Obama: ‘I Continue To Believe That A Robust Public Option Would Be The Best Way To Go’
Obama: ‘I Continue To Believe That A Robust Public Option Would Be The Best Way To Go’
Today, in a conference call with bloggers, President Obama underlined the shortcomings of Sen. Kent Conrad’s (D-ND) co-op compromise and expressed support for a “robust” public option:
I’m still working out the details of a co-op approach. I will tell you that there are some instances of co-ops being set up and just having a very difficult time getting off the ground because they don’t have the scale and the resources to be able to compete effectively. What I’ve asked my health care team to do is to look at what evidence we have that this could provide the kind of competition that drives or helps to promote insurance reform and helps to include quality and drive down cost. If I can see some some evidence that this could work, then I’d be happy to consider it. But I will tell you that, as I’ve been very clear about before, I continue to believe that a robust public option would be the best way to go.
Listen:
Both the Kennedy health bill and the Tri Committee bill in the House give Americans the choice of a public option. The Senate Finance Committee, which is expecting to produce a bill by Thursday, is still considering Conrad’s co-op compromise. Under Conrad’s proposal an insurance co-op would be “owned and operated for the benefit of its members — individuals and businesses with fewer than 10 employees” and would operate “at the state level or regionally” to “provide a non-profit, non-government, consumer-driven coverage option in every state to deliver maximum value for consumers.”
But as a Commonwealth brief points out, most co-ops have difficulty fulfilling their goal of offering small employers and individuals a choice in health plans and reducing costs. That’s because to attract a wide array of health plans and exert purchasing power (bargain on behalf of its members), co-ops must enroll large numbers of employers. But without the ability to “offer substantial choice among well-known health plans, it is difficult for co-ops to attract enrolless, who are drawn to co-ops in part because of their ability to offer such choice.” In other words, co-ops would lack the clout of Medicare — which can drive system innovations and payment reforms — Medicare-like administrative efficiencies, or the ability to use Medicare leverage to ensure a large provider network that accepts Medicare prices. A new cooperative health care plan won’t be able to lower costs and drive private insurers to aggressively bargain with providers (and pass the saving on to its beneficiaries in the form of lower premiums).
As former Gov. Howard Dean (D-VT) explained, “the co-ops are too small to compete with the big, private insurance companies. They will kill the co-ops completely by undercutting them, using their financial clout to do it…This is a compromise designed to deal with problems in the Senate. But it doesn’t deal with problems in America.”
9 Responses to “Obama: ‘I Continue To Believe That A Robust Public Option Would Be The Best Way To Go’”
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AMERICA’S NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY!
It’s official. America and the World are now in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. A World EPIDEMIC with potential catastrophic consequences for ALL of the American people. The first PANDEMIC in 41 years. And WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES will have to face this PANDEMIC with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed World.
STAND READY AMERICA TO SEIZE CONTROL OF YOUR NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.
We spend over twice as much of our GDP on healthcare as any other country in the World. And Individual American spend about ten times as much out of pocket on healthcare as any other people in the World. All because of GREED! And the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare system in America.
And while all this is going on, some members of congress seem mostly concern about how to protect the corporate PROFITS! of our GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT NATIONAL DISGRACE. A PRIVATE FOR PROFIT DISGRACE that is in fact, totally valueless to the public health. And a detriment to national security, public safety, and the public health.
Progressive democrats the Tri-Caucus and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust government-run public option for all Americans, with all of the minimum requirements progressive democrats demanded. If congress can not pass a robust public option with at least 51 votes and all robust minimum requirements, congress should immediately move to scrap healthcare reform and request that President Obama declare a state of NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY! Seizing and replacing all PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance plans with the immediate implementation of National Healthcare for all Americans under the provisions of HR676 (A Single-payer National Healthcare Plan For All).
Coverage can begin immediately through our current medicare system. With immediate expansion through recruitment of displaced workers from the canceled private sector insurance industry. Funding can also begin immediately by substitution of payroll deductions for private insurance plans with payroll deductions for the national healthcare plan. This is what the vast majority of the American people want. And this is what all objective experts unanimously agree would be the best, and most cost effective for the American people and our economy.
In Mexico on average people who received medical care for A-H1N1 (Swine Flu) with in 3 days survived. People who did not receive medical care until 7 days or more died. This has been the same results in the US. But 50 million Americans don’t even have any healthcare coverage. And at least 200 million of you with insurance could not get in to see your private insurance plans doctors in 2 or 3 days, even if your life depended on it. WHICH IT DOES!
If President Obama has to declare a NATIONAL STATE OF EMERGENCY to rescue the American people from our healthcare crisis, he will need all the sustained support you can give him. STICK WITH HIM! He’s doing a brilliant job.
THIS IS THE BIG ONE!
THE BATTLE OF GOOD Vs EVIL!
Join the fight.
Contact congress and your representatives NOW! AND SPREAD THE WORD!
God Bless You
Jacksmith – WORKING CLASS
July 21st, 2009 at 1:47 amThe coop thing is obvious b/s; you must have a true public-sector option. But I found Conrad’s mention of a regional structure interesting. The largest states – California, Texas, NY – are the size of middling European countries and surely big enough for a public option to secure economies of scale. A lot of the Mid-West states are however too small, so you also need regional groupings. A while ago I had a try at a regional map, aiming at a minimum population pool of 12 million. It certainly looks doable.
If Conrad’s beef is with the public nature of the healthcare exchanges, it’s non-negotiable and he must be fought. But if the Blue Dogs are sincerely worried about federal over-centralisation, a regional/state structure is reasonable. It would bring the reform even closer to the German model, which works fine.
July 21st, 2009 at 5:38 amA major cost of doing business as a medical provider is keeping up with all the billing. Medicare bills differently from state to state, Medicaid is different than Medicare (despite both being run by the same agency), and commercial plans just make stuff up as they go. A medical coding expert must know all of these differences, and doctors’ offices spend millions on software that helps them get paid more efficiently (if you get something wrong you might not see the money for months). To me this is the best argument for any move that simplifies the healthcare system.
July 21st, 2009 at 8:04 amjacksmith Says::AMERICA’S NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY! It’s official. America and the World are now in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. A World EPIDEMIC with potential catastrophic consequences for ALL of the American people. The first PANDEMIC in 41 years. And WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES will have to face this PANDEMIC with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed World.
Quantity is the problem, not quality. No country is prepared to adequately provide service during a epidemic. Repubs don’t want to help pay for educating doctors, Dems don’t want to do tort reform. Which of these is the good and which is the evil? Repubs and 51 dems don’t want to bankrupt the country, most dems don’t care what cost healthcare, just do it and we’ll count the cost later.
July 21st, 2009 at 11:52 amEven the vast majority of Repubs think our system sucks. It’s the cure that’s being debated. Even without healthcare added in we’ve got a 1.8trillion deficit this year and will add another 12 trillion over the next decade. Not my words but the CBO.
jacksmith, with all your talk about ‘taking over’, I suspect you are commenting on behalf of the American Communist Party.
July 21st, 2009 at 11:56 amThe bills before Congress exempt members of Congress and their aids from any requirements of the bills. jacksmith, this is evil.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:31 pmYou will get your nationalized healthcare. ‘Blue Dogs’ will be ‘paid off’ enough to get it out of committee. Then it will be changed to suit you in House and Senate conference. The final vote will come at midnight without floor debate. So calm down. You think healthcare will be cheaper? I’ll refuse to buy it and only get fined $2500. I pay 3-4 times that now for healthcare. The only way nationalized healthcare will be cheaper is if the gov restricts me to $2500 worth of care.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:45 pmHoly cow. Spam comment 1 almost sounds halfway logical until you read the parts where it says, “Progressive democrats the Tri-Caucus and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust government-run public option for all Americans,”
and, “If President Obama has to declare a NATIONAL STATE OF EMERGENCY to rescue the American people from our healthcare crisis, he will need all the sustained support you can give him. STICK WITH HIM! He’s doing a brilliant job.”
Don’t give up your guns, and do not vote for a government-run = government-OWNED healthcare program. Socialism is one step closer to communism, and the “common good” is a big, fuggin lie.
July 21st, 2009 at 7:47 pmSocialized medicine is what will take this country from what used to be a free thinking, free acting republic to an apathetic, full-conforming, full government run nanny state. Are we not free Americans to think and choose for ourselves? Are we not grown people who do not need to be treated as children? Why can’t those of us who want to keep our current healthcare be able to do it? Don’t you want to be able to choose for yourself and your family who your doctor is and what care you should be able to recieve and have some idea of the cost? If you haven’t read HR 3200 by the Fighting 111th, please enlighten yourself. You will be surprised and how limiting a plan it is.
For those of you out there that think conservative people do not want health care reform you are dead wrong! However, healthcare reform should also include not providing benefits to those people who are not citizens of this country. Ever been to France, Germany, Costa Rica, Canada or any other country and needed healthcare while you were there. If you were on a vacation, you either had travel insurance that covered you or you had an insurance policy that covered your costs for you. If not, each one of those countries plus many many others will confiscate your passport until you either pay with cash, or prove that you can pay before you leave. Our country has never done this, but somewhow we have become this place where everyone can come for healthcare, and if they can’t pay, “We The People” pick up the bill. This is fundamentally wrong and it’s what’s breaking the bank in California as we live and breath.
Do not confuse Health Care with Health Coverage. I have clients that are doctors. On average, most general practicioners write off 30% – 40% of their potential revenue for bad debts. Let’s just say, the doctor’s office makes $1,000,000.00 per year. That’s about right for a small local GP clinic. Right of the top, he knows that $300,000 to $400,000 will never be collected. That is a serious chunk of change!!! Now, the doctor has overhead like no other business. His insurance costs are very high, he has staff and expensive equipment costs. Many GP doctors bearly take home $150,000 per year after overhead and expenses. Some of you may think this is a lot of money, but for a doctor who spent at least $100,000 and 8-15 years of his or her life studying to be one, it’s an insult. These are our elite and most educated people. We must have them if we want to continue to have quality healthcare providers. They will leave the business and either go to another country to practice, or stop practicing. It’s happened to every country that has put a socialized medical plan in place.
I spent my entire life in the military healthcare system. My father was in the military and I remained a dependent of his until I married a military man out of college. I can remember even as a child having to wait for hours to see a doctor for a simple sore throat or shots for school. As a college student, again with the waiting as if I were in an emergency room with everyone else, and I had appointments that had to be made several weeks in advance. As a grown woman, living in remote places like Guam and having no other alternative but to use the govt healthcare system, I gave birth to one child. They made me get up off the delivery table, push my IV holder down the hall and walk to my hospital room where I shared space with 4 other women. For those of you who have given birth, you know this is crap after going what you just went through. For those of you who do not know what that is like, may you never have to do it. Trust me, walking is the last thing you want to do at that moment!!
The care was good, mind you, and cheap, but not anything like I have received since being out on my own insurance.
I am self employed now and so is my husband. I also have the not so happy privledge of providing health insurance to individuals who need it (if they can get it!!) For our insurance costs, my husband and I pay $950.00 per month to insure 4 people, and our deductible is $5000.00 per family. Once the deductible is met, our policy covers 100% of anything. The point is we have to cover some of the cost ourselves, but for anything major, our costs are covered by the money we pay for premiums. I get appointments right away. I never have to see a primary care physician. I can call a specialists for anything directly. I can have an MRI or CATSCAN, or any other proceedure, without getting the insurance company’s approval. Because we are self employed we do get a tax deduction for the cost of the health care, but not the entire cost as most people think. I also must provide healthcare for my employees which can be expensive.
But, given the choice (which should be mine under the guise of “LIFE LIBERTY AND THE PERSUIT OF HAPPINESS”)I will take paying everything I have to insure my family and my employees so they can choose for themselves rather than be under any government control.
PS..Don’t assume all conservative thinking people are republicans either. After all, republicans and democrats are only bipolar in existance from one another, but really are not any different in the grand scale of politics. They both are moving so far towards full government control that they have completely lost sight of the Republic that this country once was. Ben Franklin said “I have given you a Republic if you can keep it”. Guess he had more insight into the future than he knew.
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:41 am