Howard Dean touts Obama health-care plan in Kalamazoo speech

[madfloridian]

He really does speak up about the public Medicare like option, and he reminds constantly that it was Obama's plan. That we need to stick with it.

Howard Dean touts Obama health-care plan in Kalamazoo speech


Jonathon Gruenke | Kalamazoo GazetteFormer Democratic Party chief and presidential candidate Howard Dean speaks during a scholarship fundraiser for the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Foundation.

Throw out the traditional political textbooks. Former Democratic presidential candidate and past Democratic Party chief Howard Dean says 2008's election of Barack Obama as president represented an "earthquake" in American politics. Dean, keynote speaker Wednesday at a scholarship fundraiser for the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Foundation, also expressed strong support for Obama's national health-care proposal, calling it the "best thing" proposed since the Truman administration.

..."On the health-care front, Dean said Obama's proposal would allow people to keep the private insurance they have now, but it also offers a public plan, paid for by taxpayers, to extend coverage to all others.

Dean, who is a physician, contended government is "more efficient" than the private insurance industry in administering coverage. But he said medicine's private sector is "more innovative."

The top Democrat did not address the cost of a national heath-care plan, however, and its potential impact on already record federal deficits.

Dean said any health-care plan will have to include "personal responsibility" that could range from penalties for unhealthy lifestyles to end-of-life directives.

"Most of the cost in health care is for the last four months of life," he said. "We're not going to pull the plug on people. But if we can get families together with the health professionals and talk about prognosis, most people will do the right thing. ... We do a lot of things to people (who are dying) that they wouldn't want done if they could say so."

Also today there was a BioTech conference in Atlanta where Dean and Tom Daschle appeared with Bill Frist and of all people Karl Rove (hate it when Democrats give him credibility). Not sure how Dean made it to both places.

Dean and Daschle defended the public option while Rove did not. Rove was too busy insulting the state of Vermont by calling it "dinky". Snide little man.

Debating health care at BioTech conference.

Republicans Karl Rove, a former top adviser to President George W. Bush, and ex-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist warned that a public health care plan could have a huge price tag and quash private-sector innovation.

But former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and 1-time Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said a public plan could help bring down costs and insure more Americans. Dean proposed a 10 cent carbon tax on gasoline to pay for the costly overhaul, expected to cost at least $1.2 trillion.

The four debated the virtues of government-run health care at the 2009 BIO International Conference in Atlanta on Wednesday.

..."Sparks flew at one point Wednesday as Rove jokingly referred to Dean's home state of Vermont as "dinky," smaller than some ranches in his own state of Texas.

Maybe someday Democrats will refuse to appear with the nasty little man. Fingers crossed.

[Oregone]

1. Well, that doesn't make it "right"

As much as I respect Dean. In the best care scenario, a "public option" ran on a medicare model could be extremely beneficial (but still less beneficial than single-payer), but in the worse case scenario (more likely), it will be a massive abortion contributing to a more fucked up system. If single-payer is the better solution, why even attempt to mess around with this at all?

Another issue..."Dean proposed a 10 cent carbon tax on gasoline to pay for the costly overhaul, expected to cost at least $1.2 trillion."

Carbon taxes are supposed to curb consumption, and thereby, emissions (though unproven thus far to be effective at this). They are not meant to raise funds for an unrelated expense. Thats just a damn regressive consumption tax, as he is proposing it. How about, to pay for it, lift the cap on medicare taxes? How about raise the top marginal rate? A consumption tax disguised as an environmental measure is certainly fucked.

Come on Dean...what has gotten into you?

[aquart]

2. "A costly overhaul" we will only have to overhaul again.

If any of us are left.

[madfloridian]

11. True.

:hi:

[madfloridian]

3. Then hold out for the single payer and don't sign his petition.

You are not required to support the public option. You can try for single payer or bust.

Since it is hard enough to get the public option good luck on the single payer.

We are going to lose any public option because we are too stubborn to see reality.

[Still Sensible]

4. That is probably as much common sense as

we can tolerate in a single day. You're right.

[madfloridian]

9. Common sense is apparently out the window right now.

I think mostly that a government run option is agreed upon by most of us, rather single payer or public option. But it seems very clear that the insurance companies are still large and in charge and will not go quietly in to the night and allow just single payer.

We might get lucky and get the government run option along side the private plans.

If we fight each other and put each down, we will get nothing.

[tnlefty]

5. I hope that he can fumigate the Frist off!

:puke:

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

6. My basic issue is that no one, including Obama, is promoting Obama's plan

If Dr. Dean is referring to the plan he(Obama) outlined in his campaign. If he has changed what he personally is promoting, he's not telling us. The 3 "principles" promulgated in the recent Obama email are so vague as to be worthless.

ANY government plan would be less expensive since there would not be a profit factor, or if there was any net gain, it would be plowed back into the system and not paid-out to executives in excessive compensation or bloated administration costs.

If Obama has a specific plan that HE is promoting NOW, then NOW is the time to lay it out for the American people. All we see is dribs and drabs leaked to us from secret meetings with none of it sounding like anything more than incremental tweaks.

[madfloridian]

7. I was just going to post those 3 principles, which do NOT contain a public option.

I just followed this link from Open Left, since I don't get the emails anymore....and they do not even mention the public option or Medicare or anything like single payer.

President Obama has announced three bedrock requirements for real health care reform. It must:

* Reduce Costs — Rising health care costs are crushing the budgets of governments, businesses, individuals and families and they must be brought under control
* Guarantee Choice — Americans must have the freedom to keep whatever doctor and health care plan they have, or to select a new doctor or health care plan if they choose
* Ensure Quality Care for All — All Americans must have quality and affordable health care
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/healthcarestories

So maybe Dean is trying to remind Obama of what his promises were?

This whole thing is getting discouraging.

[Time for change]

14. I received an e-mail stating those 3 principles, asking me to sign a petition voicing my support for

them

I debated whether or not to do it, for the reason you mention -- that it doesn't specifically mention a public option.

But as general principles they are good. The first and third principles implicitly imply a public option, since it would almost certainly be impossible to have good quality health care for all at reduced price without a public option (which would mean that most people would have private insurance or nothing as their only option).

But given Obama's coziness with the insurance companies, it would be highly desirable if at this time he went beyond general principles and stated outright that he would include a public option for everyone in his plan, as he promised during his campaign. In the absence of that, I am worried that it will not include a public option.

Anyhow, I signed the petition, while appending a signing statement saying that I will not support it without a public option.

And I do believe that Dean will withdraw his support if it turns out that the final plan lacks a public option, along with good enough federal subsidies to make the plan affordable to everyone.

[madfloridian]

16. I agree Obama should again state his support for the public option.

It indicates to me that we may not get it.

I wonder what will happen to those on Medicare if a public option is denied us?

Does that mean that Zeke Emanuel's policies are coming to fruition? He wants to put everyone private insurance and phase out Medicare and Medicaid.

The Guaranteed Healthcare Access Plan will be administered by a National Health Board and regional boards modeled on the Federal Reserve System with fiscal, administrative, and political independence to make tough decisions based on the merits, not special interest lobbying. There will also be an Institute for Technology and Outcomes Assessment to assess the effectiveness of new drugs, devices, procedures, and other interventions. It will also assess and make publicly available data on the clinical outcomes of patients in different insurance companies. This will permit comparative shopping based on real quality results.

No one (I think he means to say "anyone") receiving Medicare, Medicaid, or any other government program will not be forced out, but there will be no new enrollees. People who turn 65 will simply stay in the Guaranteed Healthcare Access Plan. The special tax benefits related to employer based coverage will be eliminated and most employers will stop offering health insurance.

[madfloridian]

8. Baucus's committee considering possible tax on beer.

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/309622/36/

In addition to taxing health care itself.

WASHINGTON -- Joe Six-Pack may have to hand over nearly $2 more for a case of beer to help provide health insurance for all.

Details of the proposed beer tax are described in a Senate Finance Committee document distributed to lawmakers before a closed-door meeting Wednesday. Senators are focusing on how to pay for expanding health insurance for an estimated 50 million uninsured Americans, a cost that could range to some $1.5 trillion over 10 years.

You can't raise that from beer money alone.

And tax sodas also...a possibility.

And there might be a new tax on soda and other sugary drinks blamed for contributing to obesity. A tax of 3 cents per 12-ounce drink would raise about $50 billion over 10 years, according to congressional estimates. Diet drinks, however, wouldn't be taxed.

The idea behind the proposed increases is to tax lifestyle choices that contribute to rising medical costs. Obesity puts people at risk for diabetes and heart problems. Alcohol abuse is a risk factor in several types of cancer, liver disease and psychological problems.

And the tax on hard liquor would increase by 40 cents per fifth, from the current $2.14.

Percentage-wise, wine drinkers would take the biggest hit, a 233 percent tax increase per bottle. The Wine Institute said the tax increase would be even bigger for wines with a higher alcohol content.

Hard liquor would see the smallest proportional increase, 19 percent per fifth.

The beer tax would rise by 145 percent per six-pack.

Interesting.

[madfloridian]

10. I don't mind if they tax beer...

since I don't drink it.

Depends on whose ox is being gored about what they tax, I guess.

[quidam56]

12. We need a cure for health care in America

In East Tennessee and southwest Virginia Profit Care seems more important than Patient Care. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62

[eridani]

13. "Medicine's private sector" does NOT = "insurance companies"

Doctors and engineers invent things. Insurance companies invent nothing but new excuses for mot paying your claims.

[colsohlibgal]

15. Plug Pulling/Health Care

The "get out of the way and die already" mantra is starting to look like a concerted talking point for the democrats. Ten days or so ago I heard a democratic US congresswoman say, on Stephanie Miller's show, much the same thing. I get what they're saying but that is one incredibly slippery slope.

Ex Colorado Governor Richard Lamm has to be feeling vindicated, he got ripped back in the 80's for suggesting we all had a "duty to fie".

There are now rewards for getting healthier in my insurance plan, no penalties for smoking or being heavy yet but I would guess that's just a matter of time.

I have a hard time believing their will be a real second option, the insurance folks know they'd lose that contest so they'll be further padding the accounts of Baucus and others.