Senate Democrats reach compromise on health plan (Reuter's Update: Reid: PUBLIC OPTION-NOT DEAD)

Source: MSNBC

just now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats said they reached a broad agreement on Tuesday on a possible compromise over a government-run insurance plan in a sweeping healthcare overhaul and would seek cost estimates on the deal.

Healthcare Reform

"We have a broad agreement," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid told reporters, refusing to give any details on the talks.

Reid said reports the government-run "public option" had been dropped were "not true."

(Reporting by John Whitesides; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5B807720091209



No link yet.

Knowing full well it may be dead. It's politics and negotiation and word games.

Adjust your position accordingly. The internet forums are perfect free immediate focus groups from the people most likely to care (IOW, produce blowback).

Happy about the agreement, but at what price?

Division of labor and all that. ;-)

IF the Democrats drop the public option and leave us with MANDATES to buy PRIVATE, for profit insurance from these corporations that have raised premiums 87% over the past 7 years while increasing their profits 428% ....

then they are CORPORATE WHORES and prepaid lobbyists.


Any Senator that professes to be for a public option but votes for a bill that contains mandates but no public option, IS ALSO A CORPORATE WHORE.



We fought hard to give them a 60-40 majority in the Senate and these traitors sold us out.


To add insult to injury, the Democratic Party just sent me an email asking for donations. I told them to go to hell. No money, no campaigning, no votes if no public option.

and refuse to raise money for them, thus "helping" them understand why they need to get in line. But, it's not going to happen when the party is lead by corporate Dems.

nt

the 87% and 428% in the last 7 years. my repuke friends would want proof

A public option is not the end all be all. The public option is still going to come at a cost and from the analysis that I have seen it will be the most costly of all options. The private sector will toss all pre-existing conditions to the public option and keep the healthy people with lower then public option cost premiums. The Public Option will get costlier and costiler to taxpayers as well as those forced to buy into it. Subsidizing only starts when you make under 40k per year and it is on a curve from there so if you think you will get something cheap... LOL think again... Mandates forcing people to purchase insurance that is exactly where the problems are. Government forcing me to do something? When was I drafted? Anyway the only clear and reasonable option that was never even put on the table was a Single Payer Universal plan that was reimbursed at current medicare rates. In other words you take the medicare taxes that I pay now and you give me medicare...

Seems simple enough but our Leaders never even brought it forth and for that we will get screwed.

And the Repukes will beat all of us over the head with this and hang it around the necks of Democrats for years to come. The public is not happy about any of this...

Now that all said giving this power to the government might seem, reasonable, heck even noble right now because Obama is the President and we have Democrats in charge, Democrats, liberals who normally look out for the good of all the people but just wait..

When President Palin has this kind of power at her finger tips and decides to use her Executive pen to cure all the social ills with the Power of owning your health coverage....

I think Democrats in general went about this thing in a completely wrong way.

Just MHO.

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But Democratic aides said that the group had tentatively agreed on a proposal that would replace a government-run health care plan with a menu of new national, privately-run insurance plans modeled after the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, which covers more than eight million federal workers, including members of Congress, and their dependents.

A government-run plan would be retained as a fall-back option, the aides said, and would be triggered only if the new proposal failed to meet targets for providing affordable insurance coverage to a specified number of people.

The agreement would also allow Americans between age 55 and 64 to buy coverage through Medicare, beginning in 2011.


http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/senate-votes-down-effort-to-tighten-abortion-restrictions-in-health-bill/?partner=rss&emc=rss

what about the rest of the country? Hopefully the news networks are wrong, and going by their recent track record, they usually are.

Which means an eternal carrot and stick game with anyone dumb enough to believe it.
These evil assholes know psychology and are trying to manipulate the public.
DON'T FALL FOR IT.

It's like riding a roller coaster.

Yes and no, up and down.

Democrats Agree To Tentatively Trade Opt-Out For Trigger, Medicare Buy In, And More
Brian Beutler | December 8, 2009, 10:19PM

An aide briefed on the negotiations among the gang of 10 offers up the rundown of the most important aspects of the public option compromise being sent to CBO.

If this trade-off carries the day, the opt out public option is gone.

In its place will be many of the alternatives we've been hearing about, including a Medicare expansion and a triggered, federally-based public option, the aide said.

As has been widely reported, one of the trade-offs will be to extend a version of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan to consumers in the exchanges. Insurance companies will have the option of creating nationally-based non-profit insurance plans that would offered on the exchanges in every state. However, according to the aide, if insurance companies don't step up to the plate to offer such plans, that will trigger a national public option.

Beyond that, the group agreed--contingent upon CBO analysis--to a Medicare buy in.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/democrats-trade-opt-out-for-trigger-medicare-buy-in-and-more.php?ref=fpblg

It's not dead . . . but "It's alright, Ma. It's only dying."

small businesses won't be forced to provide medical coverage for them....researchers say millions of people are working into their mid seventies or longer, they have experience, have their own coverage and usually are very reliable workers who just know their shit.

If they don't have to buy private insurance, I wonder if it would generate more small start-ups?
Selfishly, it would help me out a lot!

Same link as in the OP, but:

Source: Talking Points Memo

Reid "It is a consensus that includes a public option"

Reid Issues Statement On Tentative Health Reform Deal Reached Tuesday Night
Versha Sharma | December 8, 2009, 9:28PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement tonight:

"This has been a long journey. We have confronted many hurdles, and tonight I believe we have overcome yet another one.

"I asked Senators Schumer and Pryor to work with some of the most moderate and most progressive members of our diverse caucus, and tonight they have come to a consensus.

"It is a consensus that includes a public option and will help ensure the American people win in two ways: one, insurance companies will face more competition, and two, the American people will have more choices.

Read more: http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/reid-issues-statement-on-tentative-health-reform-deal-reached-tuesday-night.php

those nasty people well it isn't

- I read on another DU thread an article stating that insurance companies would be providing a public option, not the government.