Conrad On Whether His Co-Op Proposal Will Bring Down Costs Of Health Care: ‘Uhhh, No’

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/18/conrad-co-op-costs/

Conrad On Whether His Co-Op Proposal Will Bring Down Costs Of Health Care: ‘Uhhh, No’


This morning on CNN, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), the author of the health care co-op proposal that is apparently gaining traction among many Democrats, argued it’s a “very successful business model.” But when host John Roberts repeatedly pressed Conrad on whether the creation of non-profit, member-driven health care cooperatives would drive down costs for consumers, Conrad acknowledged they would not:



Conrad stated that the purpose of co-ops is two-fold: 1) “providing additional competition,” and 2) “being an entity that is not government-run, government-controlled.”

Watch it at link~

snip//

Conrad acknowledges his co-op proposal would do little to tackle health care costs, the single biggest challenge of reform. Ironically, the public option –- which Conrad is trying to defeat –- has been estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to significantly reduce costs over time. And yet, according to Conrad, the public option is not on the table simply because “there have never been the votes in the United States” for it.

The argument for the public option also isn't that premiums would drop.

It's that premiums would rise more slowly than without it.

That is what Kent Conrad is claiming the co-op would also do.

And isn't the whole idea of health care reform to cover as many Americans as possible while lowering prices?

If people started moving toward the public option in great numbers because of less cost, I'm sure the insurance companies would have to lower their profits (and therefore premiums) if they wanted to stay in business.

That is why they fight so hard against it, no?

:shrug:

That is Very telling.......

:kick:

to find something that would get Republican Votes.
He wanted to be hailed as the King of Bipartisanship.
This would a way of keeping the Health Industry Happy and
Campaign coffers filling.

Turns out the Republicans are smart foxes. They know
this will not work therefore he will not get their votes.

The Health Industry come to find out do not want CO-OPs either.
Let's face it they just want the status quo except they
want the Democrats to hand over all the new enrollees along
with their subsidies with as few strings attached as possible.

change his tune, because rethugs aren't interested.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6330945&mesg_id=6330945

RNC Won't Support Co-Ops Either

I saw it at 6 recs but when I got to read it, it was at 3.

This is the truth. The Blue Dog bullshit won't accomplish Obama's goal. The world should note this.

parts to stifle discussion. Lovely, isn't it.

Too many people on DU treat this like a playground or a Romper Room rather than a place for political discussion. Even though many of us are middle aged adults, a sizeable proportion of DUers choose to act like teenagers, playing subtle clique and manipulation games.

People won't be able to buy insurance and employers won't be able to offer because of the cost. That's a lose-lose proposition. Co-ops will do nothing as they have no bargaining power unless they morph into a huge entity. The public option or, dare I say it, single payer is the only way to cut prices...

He is an ideologue.

The reasons he wants the co-op can all be pulled from Milton Friedman's handbook.....not because it is good policy, but because it matches his ideology.

This underscores an idea that we need to get our heads wrapped around. Centrists and moderates are neither. They are ideologues whose ideology is very close to the republican party. They are not interested in good policy, only satisfying their Reaganite ideology.

And they accuse us on the left of being ideologues, but I see very little evidence of that. The left ends compromising everything to satisfy these Friedmanite assholes in our midst.....it is WE who do the compromising. Conservadems, like Republicans, only adhere to their free market bullshit ideology.

To paraphrase Rachael "These centrist Democrats are ideologues, and should be reported as such"