Democratic Split Emerges As Health Care Debate Heats Up

[Joanne98]

The battle for health care reform has intensified, with an actual plan beginning to materialize and key interest and political groups gearing up for a once-in-a-generation legislative fight.

Sources who have spoken with key players in the White House and Congress now say, more definitively than in the past, that the time frame for a bill is October. But what members will ultimately produce is far from clear. Part of the delay is owed to a decision among administration officials to let the process originate on Capitol Hill. Much of it, however, is due to divisions within the Democratic Party over just how far a reform effort should go.

No clearer evidence exists than the salvos launched this past week for and against the creation of a public plan for insurance coverage. The newest Democratic Senator, Arlen Specter, and the consummate centrist, Ben Nelson, both pledged to oppose such a measure, projecting the damage it could cause to the private insurance industry. But one prominent progressive told the Huffington Post that reform without a public plan would be tantamount to "a slap in the face."

Added former DNC chair Howard Dean, in an interview with the Huffington Post: "If you don't have a public option it is not worth doing... The idea that insurance companies and Republicans can prevent Americans from having choice is just wrong. And I don't think the American people will put up with it. The vast majority of Americans, including Republicans, believe there ought to be a choice for the American people."

To this point, the Obama White House has been tight-lipped about its preferences. But high-ranking Democrats say that in private discussions, Obama himself has expressed his desire for a public option.

"The president is ahead of some of his own staff members here," said Dean. "I think we are going to have a public health insurance plan because, in the end, it is what the president wants."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/06/democratic-split-emerges_n_197843.html

[Triana]

1. WHO CARES if it hurts private insurance companies besides the politicians

they bought and the insurance companies themselves? HEALTH CARE SHOULD *NOT* BE A FOR-PROFIT INDUSTRY.

That's what is so disgustingly BLATANT about this.

WHO CARES?!

[tritsofme]

7. Lots of good paying jobs in the health insurance industry.

That is a consideration that will weigh on many members of Congress.

Probably not a good reason to delay reform any longer, but it is an issue.

[Triana]

8. It isn't a reason, especially if...

...a pubic option is available along with private insurance and people have a choice and can have whichever option they want - which is what Obama had said he'd do. That doesn't put insurance companies out of business. It DOES put them in competition with a public plan which is less costly - and therefore forces them to be less greedy and profit-driven (which health care shouldn't be anyway and THAT is what makes having a public option REAL reform).

Eventually, some or all of them may fail but this isn't an overnight process if it happened at all. Would take years.

And at that, it's no reason to delay a REAL overhaul of health care and real reform regardless.

DUers need to be calling or writing a congresscritter REGULARLY during this process to make SURE their insurance-industry bought and paid for "representatives" HEAR them loud and clear that we WANT A PUBLIC OPTION and without it - then we may as well not even bother (without it, it's not reform - just more of the same).

[kaygore]

14. Will still be jobs even with single payer

The bulk of the expenses that are so much higher than the administrative costs of government run pans is NOT in the people processing claims, etc., but in HUGE compensation for executives and for advertising.

[eridani]

24. And there are 100 times more crappy outsourced ones

One thing about single payer is that the government can force an end to outsourcint.

[Delphinus]

26. I agreee,

but there's also 22,000 (at LEAST) who die each year due to lack of health insurance - does Congress care about them?

Fuck it, I'm so tired of not having health care.

[Captain Hilts]

2. the White House should not be "tight-lipped" about its preferences. nt

[cascadiance]

6. Rahm must be raising a ruckus!

[kaygore]

15. Yep, he is a big money whore

[Captain Hilts]

19. He works at the president's behest. nt

[kaygore]

22. The choice was a grave disappointment.

[Fireweed247]

3. K&R

[frebrd]

4. K&R n/t

[cascadiance]

5. moveon should tell Specter, "ACT like a Democrat, or we will target YOU in the primaries!"

And get him to fall in line or fall on his sword! He shouldn't be allowed to chew up a progressive slot on our ticket with this kind of ANTI-DEMOCRATIC crap. If he wants to continue this crap he should have stayed a Republican. Just say NO to any more corporatist Democrats!

[Better Believe It]

9. So we have have a "tight-lipped" leader who will say what he thinks in "private discussions"?

That's not exactly the kind of change we voted for.

Obama should open his lips, change his position and come down solidily for single payer Medicare for All.

That's the right thing to do.

And single payer is the only system that will actually work for the benefit of the people.

Unless you consider the insurance companies and their highly paid lobbyists "the people".

[ShortnFiery]

11. If Obama follows Bubba's lead and goes *All Corporate DLC* on us, we're all SCREWED.

:nuke:

[Better Believe It]

17. I'm not convinced this will happen. Obama needs to feel pressure from "the left" in order to stop

that from happening.

[Captain Hilts]

20. All the pressure on Bubba was from the right, even among Dems. nt

[MasonJar]

10. If insurance companies had tried to do anything besides make a profit,

maybe someone would care. Why is Obama not leading on this? He certainly was out there when it came to bailing out the big banks and Wall Street firms. If he and the dems do not provide a public alternative at least, the people must march en masse to DC and demand it. Actually we really need a single payer.

[wildflower]

12. "The idea that insurance companies and Republicans can prevent Americans from having choice"

Excellent frame. Everyone, please remember this and repeat it to everyone you know.

"The idea that insurance companies and Republicans can prevent Americans from having choice..."

[SammyWinstonJack]

13. Oh I will, every chance I get.

[many a good man]

16. Republicants and ConservaDems are against CHOICE in health care!

How can they get away with saying they are protecting choice when they are really taking it away? How can we let them get away with it?! If its this hard to get a public option how in the world can we ever get to single payer?

Go Dr. Dean. We're behind you all the way.

[kaygore]

23. Aren't they against choice in general!

The choice has to be between one way for the corporations to bleed us and another way--which is no real choice. Or, they are against a woman's right to choose--see, no choice again.

[Spike89]

18. Sometimes it makes sense to push rather than pull

I'm not an Obama apologist, he's already disappointed me a bit here and there, but he does have keen political sense and his strategies have been very successful so far. I very much recall a previous president with high approval ratings going out front (actually sending his wife out front) and having health care become radioactive for a generation.

Even the most out of touch people have to know that this is going to be a drag-out fight in the senate and house. Obama needs to push them to craft bills that they will fight for. It has to be a democratic party bill. It can't be Obama's bill, too easy for the senate and/or house to attack it. As politically powerful as the president currently is, a single person is easier to attack and defeat than a coalition.

He needs to be twisting arms to ensure that the bill is absolutely as powerful as the majority can support, then come out publicly to ensure that every democratic party congressional critter toes the line. Besides, it is the congress' job to craft legislation, not the president's.

[Waiting For Everyman]

21. Insurance profits are blood money.

Nobody's health should be sacrificed to any private company's advantage.

Health insurance companies are dinosaurs. They're over. They have no reason to exist except to enrich themselves. HMOs were the last "fix" the Republicans came up with, and it's a whopping failure.

It might be common sense to try expanding what's working - Medicare/Medicaid.

Americans altogether are our own humongous "insurance" group, and the taxpayer is the insurer or last resort anyway. At least we wouldn't have civil servants speculating with profits from our illnesses on Wall St.

[annabanana]

25. Every single dime that goes to their shareholders is Care Denied

to a sick person.