House Democrats deserve credit for finally coming up with a health care insurance reform bill. Of course, Speaker Nancy Pelosi was really shoveling the old you-know-what when she said, “Today we are about to deliver on the promise of making quality, affordable health care available for all Americans.” The House bill manages to be “deficit neutral” by promising $500 billion in as of yet unspecified Medicare cuts. If this bill passes, we might see some dark comedy watching Congress try to muster the courage to trim Medicare by half a trillion dollars over the next decade by dunning younger Americans via higher taxes and premiums.
But what’s interesting is that it may be the political left that dooms the House health care bill. Although the Pelosi bill includes a government-run public option, it does not use the same rates as Medicare. Instead, it allows the health and human services secretary to negotiate rates with those dastardly insurance companies. This has angered the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which wants rates set to Medicare. Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., and co-chair of the CPC, was notably noncommittal when asked if the entire caucus, which has 83 members, would accept the House deal. And what happens with the CPC down the road if a public option is stripped out of a final bill by the U.S. Senate.
Keep in mind also that moderate Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and a few dozen-plus Democratic colleagues are threatening to derail the House bill if it does not explicitly prohibit abortion coverage for those who receive coverage via the public option. That is an under-reported major fight that is brewing on the floor.
I used to think that it was a given that the Democrats would come up with some form of health care insurance reform. Now I’d peg the odds at 55 percent. The irony: If a bill is not passed, it will be the fault of Democrats, not Republicans.
craig41
on Oct 29th, 2009
@ 3:50 pm:
so, just for clarification, the fact that no republicans will vote for the bill means they bear none of the fault if it doesn’t pass? shouldn’t they be trying to negotiate their ideas into the bill so that it’s acceptable for them to vote for as well, rather than just lining up to vote no?
Dovie
on Oct 30th, 2009
@ 5:32 pm:
Gee, would that be just like the Right Wing of the Republican party screwed up immigration reform by insisting we spend more on punishments and sending people home than it would cost for healthcare and education for illegals?
Joan
on Nov 2nd, 2009
@ 11:46 am:
My reading of the bill says that it allows the health and human services secretary to negotiate rates with PROVIDERS participating in the Public Option; not “with those dastardly insurance companies.” I tend to agree with this because it brings some competition from providers into the equation; rather than just raising insurance premiums whenever providers decide they want more money.