Key Democrats aim to craft a health-care public option bill as Biden excludes it from recovery plans
Source: CNBC
Two key Democrats plan to write a bill to create a public health-care option, a move they hope will expand insurance coverage and cut costs.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone, D-N.J., asked Wednesday for public input on how to craft "a federally administered public option that provides quality, affordable health coverage throughout the United States."
The lawmakers, who oversee panels with jurisdiction over health-care policy, looked for feedback on who should be eligible for plans, what benefits they should offer and what role states should have in administering them, among other issues.
Murray and Pallone set out to draft insurance legislation as President Joe Biden excludes a public option from his economic recovery proposals. Biden ran for president on creating a Medicare-like plan many Americans could buy into, but has opted for now to boost access to plans offered under the Affordable Care Act.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/key-democrats-aim-to-craft-a-health-care-public-option-bill-as-biden-excludes-it-from-recovery-plans/ar-AAKptEx?li=BBnbfcQ&ocid=DELLDHP
Autumn
(44,748 posts)brooklynite
(93,843 posts)Autumn
(44,748 posts)brooklynite
(93,843 posts)...then we can worry about the Republicans.
Autumn
(44,748 posts)is Democrats push for it. A lot of Democratic voters like it, I think we should worry about them and not the insurance companies. Leaders lead, pehaps they should lead on doing what needs to be done.
https://www.epi.org/publication/medicare-for-all-would-help-the-labor-market/
Increase job quality by ensuring that every job now comes bundled with a guarantee of health carewith the boost to job quality even greater among women workers, who are less likely to have employer-sponsored health care.
Lessen the stress and economic shock of losing a job or moving between jobs by eliminating the loss of health care that now accompanies job losses and transitions.
Support self-employment and small business developmentwhich is currently super low in the U.S. relative to other rich countriesby eliminating the daunting loss of/cost of health care from startup costs.
Inject new dynamism and adaptability into the overall economy by reducing job lockwith workers going where their skills and preferences best fit the job, not just to workplaces (usually large ones) that have affordable health plans.
Produce a net increase in jobs as public spending boosts aggregate demand, with job losses in health insurance and billing administration being outweighed by job gains in provision of health care, including the expansion of long-term care.
brooklynite
(93,843 posts)...with no apparent progress.
Autumn
(44,748 posts)brooklynite
(93,843 posts)Biden, Pelosi and Schumer don't.
I'll personally work with reality rather than hopefulness.
Autumn
(44,748 posts)brooklynite
(93,843 posts)A Public Option is achievable, and will improve medical coverage for millions. MfA is not. If we burn our time and political capital demanding MfA and don't get it, will the voters be happy that even though they got nothing, you stood by your principles?
Autumn
(44,748 posts)nothing and we are wasting time still searching for that magical unicorn of bipartisanship? A Public Option is achievable? We have all heard that before.
brooklynite
(93,843 posts)Autumn
(44,748 posts)There are ways to get it done. Tax the wealthy is my favorite way.
https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20210210.190243/full/
brooklynite
(93,843 posts)...and there's more support in the Democratic Party for public option.
George II
(67,782 posts)Response to George II (Reply #19)
BradAllison This message was self-deleted by its author.
PatrickforB
(14,514 posts)that rant a few months ago, and put a poll on it, only about 40% of us on here are for a Medicare for all kind of system.
Honestly, that just blows me away. But there it is.
So...that said, permit me to advocate for expanding Medicare to more Americans by lowering the age of eligibility to 50 or even 55. That would be a great start, and could be paid for with a very modest corporate tax increase.
You will remember that I have pointed out that c. 1970, individual taxpayers paid in around 46% of the government's tax revenue while corporations paid in around 35%. At this point, we individuals are paying 86% and corporations only 6.8%. Corporations, and definitely billionaires, need to pay their fair share.
I hate shareholder primacy so much. It is such a total offense against everything that is morally right that profits should be more important than people's lives. The profit motive is, and has always been, in direct conflict with our best interests as patients.
Sigh.
George II
(67,782 posts).....favored "Medicare for All", many of whom I think did so for campaign purposes, not for the actual details of the barebones plan.
Lots of Americans would like to see current Medicare expanded to include more Americans, most specifically lowering the eligibility age. In fact, Hillary Clinton proposed that many years ago. Others want to see the ACA, which has been in existence for about 11 years, expanded.
A combination of improvement to these currently existing programs would get us to where we want in a much shorter time than scrapping them if favor of a program that we don't even know will work as proposed.
George II
(67,782 posts)...won't even get a floor vote.
At least Javit's idea was an extension of the existing Medicare, not some vague plan co-opting the name "Medicare" which has no similarity to the Medicare millions of Americans are participating in today.
PatrickforB
(14,514 posts)there are only a few big insurance companies putting out billions of dollars in 'corporate free speech' to keep our elected officials from doing the right thing.
That is it.
The reality is that if the 435 House members, and the 100 Senators, wanted to do the right thing for the American people instead of the shareholders and CEOs of these health insurance companies, they would. And we would all have Medicare. Now.
Because, really, 'can't' in this case means 'won't'. I have a good friend whose insurance (greed) company is denying coverage for a lifesaving drug his son needs. The kid is 10. WHY??????????
And me? I took my wife in for surgery we saved up for two years to be able to afford while she lived in constant agonizing pain, and the nurse was bitching about Canadians having to 'wait' for procedures that Americans can ostensibly have with no wait. You know what I told him?
I said, "Well, my financially crippling copay for this surgery is $4 large, and we spent two years saving up for it while she lived with agonizing pain. You say your Mom in Canada only had to wait six months? I would love that! How much did she have to pay?"
Shut him right up.
Medicare for all Americans. Now. That's what I say. And you know, if we all called our Senators and representatives every ten minutes and focused on getting that with single minded intensity, it might just happen. All these lizards in Congress lack is guts to stand for what is right. The Dems are generally better, but every single one of them could dramatically improve on this issue. Except the progressive ones.
brooklynite
(93,843 posts)PatrickforB
(14,514 posts)doing the right thing. And, no, I am not levying any kind of 'criticism' at Democrats. But, you know, healthcare is a very touchy issue with me, because I hate that this country is the only one in the world that has health care debt, and health care bankruptcies. Why do we have this situation at all, Brooklynite? Why are millions of Americans without health coverage? Why, when I go to the doctor, no matter how much pain I'm in or how serious the problem, they have to wheel me through accounting to make sure I can pay?
And why does my employer provided coverage suck so much? Why do we have crummy, rationed healthcare with financially cripping copays?
So, please do not put words in my mouth. I like Biden fine and think he is a transformative president. I generally like all the Democrats, and of course would never, ever have the temerity on this site to criticize any of them over healthcare. Far be it from me. But you know what? My good friend still is having problems getting the lifesaving drug for his sick kid. And my wife is still in pain. And I have deferred stuff I need for the sake of paying for my wife. Why is that? Why do we have a healthcare system that sucks so bad.
Yeah, the ACA was a start. But only because pressure from the health insurance companies, which are governed by shareholder profits as opposed to the best interests of the patient, felt profit was far more important than providing a national healthcare program.
I will tell you something a dear friend told me decades ago that is still (sadly) true today - America is a great place to live, unless you are old, poor, sick, or different. Then it isn't so good.
And I do call my two US Senators every week on this issue. And my representative. Because I am STILL profoundly dissatisfied with healthcare in this country. And I definitely think I have the right to say that, so if you want to flag this because it seems like I'm 'criticizing,' then go ahead.
Lonestarblue
(9,874 posts)Medicare is a trusted plan and has established infrastructure to administer it. Medicare does not eliminate private insurance as we who are on it buy medigap and drug insurance. Democrats should pass a bill to first lower the eligible age to 50, thus giving time for those who administer Medicare time to ingest new applicants. Then lower the age again and again. This can be done without eliminating employer-sponsored health plans, but many may find that Medicare is more attractive.
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)From https://joebiden.com/healthcare/ :
Giving Americans a new choice, a public health insurance option like Medicare. If your insurance company isnt doing right by you, you should have another, better choice. Whether youre covered through your employer, buying your insurance on your own, or going without coverage altogether, Biden will give you the choice to purchase a public health insurance option like Medicare. As in Medicare, the Biden public option will reduce costs for patients by negotiating lower prices from hospitals and other health care providers. It also will better coordinate among all of a patients doctors to improve the efficacy and quality of their care, and cover primary care without any co-payments. And it will bring relief to small businesses struggling to afford coverage for their employees.
Steelrolled
(2,022 posts)We are now in the post-election world.
dalton99a
(81,065 posts)AZLD4Candidate
(5,558 posts)and members of Congress have.
dsc
(52,129 posts)it is literally part of the ACA that Congress must participate in the market place just like the rest of us.
AZLD4Candidate
(5,558 posts)And my health care plan for AZ is what I just said if I get elected, it will be one of my top priorities.
tirebiter
(2,520 posts)Medical for all is not a winner. Voters rejected Medi Calfor all in the primary process in 2020.
MissMillie
(38,452 posts)No premiums
No deductibles
No co-pays
No insurance middle-man.
twin_ghost
(435 posts)A 3% tax all income received by a person or company and a 3% Payroll tax on all employers will pay for it.