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Just announced by Majority Leader Harry Reid, a government-run health insurance option will be presented as part of the healthcare legislation that is going to the Senate floor tomorrow.
While some are still highly skeptical as to how far the public option will really go, this is a major development for President Barack Obama and liberal democrats, who have all endured a firestorm of disapproval and criticism from Republicans and the right, since taking up the health insurance reform task.
A public option is seen as one major solution to covering thousands of people who go without insurance on a daily basis, in addition to bringing down costs for those who already have insurance.
While Reid does say the public option will be presented to the Senate, he also says that states will have the ability to opt out of the program if they choose.
According to the NY Times:
Mr. Reid's decision, made after nearly two weeks of deliberation, reflects a calculated gamble that the 60 Senate Democrats will stay united and vote in favor of a motion to bring the bill up for debate before the entire Senate.
If 60 senators refuse to support the bill including the government plan with a state opt-out, Mr. Reid would then have to regroup, make changes and try again. Some Democrats believe that liberal members of the party would not relent in their push to include the public option unless faced with such a clear defeat.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, though, has said that the House of Representatives will pass a healthcare bill that does include a public option.
Stay tuned!
Comments: (5)
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By: Lad on 10/27/2009 9:07AM
{tried to post this several time last night, hope it dosesn't come thru as a repost.}
This article gives me a lot to think about...
The latest Rasmussen Poll has this:
"57% Say Health Care Plan Will Increase Costs, 53% Say It Will Reduce Quality of Care, 45% Favor Passage."
Pres. Obama was elected by 54% of the vote but only 45% favor passage. Sounds to me like there is more than just the "firestorm of Republicans and the right" that don't want this to happen. This also flies in the face of the opinion in the story that this bill will help in "bringing down costs for those who already have insurance.” I say opinion because there’s no explanation as to how they will cut costs. Pres. Obama said recently that most of the money for this program will come from "cutting waste and fraud in Medicare program." If there is waste and fraud in the Medicare program, why haven't we cut that already? Medicare didn't start under Bush, we can’t blame him for it, and the Democrats were in charge of both houses for the last two years as well as all the time they had in charge under Pres. Clinton, where were they with all this waste and fraud? We don't have all the numbers despite Pres. Obama's pledge that there will be "complete transparency", but we do have some. The ten year projected budget from the non-partisan Government Accounting Office says that the cost for the health care bill as it was two weeks ago is somewhere around $247 billion, that we do know. I don't think we are going to find $247 billion in waste and fraud in Medicare. Which leads us to the conclusion that all of us are going to pay.
Mind you it’s only a poll, but it’s what we have to work with because we don't know what’s really in this bill. It changes from day to day and they seem so in a panic to get something through that the real concern is that soon it will turn into "JUST PASS SOMETHING. DON'T JUST STAND THERE!"
That would be the worst 'option' of them all.
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By: Tachea on 10/27/2009 12:26PM
Way to go Harry!! Now we need to get it done we Americans deserve it...
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By: black republican on 1/02/2011 8:10PM
TACHEA,
You need to wake up and really read and do some research. Public option will mean government run health care. Check with Canada, the UK, Massachuttes, or even Cuba to see what government run health care gets you. Mass. is broke due to their government run health care. Everyone from Cuba, Canada or the UK come to the US for good health care. No one in the US is denied health care. And who will pay for all this "free" health care? that would be me and every other tax paying citizen in the US. Look up socialism-see how good it isn't for any country.
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By: Lad on 10/27/2009 4:50PM
This article gives me a lot to think about...
The latest Rasmussen Poll has this:
"57% Say Health Care Plan Will Increase Costs, 53% Say It Will Reduce Quality of Care, 45% Favor Passage."
Pres. Obama was elected by 54% of the vote but only 45% favor passage. Sounds to me like there is more than just the "firestorm of Republicans and the right" that don't want this to happen. This also flies in the face of the opinion in the story that this bill will help in "bringing down costs for those who already have insurance.” I say opinion because there’s no explanation as to how they will cut costs. Pres. Obama said recently that most of the money for this program will come from "cutting waste and fraud in Medicare program." If there is waste and fraud in the Medicare program, why haven't we cut that already? Medicare didn't start under Bush, we can’t blame him for it, and the Democrats were in charge of both houses for the last two years as well as all the time they had in charge under Pres. Clinton, where were they with all this waste and fraud? We don't have all the numbers despite Pres. Obama's pledge that there will be "complete transparency", but we do have some. The ten year projected budget from the non-partisan Government Accounting Office says that the cost for the health care bill as it was two weeks ago is somewhere around $247 billion, that we do know. I don't think we are going to find $247 billion in waste and fraud in Medicare. Which leads us to the conclusion that all of us are going to pay.
Mind you it’s only a poll, but it’s what we have to work with because we don't know what’s really in this bill. It changes from day to day and they seem so in a panic to get something through that the real concern is that soon it will turn into "JUST PASS SOMETHING. DON'T JUST STAND THERE!"
That would be the worst 'option' of them all.
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By: Lad on 10/27/2009 5:06PM
This article gives me a lot to think about...
The latest Rasmussen Poll has this:
"57% Say Health Care Plan Will Increase Costs, 53% Say It Will Reduce Quality of Care, 45% Favor Passage."
Pres. Obama was elected by 54% of the vote but only 45% favor passage. Sounds to me like there is more than just the "firestorm of Republicans and the right" that don't want this to happen. This also flies in the face of the opinion in the story that this bill will help in "bringing down costs for those who already have insurance.” I say opinion because there’s no explanation as to how they will cut costs. Pres. Obama said recently that most of the money for this program will come from "cutting waste and fraud in Medicare program." If there is waste and fraud in the Medicare program, why haven't we cut that already? Medicare didn't start under Bush, we can’t blame him for it, and the Democrats were in charge of both houses for the last two years as well as all the time they had in charge under Pres. Clinton, where were they with all this waste and fraud? We don't have all the numbers despite Pres. Obama's pledge that there will be "complete transparency", but we do have some. The ten year projected budget from the non-partisan Government Accounting Office says that the cost for the health care bill as it was two weeks ago is somewhere around $247 billion, that we do know. I don't think we are going to find $247 billion in waste and fraud in Medicare. Which leads us to the conclusion that all of us are going to pay.
Mind you it’s only a poll, but it’s what we have to work with because we don't know what’s really in this bill. It changes from day to day and they seem so in a panic to get something through that the real concern is that soon it will turn into "JUST PASS SOMETHING. DON'T JUST STAND THERE!"
That would be the worst 'option' of them all.
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