Healthcare Reform: Look at this picture.Study it.

The Max Baucus Committee

There's been a lot of anxiety over leaks outlining the compromises being made in the Senate Finance Committee's health-care plan. Among these compromises is a rejection of the public option and the absence of an employer mandate. Disappointing stuff. But, at this point, completely predictable.








This is who is in the room helping Baucus put together his bill. Olympia Snowe, Mike Enzi, Chuck Grassley, Jeff Bingaman and Kent Conrad. In a Senate of 60 Democrats and 40 Republicans, the health-care reform bill is being written by three centrist Democrats, one centrist Republicans, and two conservative Republicans. And until last week, Orrin Hatch was in the room, too.



The question is whether Baucus's final product will matter. Rockefeller and the other Democrats on the committee have felt excluded from the negotiations and will want major changes before they can sign onto the final product. Then the Finance bill will have to be reconciled with the more liberal legislation built by the HELP Committee. Then it will have to go to the floor, where it will need the support of people like Russ Feingold and Bernie Sanders and Sherrod Brown just as much as it will need Ben Nelson and Evan Bayh. And then, if it passes those tests, it will have to be reconciled with the House's legislation.

All of which is to say that the Baucus process is attracting an immense amount of interest, but the product may not look a lot like the bill that Congress eventually considers. And the reason is simple enough: Baucus's process doesn't look a lot like Congress. Baucus, Enzi, Snow, Grassley, Bingaman, and Conrad all think of themselves as dealmakers, but right now, they're not cutting a deal on behalf of anyone but themselves.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/07/the_max_baucus_committee.html
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/07/28/us/politics/28baucus.graphic.ready.html

behind the scenes & stuffing money in their pockets.

and not just the pockets of those "in the room".

it's hilarious how you all keep pretending we're going to get anything other than what our masters have already decided is good for them.

"it's hilarious how you all keep pretending we're going to get anything other than what our masters have already decided is good for them."

There will be no public ANYTHING that cuts into their profit margin. Nada. They *OWN* enough Congressional collaborators to ensure their bottom lines are safe.

Oh, there will be gyrations and machinations and all kids of warm, fuzzy speeches. But at the end of the day, ANY reform to American healthcare will ultimately benefit the "for-profit" side. This is the way this country works. There is too much money to be made "managing" healthcare. Way too much.

I studied "Reading"

as usual.

Not a snowball chance in hell of a single payer deal.

This isn't bargaining it's bullshit.

The fix is in and we are screwed again.

It is sick. Our republic is sick. K&R.

makes me want to :cry:

"balancing his loyalty to the Republican leadership against his desire to strike a compromise"

Gee, I wonder which way THAT balance is leaning?

What a sleazy, shameless fuck. No wonder people are anti-government, with dishonest, slime-balls like him in charge.

Six Senators and 54 insurance company bagmen?

:dem:

-Laelth

Thanks for the wonderful use of images to underscore.

...is being written by three centrist Democrats, one centrist Republicans, and two conservative Republicans."

....every dollar that this cabal of corporate lackies hands the health insurance industry is one less medical dollar available to treat sick and injured Americans....they are killing Americans with their capitalism....

....this is our country....if we want to take our tax dollars and provide ourselves with a new healthcare system, we shall....corporate interests are not the peoples' interests....corporate power does not trump the power of the people....corporate power can only succeed if we give up the fight....

....nobody was ever going to give us anything....we have to decide what we want, then collectively go out and make it happen....collectively go out and take it....it's our country, we can do what we please or we can live the shit the corporations and their lackies hand us....it's all up to you, this fight can only end when you say it's over....

have Bo drop a deuce on it and then he should inform Baucus he is now Chairman of the Senate broom closet, and to "pick that up".

I know Obama has been directing industry lawyers to negotiate with Baucus, but empowering Baucus and his rePuke shipmates has taken us way off course. It's time to throw the wheel hard over and pitch Baucus over the side.

Care to explain?

Yours would get one.

NOt that I feel bad about throwing a rec the way of the OP though.

And what's with this centrist obsession? All Senate Democrats are not centrists. WTF is wrong with our Senate leadership? If they're going to hand power to Republicans they don't have to be so enthusiastic about it.

There is no particular reason to believe the rest of the Congress, or even the rest of the committee is going to go along with this crap.

of all those Senators especially Baucus and Conrad.

$$ they'll be making off of this "deal". It's so nauseating. People may not be able to afford the required purchase of this new insurance plan, they may lose their emloyer sponsored health care if its not mandated, and the public option may or may not be there and if it is, will it be worth a damn?

we are screwed.