Before I go on to the good news, let’s take a look at this paragraph from yesterday’s Washington Post (by Dan Balz and Jon Cohen):
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that support for a government-run health-care plan to compete with private insurers has rebounded from its summertime lows and wins clear majority support from the public.
It’s good news, yes, but note the phrase “government-run health-care plan.” Will you allegedly nonpartisan reporters please stop using code terms churned out by the right-wing propaganda machine? The more accurate phrase is “public insurance option.”
Now let’s check out what Deirdre Walsh at CNN has to say:
A preliminary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office projects that the House Democrats’ health care plan that includes a public option would cost $871 billion over 10 years, according to two Democratic sources.
Ooo, cost. Bad, bad. But let’s go on to the second and third paragraphs:
CBO also found that the Democrats’ bill reduces the deficit in the first 10 years.
This new CBO estimate, which aides caution is not final, is significantly less than the $1.1 trillion price tag of the original House bill that passed out of three committees this summer. More importantly, it comes under the $900 billion cap set by President Obama in his joint address to Congress last month.
Here’s the best part:
Moderate, “blue dog” Democrats in the House largely oppose the robust public option and instead argue for a government run insurance option that could negotiate reimbursement rates directly with doctors and hospitals. CBO’s analysis of that approach was not available according to Democratic sources, but aides say the preliminary analysis shows it does not save as much as the approach pushed by Pelosi.
Mike Soraghan of The Hill says that some Dems want to re-brand the public option “Medicare Part E,” as in Medicare for Everyone. Mostly a good idea, says Publius. Interesting, but could cause other problems, says Jonathan Singer.
If they do it, get out your stopwatches and time how many seconds it takes before Republicans are bad-mouthing Medicare again.
Isn’t it funny how all during elections politicians poll and parse to be and promise what the voters want, yet when elected and faced with a clear disposition of the public’s wishes, they find it impossible to do what the public wants?
How much clearer can we make it?
Oooh, $871 billion over TEN YEARS! That’s …
… oh wait – $87.1 billion a year.
In other words, not really all that much.
“Government-run health care plan” is okay, I think. We don’t get to require them to use our name for it, as long as the description is accurate.
Calling it a “government takeover of health care” or some nonsense would still be over the line, of course.
If nothing else – and I hope to god that’s not solely it – Congress has been outted. Anyone who’s paying attention to this health-care issue can readily get that, for the most part, members of Congress legislate according to their own self-interest, the American people be damned.
That aside, depending on how this all turns out, Obama may be even more cool, calculating, shrewd and brilliant than anyone suspected. I’ll spin that as he’s about 10 steps ahead of all the rest of us when it comes to getting what he’s going after.
And, how many tax dollars have been spent on two wars . . .
Bonnie,
But those dollars weren’t budgeted by the Bush adminstration, so they don’t count!
Sweet Jesus, what are you? Some sort of Commie, Fascist, Socialist, Rascist, Liberal Fag, or something? You must be to bring up the cost of protecting the USA from EVIL TERRORIST’S who hate out values and blah, blah, blah, etc, etc, etc,…
In the real world, providing health care for all will be cheaper over the next 10 years to any one OCCUPATION we’re involved with. Just don’t tell anyone!
I recently read an article online that stated that the banking industry pulls in 82.? billion dollars a year in penalty fees. Late payment fees on credit cards, overdaft fees on debit cards, returned checks, and the whole myriad of ways they’ve devised to tag the consumer. If the banks can generate that kind of money in penalty fees..Then I don’t see 87 billion a year for healthcare as being a big financial obstacle to overcome. Just tax penalty fees at 50% and we’re half way there.
Medicare Reimbursement Rates will bankrupt Rural Hospitals.
http://www.boomantribune.com/comments/2009/10/17/174719/31/5#5
Thus, not sure if it would be enough as it stands now.
Bonnie, Cund and Swami, you guys are dangerous. If your sort of ideas get loose among the public, all kinds of progressive horrors could rear their heads and even be seen from Russia!