Posted on 07/29/2010 8:58:00 AM PDT by Maelstorm
Four months after President Barack Obama enacted the Affordable Care And Patient Protection Act, House Democrats have revived a top liberal priority that was eliminated from the sweeping health care law in the latter stages of a grueling year-long debate: the public option.
Armed with a new line of attack aimed at soothing deficit fears, Democratic Reps. Lynn Woolsey (Calif.), Jan Schakowsky (Ill.) and Pete Stark (Calif.) last Thursday unveiled a bill that would offer consumers the choice of a “robust” government-run insurance plan alongside the private plans in the law’s exchanges. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the bill, which has gained 128 co-sponsors, will reduce the federal deficit by $68 billion between 2014 and 2020.
“As the deficit continues to grow, so does the need for a program that can save billions of dollars and improve health care while doing it,” Woolsey, the co-chair of the progressive caucus, told The Washington Independent. “We are introducing the public option now so it will be available as a ready-made offset or deficit reducer in this or the next Congress.”
Schakowsky argues that the lower overhead costs of government plans such as Medicare would allow the public option to create a better deal for consumers. “We could offer that kind of plan at a lower cost, and it would compete with private insurance companies, who would have to be more efficient and lower their costs,” she told TWI. “It would follow the same rules as private insurers.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonindependent.com ...
Every one of those 128 House Democrats is in the distilled essence of douchebaggery.
“Beginning in 2011 the Feds will “track” those amounts and then in 2012 we’ll have to “report” those amounts.”
But not the union members...
Pure politics to try to get their deadbeat base fired up to vote in Nov.
Anyone who finds this surprising is brain dead.
Anyone who finds this surprising is brain dead.
In the "old" days, we didn't have a 19th amendment. Things were a lot nicer back then, huh sharon?
that’s the way I understand it and Ben Nelson’s state too, I think.
Socialism bump for later............
only way to deal with a zombie is to cave its skuil in
Just them talking about things like this will make it more likely they lose big in November.
Maybe you could elaborate?
It's about the $$$$ and control.....Always has been, always will be.
[I’ll never comply with the Health Care plan. They can do their worst.]
Dittos. Same with the 1099 reporting. I see massive non-compliance on the horizon, forcing either a massive crackdown or collapse of the system.
A little back of the envelope calculation: 30 million businesses each filing 10 new 1099s requiring one hour processing per 1099 works out to 150,000 man years of bureaucratic waste. I think that number is conservative. Who can comply with this nightmare?
The best way to kill this and other Progressive, big-Gov’t schemes?
Close down the Federal Reserve.
None of this would be possible without the Fed and their ability to print money and buy mountains of Gov’t debt. Hard currency and a market interest rate would force immediate discipline onto the Govt. Who is buying $1.4 Trillion in US Govt debt this year? Some Americans, some Chinese, and some other foreigners - but mainly, the FED is.
And that is exactly why we need to go to DC and literally take their seats away from them. I am talking about walking into the chambers, picking up the seats and walking out with them. Place them on the steps and literally take a seat and hold public court against the Congress of the USSA.
I sincerely hope that when the new Republican Majority will dismantle many of these types of enities that appear to be answerable to no one yet manage to bleed our tax dollars and economies dry. I also think that the government should review/defund most non profits as they have become mere money laundering centers. If we eliminate just this spending we could easily lower the deficit to reasonable levels.
Thus, for them to make this statement at this juncture (11 weeks or so before the election) means this is what they will be campaigning on to try to win those angry voters back.
Sure, a 100% public option is what they want, but IMO this is more about getting the base back than really being able to get what they want, especially with large numbers of Repub reps poised to infiltrate Congress.
And yes you are correct they are energizing their base, I just wanted to remind everyone that they really do mean it!
I fear sometimes at FR, we get to complacent and sluff off the Dems as crazy, when they are dead serious.
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