Gibbs: Public Option a “valuable component”

Run time: 04:34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqJ0BcE8evM   Posted on YouTube: September 06, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: September 06, 2009 By DU Member: BlueJessamine Views on DU: 1155

 
Via Politico:

The president will describe the public insurance option as a “valuable component” to health care reform in his Wednesday speech to Congress, but he does not plan to issue veto threats either way, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”

“I doubt we’re going to get into heavy veto threats on Wednesday,” Gibbs said. “We’re going to talk about what we can do, because we’re so close to getting it done. He will talk about the public option and why he believes, and continues to believe, that it is a valuable component of providing choice and competition, that helps individuals and small business, at the same time provides a check on insurance companies.”

Gibbs argued the public insurance option would not impact the 180 million Americans who have private insurance.

"So the vast majority, you are not going to be effected in any way, shape or form," Gibbs said.

We have a line in the sand, Mr President.

Real health care reform. You are in danger of losing your base.

we can now see why the health care plan has continued to run into hits and obstacles along the way - the administration is talking out of all sides of its mouth about it and even a few days before a major address on it, Gibbs is continuing to confuse the issue.

maybe he needs to NOT do TV shows before the President is set to speak because it could very well be NOT what the President is going to say - because frankly they have not been very consistent

Because any health care reform at this point without a public option is NOT health care reform, it is another giveaway to the corporations.

Yes, having people with pre-existing conditions covered is good. BUT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ALREADY SAID BACK IN DECEMBER OF 2008 THAT THEY WOULD GIVE THOSE PEOPLE COVERAGE IN EXCHANGE FOR GOVERNMENT MANDATES THAT ALL AMERICANS BE FORECED TO GET PRIVATE INSURANCE.

What is coming out of the White House right now is not change, it's corporate CEO ordained profit increases.

By the way, forcing insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions is useless if the companies can still charge those people rates so high that they cannot pay them. Or include huge deductibles, etc. If there is a way to write a policy so the insurance company benefits and the consumer loses, trust me, they will find it.

Someone said it the other day over on the DK web site and he is right - our system is so messed up that Congress will no longer pass any legislation that benefits we the people over the benefits of they the corporations that own them via the corporate lobbyists.

That's why any health insurance "reform" without a strong public option (HOW ABOUT ACCESS TO BUY INTO MEDICARE?)is going to end up being a BIG CASH COW FOR THE INSURANCE CORPORATIONS. Especially if we are MANDATED to buy PRIVATE insurance coverage from them by law.

Mr. President, doing the right thing is not always the easy thing. The right thing is a strong public option with teeth (no triggers) that forces the insurance companies to provide better coverage to their customers, to hold down annual premium increases that are breaking the back of customers & employers, to stop denying their claims, to put more money into actual health care for their customers instead of in the pockets of the CEOs.

The wrong thing to do is to let the corporations and their greed destroy health care in this country. They did it to the banking industry, to the auto industry and they will do it to our health care if they are not stopped.

Mr. President, if you do the right thing we and millions of others will support you. Do the wrong thing and you will stand alone.


That's MY line in the sand.

It's just as Bill Clinton has recently said one of tactics that didn't workout .. for his healthcare plan was the attempt to push it through Congress. President Obama is trying to let congress have its own Independence, now we know there are a lot of obstacles in that, but that's where health reform supporters come in and make their voices heard. All President Obama really has done here is taken on board lessons of history and tried a different way, it's ultimately what history is best at. If he sincerely did try to strong arm congress we'd probably be meeting even more resistance than we have now. Only the people can define the direction of this bill really. Although more pro reform Democratic party members clamoring on every news network to make their case for reform is always a bonus too, even chat shows wherever they can get a voice I say. Contact all your reps to encourage them to do so as well, it can't do no harm anyways.

Say it. Say it! JUST FUCKING SAY IT ALREADY!!! Quick dancing around the answer. The people that watch this show understand exactly what you mean when you dance around the question.


In short, this will be the point that both President Obama AND the Democratic party jumps the shark. There will be no recovery from this. You already have one political party that wants you dead. Yes, DEAD. I am not exaggerating this and I don't mean this in metaphorical way. In any other time in history, that would be crazy talk, but not today. You have another political party that loves you! They don't just like you as a politician, they love you as our president. But.... just like a woman who loves a man, but then get's cheated on, watch how that love will turn to scorn. If you do not follow through on the biggest issue of the election, with the huge numbers you have in the sentate and House, there will be no turning back.