Sen. Grassley Admits Gov't Health Care Works

Not in so many words, but his reaction to a constituent the other night showed the Iowan Senator's true feelings about government-run health care and not just the talking points he usually spouts to defend his vote for the health insurance industry:

Contrary To GOP And DINO Spin, Public Option Will Save Us Money

The Democratic caucus may have a majority, but DINOs (Democrats in name only) have been trying to appease their Republican friends in the Senate to nix any and all possibilities of giving Americans a choice on whether they want a public or private health care plan. Allies of private insurance groups (like all Republicans, Sen. Max Baucus(D), Sen. Conrad (D) and other conserva-dems) protest that a government-run health care plan would cost more money and put bureaucrats between you and your doctor (as opposed to the bureaucrats that work at Cigna, Blue Cross, Aetna and so on). However, when the plan is actually thoroughly studied, we see a different reality from the naysayers spin.

From Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A nationwide health insurance exchange that includes a Medicare-like government option could save $1.8 trillion more than if only private plans are offered, a prominent private U.S. health policy group said on Wednesday.

Federal spending on health-related costs would still rise from 2010 to 2020, but they would be less with a plan that pays doctors and hospital rates similar to the Medicare program for the elderly and disabled, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund.

The New York-based health policy research group compared possible savings a health insurance exchange could bring under three different scenarios. One would include a Medicare-like plan along with private insurance. Another would instead offer a government-run plan with rates somewhat higher than Medicare. The final one would be private insurance with no government plan at all.

In our society, competition is a healthy thing for the economy. Why opponents who generally like the free-market (or so they say) want to limit consumers' choice is just a bit confusing. I guess they can toss aside their principles when a nice fat campaign check will suffice.

Of course, both sides know that a public option will ultimately benefit Americans who want good, quality health care. The difference is that one side wants people to have it, and the other doesn't.

Bill Maher Wants Obama To Deliver On Health Care

Making speeches is easy to do, but getting real reformational policy enacted is another. Obama spoke forcefully for the public option in front of the American Medical Association but back in the Senate, things are going more and more for the GOP and the corporate agenda. Maher, like he mentioned on "New Rules" a few days ago, wants Obama to act like Bush and get things the other side doesn't like, passed.

Gov. Dean Reminds Sen. Conrad Health Care Is An American Problem

Health care reform is one of the most pressing issues that our nation faces today. Yet progress in the Senate is slow-going with Senator Baucus in charge. He has dragged his feet to stop the public option from being seriously considered and he is getting help from his conservative Democratic friends to appease not only the Republican minority, but the health care industry as well. Senator Conrad tried to argue for a "compromise" plan that lets non-profit cooperatives negotiate prices instead of Medicare, but Governor Dean was quick to shoot his ridiculous attempt at "bipartisanship" down.

From ThinkProgress:

This morning on MSNBC, former Gov. Howard Dean rejected Conrad’s proposal, saying it is “not a real compromise.” “This is a fix for the Senate problem,” he said, “this doesn’t fix the American problem.” After heaping praise on Conrad, Dean explained:

He’s wrong about this. The co-ops are too small to compete with the big, private insurance companies. They will kill the co-ops completely by undercutting them, using their financial clout to do it. In the small states like mine and like Senator Conrad’s, you’re never gonna get to the 500,000 number signed up in the co-op that you need to in order for them to have any marketing [power].

This is a compromise designed to deal with problems in the Senate. But it doesn’t deal with problems in America. And I think it’s time for the Senate to stop playing politics, do what has to be done. … If the Republicans don’t want to get on board, then we can do this without the Republicans.

Exactly!

That Senate problem has nothing to do with actual concerns of Americans who are either being denied or short-changed by the current health care system. The fact is, having a public option is the compromise. If leaving the system the way it is would be the starting conservative position, then instituting a single payer program like other Western democracies would be the beginning point for the liberals. Having the option to go with a public option is a great compromise, and it will give health care industry proponents the chance to prove in the open market that their way of doing things works best.

Of course, they know it doesn't, and that is why they have tools senators like Kent Conrad and Max Baucus to do their bidding.

A.M.A. Still Doesn't Understand How Important Health Care Is To Americans

For decades now, the American Medical Association has opposed any comprehensive government program to fix the ills of our nation's health care situation. As millions more become uninsured and many that are lose benefits and pay more to insurance companies to receive less, the A.M.A. remains steadfast in their opposition to real reform. Of course there are other physician's groups that do want single payer or public option programs, but the problem is that insurance and pharmaceutical industries have their tentacles extended into almost every facet of American medicine. The A.M.A. in turn gives and has given mixed messages to the public on what they think is best for us.

From The Huffington Post:

Historically and philosophically, however, AMA's opposition is hardly newsworthy. Despite a lofty reputation and purported commitment to universal coverage, AMA has fought almost every major effort at health care reform of the past 70 years. The group's reputation on this matter is so notorious that historians pinpoint it with creating the ominous sounding phrase "socialized medicine" in the early decades of the 1900s.

"The AMA used it to mean any kind of proposal that involved an increased role for the government in the health care system," Jonathan Oberlander, a professor of health policy at the University of North Carolina, told NPR in a 2007 interview. "They also used it to mean things in the private system that they didn't like. So, at one point, HMOs were a form of socialized medicine."

Indeed, the role played by AMA throughout health care reform battles past has often been primarily as the defender of the status quo. In 1935, fears of an AMA backlash helped persuade Franklin Roosevelt's advisers to drop a health care article from the Social Security package -- fearful that the opposition would sink the legislation altogether.

The problem the A.M.A. refuses to see is that there is a problem with the status quo. The status quo kills thousands of people a year, leaves thousands more unnecessarily sick and has given our country a crisis of gargantuan proportions. The A.M.A. may have a quarter of a million doctors but tens of millions of Americans demand Congress help fix the problem that corporate America has created in our health care system. I would hope that Congress knows which number is greater.

Mitch McConnell Admits Public Option Is The Best Way To Go

Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would never go for a public option in the health care debate our nation is having. Making things easier for those that need insurance is simply not McConnell's top concern. Helping his buddies within the insurance industry is, and he made his allegiance known on a recent Sunday talk show at his favorite network.

From DailyKos:

Because Democratic Leaders (such as they are) too often tend to be idiots when it comes to developing narratives and memes (we're talking "marketing" here), they too often overlook or don't understand GOP "gifts" when they're given. Case in point: on May 17 Mitch McConnell admitted to Chris Wallace on the May 17 FNSunday:

"The private insurance people would not be able to compete with a government option."

The video is provided in the link above. McConnell may not have meant to lead viewers to see that a public option is only a bad idea for the corporations that profit off our health (or lack there of) but it certainly came across. As the diarist above states, Democratic Leaders are much too hesitant in offending the health insurance industry. That is why it is up to the rest of us that care about real health care reform to push the issue that Americans deserve good, affordable health care just like almost every other advanced democracy out there.

Senate Health Care Committee Meeting Starts In Protest

The Senate is only beginning to discuss what to do about our national health care crisis but not everyone is allowed at the table. With all of the health care officials testifying, no one who advocates for the Single Payer option was allowed to address the Committee.



Baucus addresses the protesters, and "respects" the views of the Single Payer advocates yet does not allow them to have a seat at the table.