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Healthcare reform advocates have been watching the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee and wondering why no public option component has been forthcoming — despite assurances that it would appear by Tuesday.
Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC)
According to a source with direct knowledge of what is happening on the HELP Committee, the problem is that two Democrats — Kay Hagan and Jeff Bingaman — are refusing to sign on.
"We can’t bring it up because we’d actually lose the vote," said the source. "They’d vote with the Republicans."
Bingaman and Hagan are in favor of watering down a public plan into Kent Conrad’s co-op plan, which is supported by insurance lobbyists. "It gives them the appearance of supporting a public option without getting them in trouble with the insurance companies," said the source.
But the source also indicated that if the committee did that, they’d lose Bernie Sanders’ vote. There are 12 Democrats (including Sanders) and 10 Republicans on the HELP Committee. But with Kennedy out, Sanders’ vote is needed for anything to pass.
Bingaman has said he is in favor of a public option, but Hagan has been noncommittal on the subject.
While Obama has expressed support for a public plan, the source said that "so far there has been no whipping done by the White House of the HELP Committee" to adopt one.
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
This is especially ironic given the full-court press orchestrated by the White House to pass the $108 billion IMF package. Everyone from Rahm Emanuel to Hillary Clinton, Jim Jones, Larry Summers and Obama himself personally pressured House members to pass the bill yesterday, eventually persuading 21 members to reverse votes they had taken on the supplemental bill only a month ago.
"Not even at Rahm’s level has anyone specifically called members of the HELP committee and said ‘we want this public option,’ said the source. "No one from the White House has called and put pressure on any of them."
I asked Roger Hickey, head of Campaign for America’s Future and a member of the HCAN steering committee, what he would like to see Hagan and Bingaman do.
"We would hope that all the Senators on the HELP Committee would support a robust public insurance option that is nationwide in scope," he said. "Not a lot of little coops but one national plan that can cover all Americans who either don’t have access to private insurance or want an alternative to private insurance. Without that, the HELP Committee will simply be subsidizing the private insurance industry without competition acting as a check on their subsidized power."
Public plan advocates want a public insurance option written as part of a core healthcare bill, and not as an amendment. "I think it was Senator Kennedy’s intention to put out a bill that would stand on its own without major amendments, so we think it’s important that the public insurance plan be part of the bill that is passed, so that Senators will not have to amend it on the Senate floor," said Hickey.
"What we’re trying to avoid is a fight on the Senate floor when it’s completely within the power of the HELP Committee to pass a bill that contains a public plan as a core part of the bill rather than as an add-on."
Phone calls to Jude McCartin, Press Secretary to Senator Bingaman, and Dave Hoffman, Press Secretary to Senator Hagan, had not been returned at post time.
You can reach out to Bingaman (202-224-5521) and Hagan (202-224-6342)–please let us know what you hear.
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bingaman’s phone doesn’t pick up.
hagan’s is busy.
Trying to reset my expectations here…
How much better than God-scourge Liddy Dole?
Yeah, a lot, but still. To the phones again!
bernie sanders rocks.
Keep those calls coming, folks! Lines busy = good!
does anyone know what the public plan that hagan and bingaman are holding up looks like?
Bernie’s a brick — and a firewall in this situation.
We’re seeing that when the GOP oppose something in a block, progressive Dems have a decisive vote.
The Senators are just following Obama’s lead. Obama told reporters yesterday he’d compromise on the public health option and consider Conrad’s co-op instead.
Health reform in the US Senate is now a complete sham unless the public turns this around.
That big, generic “public plan” teh Goopers and money folks are so afraid of, and which they were trying to co-mingle with the “co-op” BS, I would imagine.
I’m starting to wonder if it matters unless it comes straight off of Obama’s desk. “Public plan” is now the catch-all.
got through to hagan. i shared the story of my g/f who has shitty health care at her job, can’t afford to go to the doctor to get the stabbing pain in her uterus checked out, and doesn’t want to go to the ER, where the last visit had her there for twelve fuckin’ hours only to say “we don’t know what it is, take this advil.”
also pointed out that everyone knows kay’s medical care is paid for by the taxpayer. on to bingaman.
…adding, what the hell is wrong with these people? you get the idea that if they saw someone choking in a restaurant, they wouldn’t lift a finger unless there was something in it for them.
All the Democrats should now vote against the Committee bill, if it doesn’t have a robust public plan. Bring the system down, and let the Democrats and White House rethink what they need to do. Obama’s accelerated schedule for getting something done is now a hammer to force them to do something stupid.
As it stands, there would be an individual mandate, and employer mandate, and subsidies for premiums to help some people pay their premiums. The net effect is a $1 trillion transfer of wealth from consumers/businesses to insurance companies. This is worse than the bank bailouts, because some of those were loans and/or stock purchases and we might eventually get this money back. But this insurance bailout goes straight to the inssurance companies bottom line, and we don’t get reform, improved care, competition or significant cost reduction. We just get an even worse “entitlements crisis.”
This is the worst of all possible outcomes, short of giving the industry direct access to everyone’s checking accounts.
i don’t buy it unless i can see it. for all i know the public plan HELP is hiding may actually suck. i have no way to know — i don’t think they even let the CBO score it (am i wrong about that?).
there is one public plan bill, hr 193 (it’s even been scored in the commonwealth/lewin report), that looks possibly decent (although i’d like to know what BargainCountertenor’s take on it is) — but none of the public plan advocates i know have mentioned it, let alone endorsed it or advocated for it. i actually found out about it from single payer advocates.
This is the wonderful industry folks that are opposed to a public plan
http://www.latimes.com/busines…..0586.story
While Obama has expressed support for a public plan, the source said that “so far there has been no whipping done by the White House of the HELP Committee” to adopt one.
Figures. But he could sure hip up votes for his war money.
OK, I’m officially pissed.
scarecrow, do you (or anyone else) know what position kennedy’s office is taking?
The co-op plan is not a compromise it is a cop out.
Actually its a swindle.
Who’s gonna run these co-ops??
This is all stupid.
just called hagen ,her office said shes still considering that “theres so many plans out there she is looking into all” i said shes not going to vote rep? we elected her to be a dem or we could have kept dole’ he’ll pass on my thought so i ended with without a public plan there is no health care and it’ll be a 100 yrs before another time comes
Obuma used his mother’s situation to get people on his side for health care reform. I can see selling out a block of votes since that what politicians are about, but to use your Mom as a tool to gain power, and then sell out, well that’s another level of pathetic.
My understanding is they want a robust public option, but I have not seen a statement.
I wish the Congressional Committees would do weeks of public hearings and bring in the insurance horror stories from all over the country. Dozens of horror stories, one right after another.
Then let them sit down and debate the merits of forcing people to buy private insurance from this industry without a public alternative, or even debate whether we should be designing a system meant to retain that model.
thanks. i haven’t gotten much when i’ve called.
bingaman’s office hung up on me three times, told me they never hung up on me, told me to stop yelling (when me sore throat prevents me from speaking above a whisper) and then told me he’s not obstructing anything in the HELP committee and hung up on me again.
ok, just called kennedy’s office again (and this time waited until the end of the conversation to give my plug for single payer).
the nice person i spoke with blamed the delay re the public option language on the republicans. when i suggested that republicans votes weren’t necessary to pass the bill out of committee, i was told that the language of that part of the bill was still being negotiated.
Obama asking for donations to fight ins cos lobbys. He sez just like election campaign. Where do these bucks go to?
amen. and then have the CBO score all the proposals, including the single payer bills, stark’s public plan bill, etc, for cost (total national health costs broken down into fed, state, employer, household, etc), for total number covered, total number uninsured, total number underinsured, etc. and all the rest.
A great part of civilization has universal health ins, broadband internet, and free college,the richest of all can’t afford them… funny that+.
pathetic that
I was finally able to get through to Sen. Hagan’s Greensboro office. Tyler Patrick in that office said she had not made a decision but was carefully reviewing all the options. I stressed that the co-op plan was naive and that the final product had to include a national public option.
FYI
Baucus to chop $600 billion from healthcare bill
http://thehill.com/leading-the…..06-17.html
Just sent this to the White House:
Why isn’t the administration whipping for the public option? You certainly whipped to bail out the European banks. What gives here? Are you just letting it die?
JFC!!!!!!aaaaaaaaa!
Imagine the pride you could feel had Accountability Now stepped up and opposed Nancy Pelosi when they could have, by supporting Cindy Sheehan in 2008.
Now she is free to whip support for the war funding, and to oppose Single Payer in all and any forms, knowing that the Netroots will still support a Democrat, no matter what.
I had some hopes for Accountability Now, but they seem to be just another Democratic Party stalking horse.
Single Payer, precluded again for this generation by another (D) admin and Congress!
as predictable as the turning of the seasons – Bill Moyers relates how even Carter did it, then Clinton, now Obama, and on and on. for as long as the Axiom of automatic support for the Least Worst holds sway amongst ostensible ’progressives’.
Bill Moyers Journal on healthcare reform efforts under (D) admins:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi1acHg3mhw
emptywheel is upstairs!
Dennis Blair’s Spokesperson: The Domestic Surveillance Program Violates the Fourth Amendment
I got through, was put on hold twice, finally talked to “Sage”, asked him what her stance was, he said still debating, I said well hell it’s been out there for weeks why can’t she make her mind up, he said didn’t know until today what was in the bill, I said I 100% support HR 676, and that if she didn’t sign on to this bill I would start a petition immediately to have her recalled. I would love to get together with some of you and picket her office.
Dear Senator Hagan,
How much has the insurance industry paid you (in dollars) to keep us under their thumb?
Sincerely,
Vic
(Is this out of line? Or is it simply cutting to the heart of the matter? Pups?)
Hagan’s office says that she has not taken a public position on the public option and they have no idea where she stands. The first staffer I spoke to hung up on me after saying that she had no idea.
Bingaman’s office says he is a strong supporter of the public option, they have no idea about reports that he is holding this up, etc. etc. and that the Senator and his staff are working hard on the bill. They refused to clarify the Senator’s stance on co-ops.
Jane has a Bingaman update, upstairs!
Bingaman “Supports a Strong Public Option”
If the Roger Hickeys and moveon.orgs of this world had held firm from the start in advocating for single payer, then the “compromise” that industry-beholden Democrats would be pushing right now would be something like a robust public option.
And let’s be clear: the only kind of public option that has a chance (even then, only a chance) of constituting genuine health reform would be the sort that Obama has already disavowed: ie, one that could actually transition to single payer barring revolutionary structural readjustments among private insurers.
The current machinations give new legs to the concept of a single-payer trigger.
Kay is my Senator. I send an email protesting loudly. I sent her campaign money. This is bait and switch.
But to say she is much different from Obama?No. They think of themselves as “Reagan Democrats”. It’s a label they can be comfortable with, particularly Kay and the kind of constituency she has in North Carolina. Now I grant you neither she nor Obama won’t self-apply that label. It’s just understood that Democrats have to be that way if they have any prospect of winning in this State (IMHO).
As for Obama, I believe we should change the title of his book. In his case, he enbraces not the “Audacity of Hope”, but rather “Opacity of Hope”.
Wednesday night 9:45 pm
I supported Hagan and contributed to her campaign.
Just called and her mailbox is full.
I WILL call back.
Healthcare Debate Stuff
Comparing ideas involving use of gov’t force:
An individual mandate (to get everyone covered) reaches into everyone’s pockets and as such is THE most coercive forceful use of government. Naturally this is the option the Republicans suggest. How ironic in light of their continual preaching against the over-use of government.
The employer-mandate reaches into a lot of business bank accounts and is about the same as an individual mandate.
Any mandate in my opinion is coercive and should be avoided, though I understand the goal(s).
A public option aims at covering everyone, but worries Republicans because they don’t want it to run private insurers into bankruptcy. I think their fears are overblown, but they have some votes, so they get to kvetch.
Then, there’s the co-op idea.
As far as I can tell the co-op idea is good for bringing people together to get better insurance rates. That’s good. But, in the context of this federal government legislation, it doesn’t particularly guarantee we insure many more people are insured. After all, what is so appealing about individuals joining a co-op except to get a group rate.
There may be a useful way to meld those two: use a public option to tackle the insuring of more people by extending assistance beyond Medicaid (with income level and degree of aid to be determined by consideration of politics and costs) & allow gov’t to define minimal plans for (at least) the larger insurance companies to offer. Those features would automatically cover a lot more of the poor and should entice more people (a lot of whom are young and don’t think about insurance) to get insured of their own accord. And, the Exchange should make it easier for people who might be overwhelmed by the insurance biz to take a look at policies and take part. The second part is to enable group rates to kick-in automatically for virtual groups (of considerable size) who happen to gravitate to the same plan.
There could be a lot of room for insurance companies to use plan construction and pricing (individual & virtual group) to entice many more customers than they would otherwise get.
Another way to reduce prices:
We need also to encourage more doctors to work for salaries and for more not-for-profit facilities to open. It might be tied to a plan where new doctors would work for a time at salary in exchange for debt forgiveness. That would have the immediate benefit to young doctors of being free of debt and to the community who get cheaper service and in the long run it eases pressure on doctors who currently charge very high prices to pay off their debts.
Final words:
It’s not so easy to find just one or two things which generate all the results we want. That’s one reason this kind of huge issue is rarely tackled in it’s entirety. Of course, there are also the political differences which sometimes lead to an impasse. In this go around it’s the public option which is the stickiest issue. But, I think it can be resolved with some negotiations on who is eligible for assistance and by having those people get coverage through the Exchange instead of through a gov’t-run plan. This doesn’t create competition from the government, but enables people to get insurance should be more acceptable to the Republicans.
We can afford them. We just have to do it, and blogs such as this one ARE making it happen!
I called the DNC this week, told the nice young man to whom my call was transferred that I’d done so much calling to reps, chairpersons, WH that I wanted to try one-stop calling.
I told him I believed voters will be so disappointed if there is, yet again, no real healthcare reform — and it must have a good, effective, comprehensive public plan at the least, but single payer at the best — that I believed the public’s anger would be against the Democrats. Moreover, since Obama is still the shiny new guy in DC, most of the anger will be directed at regular Democrats in the Senate and House, that seats will be lost. Perhaps the majority will be lost….
I stressed that I was deeply disappointed in how this was being managed, that it looked like Dems, both the prez and reps, were kowtowing to Big Insurers and other coporate types. Was the Dem Party losing its brand identity as the party which sided with the people? If it did lose that, and the “reform” was more helpful to corporate profits that to people’s health, would the party survive? Etc.
He told me that DNC has no control over Congress, but they can collect and organize callers’ comments and present them to the Dem leadership and the WH. He recommended making sure my own reps know my concerns (not a big problem, I think, here in NJ, but my House rep has a lifelong Repub sinecure) and then to flood Pelosi and Reid with calls. Calls in great numbers will get attention.
DNC 202 863-8000
Speaker Pelosi 202 225-0100
Majority Leader Reid 202 224-5556
What will help? I don’t know. Leadership from a Democratic president would be a good start.
This is the second time I’ve had to express my outrage and disappointment in Senator Hagan’s positions.
She changed the first time. Let’s hope it will happen again. I called both senators from NC, the DNC, Pelosi, Reid, and my congressman. The only number that was busy was the White House. They all answered on the first ring. This was around 11 AM Friday. There are not nearly enough people dialing the phone and expressing their opinions. Someone in an earlier reply mentioned starting a recall petition against Hagan. I’ve had similar thoughts. I thought I was voting for a Democrat, not a Republican pretending to be a Democrat.
Polls showing Americans favor a single payer option are not having much influence. It’s time for our President to come out strong for the middle class on health care and we may have to do the equivalent of a presidential campaign effort to get it passed. That means raising money for the media blitz supporting single payer. The Republican propaganda machine is hammering away on the horrors of the government getting between me and my doctor. Of course the real fear is getting between the insurance companies and their money. So far Ed Shultz is the only media person speaking out every day on this topic. Give him a listen.