http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/moveon.org-targets-democrats-on-healthcare-2009-05-29.htmlMoveOn.org targets Democrats on healthcare
By Alexander Bolton
Posted: 05/29/09 01:22 PM
The liberal advocacy group announced Friday that it would run radio ads targeting five Democratic senators and centrist Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine). The Democrats under pressure are Sens. Kent Conrad (N.D.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Tom Carper (Del.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.) and Bill Nelson (Fla.).
skip
The question over whether to make the public plan option available in all parts of the country has emerged as one of the thorniest of the healthcare debate. Republicans say a nationwide public plan option would be a “non-starter” and would represent a march toward a single-payer, socialized healthcare insurance system. They argue that government competition would drive private healthcare companies out of business.
skip
Healthcare reform has become an increasingly contentious topic between centrist Democrats and groups on the party’s left wing. Last week, three major labor unions, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, launched ads in Oregon criticizing Wyden for a proposal he drafted that has attracted the support of Republican leaders.
Wyden’s plan does not call for a government-run healthcare option to be made available across the country, as liberals want. He would limit the public option to underserved areas of the country where Americans can choose only between two or fewer private plans.
Senator Kennedy's Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee is going to work on it's version of the bill June 2- 3.
Kyle and Grassley, Republicans on the Finance Committee are also opposed to a public option. They are getting support from their buddy Democrat Schumer who is pushing a proposed version of a public plan that makes it entirely useless- underfunded, regulated as a private plan, no mandated acceptance on the part of providers, etc.
Other things I have read concerning the "public option" - someone, I can't remember who, will try to find link, is pushing that only families at up to 5x the poverty level will be eligible for the public plan. 2008 figure for a family of 4 is $21,200, family of 2 is 14,000. So, a couple earning more than 70K would not be permitted to enroll in public plan. Of course, I would have to ask why put a provision like this in? A sop to the insurance companies to guarantee that some more well-off Americans will still be providing available wallets to be drained? I also wonder if this isn't a subtle attempt to stigmatize a public plan as being only available for the people under a certain income level.
************************************************************************************************************************************
Update concerning what I posted about income levels. It is contained in Sen Kennedy's plan BUT according to the Washington Post and WSJ, his plan opens Medicare to individuals and familes at or below 500% percent of poverty level. He would still have ANOTHER government financed public option in his plan.
So far, of the many things I have read, I like Senator Kennedy's plan overall, but it is not in a final state and is subject to change during these deliberations.
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/05/29/kennedy-plan-health-insurance-mandate-public-option/