NEWS JUNKIE POST
Sep 29, 2009 at 2:31 pmSenate Finance Committee Blocks Public Option
The Senate Finance Committee defeated two attempts to add the public option.
The following Democrats helped the public option fail: Senators Max Baucus (Mont.), Blanche Lincoln (Ark.), Bill Nelson (FL), Tom Carper (Del.), and Kent Conrad (ND).
Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) authored one measure. He said health insurance companies are “making so much money” off the Finance Committee bill. He sites a mandate forcing people to buy into the health insurance system, potentially giving them 47 million more customers.
“If we don’t do this, we’re saying to the health insurance companies, go ahead, make more money,” Rockefeller said.
Rockefeller’s blunt assessment is common on Capitol Hill, but usually when it is directed at members of the other party. Senator Rockefeller was criticizing a bill written by his Democratic colleague, Chair of the Finance Committee, Max Baucus of Montana.
Senator Baucus was forced to defend his bill. He said the Senate does not have the support for a public option. He also said the “bill does hold insurance companies’ feet to the fire.”
Baucus points to transparency requirements forcing insurance companies to release their expenditures, and they will have to pay an excise tax. Baucus also points to measure that would require competitive bidding for Medicare Advantage, which is expected to cost the insurance companies $100 billion over 10 years.
The five above mentioned Democrats sided with all the Republicans to defeat Senator Rockefeller‘s measure.
The committee also debated an amendment by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY). It differed from Senator Rockefeller’s version because Rockefeller’s tied reimbursement rates to Medicare. Senator Schumer’s would give insurance companies an even playing field because it would tie reimbursement rates to the insurance market.
Schumer’s measure received more Democratic support. Only three Democrats, Senators Max Baucus, Blanche Lincoln and Kent Conrad, joined the Republicans to defeat it.
Supporters of the public option stressed that it will only be an option for consumers. They vow to obtain the necessary 60 vote threshold for a vote before the full Senate.
Meanwhile, filmmaker Michael Moore was in Washington to promote his new movie “Capitalism: A Love Story.” He joined a news conference on health care where he promised to use his resources and his following to defeat any Democrat who does not support a public option.
“I and a lot of other people have every intention of removing you from Congress if you stand in the way of health care legislation that the people want. That is not an idle threat. We will come to your districts and we will work against you,” Moore said.
Michael Moore, who made the movie “Sicko“, said a single payer option, where Medicare would be expanded to cover everyone, is optimal, but he rejects “any bill that doesn’t have, at the minimum, the public option.” Moore goes on to say that if “mandated insurance, which means billions of dollars more in free cash to the private insurance companies,” is the final product, it will be a product he cannot except.
Moore predicts that after his new movie is released this weekend, people will become outraged at the power of corporate America that people will become more active and vocal.
He criticized President Obama for striking deals between the health insurance companies, hospitals and pharmaceuticals.
“Anybody’s who bought a care, anybody who’s negotiated anything knows you don’t start with your final position,” Moore said.
Doctors who call themselves “Mad as Hell” will rally in DC in favor of single payer beginning tomorrow.
For an audio version of this story, visit FSRN.org.
insurance companies are just middlemen that bring nothing to the table when it comes to providing healthcare. they are obviously in it for the profit, which is diametrically opposed to the idea of providing good care to everyone (hence the cherry-picking, pre-existing condition crap ..)
the ideal really is a single payer system, or at the minimum, a public option to keep the sc**bag insurance companies honest .
almost every first world country has already solved this problem .. except for us