The Kaiser Permanente Public Option: "It's simple and the public can grasp it."

I know they think we are pretty stupid, but this may be pushing the envelop a little too far.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/12/08-1

Watered-Down 'Public Plan' Emerges in Senate
New version of 'public plan' would have private insurers offer health coverage

<edit>

The latest idea bears little resemblance to the original vision outlined by liberals, and embraced by Obama, during the 2008 presidential campaign. That called for the government to sell insurance to workers and their families in competition with industry giants like UnitedHealthcare.

But instead of Medicare-for-the-masses, it would be Blue Cross Blue Shield or Kaiser Permanente, albeit with a government seal of approval from the department that handles the health plan for federal employees, including members of Congress. The Office of Personnel Management - OPM - would become an instantly recognizable federal acronym, like FDA and CDC.

"I think it's the right way to go because it's simple and the public can grasp it," Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, said Monday, reflecting a general hope that a deal is close.

Lawmakers will be able to tell their constituents "you're going to get exactly what we have, and that every federal employee has, you can buy into it," Begich added.

Five moderates and five liberals tapped by Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., planned to work on the compromise Tuesday as the Senate debated the 10-year, nearly $1 trillion bill. A vote on an amendment to tightly restrict abortion coverage by health plans receiving federal subsidies could also happen Tuesday.

Reid imposed a Tuesday deadline to complete negotiations on the government-run option, according to Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, a participant in the talks.

"It's one of those kind of things in the middle that doesn't make everybody very happy but that's our compromise," Harkin said. "It's something I'm going to probably have to live with."

more...

:eyes:

nice huh? :eyes:

Gee, Begich, some of us are kinda smart out here...we can grasp a few things. Like that you shouldn't be re-elected.

set on autopilot to North Korea.

Much more is dysfunctional and malignant here besides just our health care "system".

Expand FEHBP to cover all Americans.

It'd be simple to implement and it's the same package of offers that all federal employees get.

except at a national level. And this is what we had 30 years ago when all the Blues said they had to go for profit in order to offer better rates.

Between this and the fight to end the Medicaid expansion, I'm pretty close to opposing the whole thing.

wasn't caught in time. For five years they kept telling her they didn't like the look of her white blood cells, but they didn't' do any thing about it.

We complain that we aren't getting what they get, then when someone suggests it, there is still outrage. I don't think there's any plan that everyone will agree on.

pages was to keep the public from exploding in their faces. I want them to return their salaries during that time to the Treasury for brick loading and not doing any real work.