to show some fight.”
Chris Bowers says the undecideds in the House need to hear from us ASAP:
I am receiving new information tonight that the House DOES NOT have 218 "solid' yes votes for health care reform with a Medicare +5% public option. Representative John Larson's claim earlier today that the House had the votes appear to have included at least 12, and as many as 15, Representatives who are "lean yes" votes.
Further, I am told that if the leadership does not confirm 218 "solid" yes votes by the end of the 9:30 a.m. Democratic caucus meeting tomorrow morning, they will probably include the negotiated rate public option in the bill that is sent to the floor, not the Medicare +5% public option. At the very latest, we have until 2 p.m. to get the votes.
We need another 12-15 solid votes. Based on information combined from multiple sources, here is the best chart I could put together on short notice:
It is sorted into "lean yes," "undecided" and "lean no." I have also included the leadership.
If your member of Congress is on the list, call and leave a message tonight. We have to get through before 9:30 a.m., if possible.
If your member of Congress is not on the list, but you are represented by a Democrat, call your member of Congress and urge them to support the Medicare +5% option at the caucus meeting tomorrow morning.
If you are represented by a Republican, call either a member of the Democratic leadership or a Representative on the list who is from your state.
Call and leave a message. The campaign could really go either way depending on what happens in the next 14-18 hours.
"Rep. Dahlkemper's original legislation to provide health care for young adults will be part of the House of Representative's health care reform plan."
I'm assuming she's a solid YES, right?
No assumptions!
Even if your representives are a yes, call them to at least tell them you support them. Most people like to hear they are doing a good job from time to time.
I hate Chris Matthews!
I think he is pissed because he has been reporting the public option dead for months.
His decision was shaped, in part, by opinion polls showing public support for a government insurance plan, which would compete with private insurers.
We've been saying this all year long and then some!!
Any democrat (in either chamber), should be told that opposition to a public option will lead to primary challengers, and likely defeat from the lefties in the base.
You wanna side with the psychotic repukes on this historic legislation? Good luck with that.
We also need to dissolve the bluedog caucus. This rightwing infiltration outfit that was started by a corporate fascist sellout, needs to be tossed on the ash-heap of history. They are soooo... 1994. Totally out of sync with the american people, and the direction the country must go in.
Rush Limbaugh is what a smart person thinks a stupid bigot sounds like.
payer! Why do we protect a non buisness. They do not serve any purpose accept to take your money and deny you the use of it!
Health insurance is a rip off. Totally. Insurance companies do not manufacture anything, they don't do anything for the money they steal.
Health insurance brought to you by the nixon land insanity that has been fueling the downfall of our country. These money for nothing schemes, croocked CEO's, the stock market, They have all become ponzi schemes. Health insurance was a ponzi scheme from it's inception.
republicanism/conservatism is a mental illness!
Before anyone cheer Harry Reid for pushing the Public Option, note that his addendum would "allow states to opt out."
With a Federal "public option", I can chose if I want it or not. But if you give my bone-headed Republican governor the power to "opt-out" of the program, there goes my power to chose.
* There are two types of Republicans: millionaires and suckers.
"Mugsy's Rap Sheet": Recording history for those who seek to rewrite it.
The Only reason I could go for the State opts out option is, the next election would fix the problem. There is no way any politician would stay in office if he turns down the "Public Option".
Yeah, it's sucks. But , it would also mean less GOP governors.
Once that problem is fixed. Those states would opt for the PO.
Once this thing is passed I doubt we'll see much resentment from the voters.
In the European countries that have socialized medicine the conservative parties don't dare touch the health care.
They'd be run out of town on a rail.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
...on Thom Hartmann's show that the whole public option thing is just a bait and switch for single payer. The public option isn't an option at all if you already have insurance. It's only available to the uninsured. He said there is language in all the bills that is essentially the same. Maybe we need to stop calling it an option.
We should be debating about single payer if we want real reform.
It's obvious he is deperate to see no public healthcare. Whenever holes start getting poked in his lame arguments he tries to talk over the speaker. He's a hack and an idiot and he's making all of NBC look like a FOX subsidiary collection of idiots.
Hey, Tweety: Why don't you STFU and let people speak? You're a perfect example of why I threw my TV in the trash. Douchebag.
The very best thing that can happen is for health
insurancecare reform to go up in smoke. They can't even call it by it's correct name: health insurance reform.If it does not pass, citizens will be highly motivated to evict obstructionists in midterm elections. A byproduct of this would be more progressive governance across the board. If it does pass, all we will get is some crappy, watered-down overly-complex token "public option" that protects insurers. This congress does not represent citizens.
We need HR 676, single payer for all. No more medicare, no more medicaid, no more S-Chip, and no more insurance companies: just health care.
There's an amendment which has been proposed to push the meat of HR 676 into the current bill ( http://www.pnhp.org/amendment/ ) ... Sign the form and send it on it's way.
The more support our congresscritters see for healthcare for all, the better chance it has on passing.
I'd rather our politicians blow all of their political capital on real change as opposed to this wishy-washy compromise bull. If republicans aren't going to vote for anything with a so-called public option, why not go the LBJ route and ram Medicare For All through? People will like it once it's passed (as it was with the original Medicare).
I called Berry's office and the lady that answered seemed to know the drill--asked my name, and confirmed that I was *for* the public option. I was ready to point out that I had voted for Berry AND knew a guy that worked on his campaign, but I didn't have to.
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