A Final Bipartisan Gesture on Health Care Reform
From MSNBC. In one last symbolic outreach ahead of a final package and vote on comprehensive health care reform, President Obama has embraced four (4) key areas suggested by Republicans during the Health Care Summit, even though he knows he won't be rewarded with one GOP vote. I feel this is a very wise move in that it demonstrates he was serious about listening to all ideas at the Health Care Summit and fairly weighed all input, no matter which side offered suggestions. It also makes the GOP look very bad once again for this "all or nothing" mentality when it comes to "negotiating." Now I see why Pelosi and others have started a narrative that the bill can be bipartisan even if they have a party line vote.
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama saidTuesday he was open to four new Republican proposals on healthlegislation in a gesture of bipartisanship
meant to jump-start his stalled overhaul drive.
Obama detailed the ideas, all of which were raised at a bipartisan health care summitlast week, in a letter to congressional leaders Tuesday. He also calledfor eliminating a special deal for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries inFlorida and other states that drew criticism at the summit from Sen.John McCain, R-Ariz.
Theproposals Obama mentioned are: sending investigators disguised aspatients to uncover fraud and waste; expanding medical malpracticereform pilot programs; increasing payments to Medicaid providers andexpanding the use of health savings accounts.
Technorati Tags: health care reform bipartisan
- Kelly Thomas's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Comments
Aside from some tiny
Aside from some tiny political advantage we all know that the Republicans won't vote for anything. Not sure how many people in the middle are paying attention to things like this so who knows how much of an advantage it is. Some are good ideas though so in the end it doesn't matter. Channeling Misty: "JUST PASS THE DAMN BILL ALREADY." Would she use "damn" ? (:
Back from Vancouver, Stephen covers the summit.
I can see it coming in handy
Not sure how many people in
Not sure how many people in the middle are paying attention...
There's nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos.
Pass.The.Damn.Bill.Already
Obama knows that the longer
Obama knows that the longer he draws out the discussion on health care, the less time Democrats will have to get out from under the criticism of reconciliation by November. This foot dragging by Obama obviously weakens democrats in congress and gives more time for waffling democrats to retreat to the moderate/conservative middle.
This seemingly counter productive behavior by Obama is actually easy to explain. Obama is really Mitt Romney in disguise. Don't scoff. They both want democrats to be as ineffectual as possible in their majority position... and when have you ever seen the two of them in the same room at the same time.
Thank about it.
Tom-The key word in my blog
Tom-The key word in my blog was "final gesture" so try to look on the bright side-this agonizing marathon is almost over. And have you been paying attention? They went from 4 to 34 Senators now open to a public option. I heard that 40 was the magic number to really start a rally towards actually including it. The Congresswoman from Florida (can't recall her name) is a supporter of the public option but kind of deflated my hopes yesterday when she said it was unlikely a public option would make it in due to the question of whether such a piece would "hold up" to reconciliation rules.
Tom- I think you and I both will do cartwheels when they finally pass comprehensive health care reform if it resembles what President Obama has outlined. But imagine if it actually had a public option-we better stretch to prepare for some back flips! Not getting my hopes up (and, hey, I'm too old for crazy gymnast moves anyway...)
The final bill, if it does
The final bill, if it does pass, will mandate "coverage" for about 30 million more Americans than are now covered by health insurance. If there is no public option (a good bet that there will be none) it means that existing insurers will gain millions of new subscribers; a boon to these insurers.
On the provision mandating coverage of "pre-existing conditions", don't be fooled. While it will be illegal for the insurers to single out a subscriber for non-coverage of an "existing condition", it will not be illegal for the insurers to fail to provide coverage to a group of subscribers who have the same medical diagnosis, and the same recommended treatment options. As long as the insurer can prove that it has denied coverage to more than one of its subscribers, it will be within its legal rights to do so. That is a pretty large loophole, it seems to me.
I don't believe I am going to be dancing in the streets at what is likely to come out in the final compromise. The insurance companies likely will be; they just won't be able to do it in public.
"we better stretch to
"we better stretch to prepare for some back flips!"
I think finding an insanely expensive bottle of wine to have with my wife and the other "socialist" couple in our Reagan-Reagan-Perot-Dole-Bush-Bush-McCain town will do it for me.
I think finding an insanely
I think finding an insanely expensive bottle of wine to have with my wife and the other "socialist" couple in our Reagan-Reagan-Perot-Dole-Bush-Bush-McCain town will do it for me.
Oh, yes, much better than back flips!
wc-it's easy to see the negatives and declare this bill "insurance company-friendly" but why are the insurance lobbyists still fighting so hard against it? It seems to make them more accountable than they've ever been and is a major step up from the status quo we now have in which many companies are raising premiums at will by more than 50% just because they can and so many are simply not covered.
Think about it: 30 million more people insured, end to discrimination, more accountability. This imperfect package is a necessary first step that we can build on and make better over time. If they fail to pass this, the insurance companies win and the American people lose-big time-because it won't be touched by a politician for years to come.
Press forward Obama and Dem's-this is our last chance!
I agree to the fact that
I agree to the fact that not all people are aware the things that we are trying to elaborate here. This is somehow very complicated because this is guided by laws. We need to put boundaries in order to stay in line. But we should all take the responsibility to think and find for what is good and best for all of us.Anyway, I would like to share some important news, have you heard of , Melinda Dennehy– apparently the English teacher did not know her 15 year old student did NOT, in fact, have it bad, and was not hot for teacher. (I don't feel tardy…) The DA in New Hampshire will be for hot for teacher, but in this case it's to add her to the sexual offender list and throw her straight into the clink, where she will not pass, and not collect $200. You can't get your name off that list, regardless of any petition or any payday loans slipped to any government or law enforcement officials.
Lexie, we do not allow
Lexie, we do not allow links to outside businesses or unrelated websites. Please refrain from hiding them within your posts, or risk termination of your account.
Thank you, Suzi
38 solid votes for public
Hate to be a wet blanket
Hate to be a wet blanket here, Kelly, but that would be too good to be true (so it probably won't happen).
But would it not be a great day in America if HCR passed with a public option in it.
It is not stopping Sue Lowdon, GOP candidate for Senate against Harry Reid, from vowing to do everything she can to kill it. She has about an 11 point edge in the averages among current polls (which is mostly anti-Reid rather than pro Lowdon). Danny Tarkenian polled with about the same edge had he been the GOP nominee instead of Lowdon. Unless something turns around in a hurry (mostly the economy) Reid is going to lose his job.
Hate to be a wet blanket
Hate to be a wet blanket here, Kelly, but that would be too good to be true (so it probably won't happen).
Oh, don't worry, it was more a dream than something I would really count on happening. Since they are waiting for the CBO score and I'm sure they did not include a public option in the package, I assume it's a lost cause (but could emerge in the future perhaps as a sep. reconciliation bill if Dem's get a backbone at some point.)
But would it not be a great day in America if HCR passed with a public option in it.
Ah, yes, indeed!
It is not stopping Sue Lowdon, GOP candidate for Senate against Harry Reid, from vowing to do everything she can to kill it. She has about an 11 point edge in the averages among current polls (which is mostly anti-Reid rather than pro Lowdon). Danny Tarkenian polled with about the same edge had he been the GOP nominee instead of Lowdon. Unless something turns around in a hurry (mostly the economy) Reid is going to lose his job.
I saw a very funny story from CNN that the Tea Party candidate in Nevada is actually helping Reid's chances so the Lowden is saying he is a fraud and it's a conspiracy. Hey, the Republicans created this monster known as the Tea Party...now they must deal with the consequences...