Senators near bipartisan health deal

[kpete]

Source: Associated Press


AP sources: Senators near bipartisan health deal


WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of senators is closing in on a health care compromise that omits key Democratic priorities but seeks to hold down costs, as lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol struggled Tuesday to deliver sweeping health legislation to President Barack Obama.

In the House, Democratic leaders continued to negotiate with conservative and moderate rank-and-file party members with time running out for a vote before lawmakers leave Friday for a monthlong vacation.

The fiscally conservative Blue Dogs were at odds with the leadership over how to pay providers in a government-run health plan that would compete with private insurance. The House bill models the payments based on Medicare, but the so-called Blue Dogs want a negotiated rate similar to private insurance. Other issues remain sticking points for the Democrats.

"We're not ready to support a bill yet," said Rep. Baron Hill, D-Ind., a member of the Blue Dog group, who added: "We'll get there. We are going to pass a health care bill, whether it's now or in the fall remains to be seen."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090728/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul

[mbperrin]

1. Gosh, don't let millions of Americans without insurance of any kind

and hundreds dying weekly from that get in the way of a Congressional vacation!!

The horror!

Fuckers.

[redqueen]

2. Why do Blue Dogs and Republicans hate saving taxpayers' money?

Oh yeah, cause they love private insurance industry profits.

[David__77]

3. I'm fine with incrementalism.

I think that too many people are failing to recognize that this thing can be done in stages. And there are political advantages to doing such. We need to entrench the public expectation of universal healthcare first, then proceed to construct the best system for providing it.

[rurallib]

5. Well this puts us about where we were in 1945 when Truman

first started pushing universal health care. This will be no advance. What appears to be progress will be eroded quickly and nothing will have changed.
We have had promises of insurance change for decades. And the only change is that it has gotten worse.

[David__77]

6. Expanding Medicare coverage is a good step.

There are many things that can be done. An employer mandate, too, is important.

[clear eye]

25. That would be a good idea. Unfortunately it's not part of any of the current frontrunners.

Have you looked at the article that's the subject of this thread?

[MarjorieG]

7. That may be why the 2013 implementation, but hope insurance reform happens sooner. More concerned

getting law while we have Obama, and if a second term even better for making it happen and any tinkering needed immediately. Wonder if we can reform items like pre-existing exclusions, etc, now.

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. "stages"...same idea that got us Civil rights, the vote for Women, ERA,

Unions, Gay rights, etc, in such a damn quick fashion, eh?

[David__77]

19. In a sense, yes.

Those things were won in an incremental, state-by-state manner. The political infrastructure of the respective movements was developed during this process. Of course I want to go to universal coverage immediately. I see no reason why this plan should not do this. But the manner in which it is done may be less than optimal.

[katandmoon]

17. I want what you're smoking.

[clear eye]

23. You're "failing to recognize" that if this thing is done very badly it will discredit all government

financed plans. It's already hard to convince Americans that the government won't somehow create problems in care if they finance all of it. Single-payer advocates are finally making some inroads in that thanks to Sicko and the witness of heroic nurses and doctors. It could easily come undone with a poisonous public option or badly done gov't regulations.

How about asking us why we're concerned, instead of assuming that we're a little stupid and can't recognize reality?

[DJ13]

4. Fuck bipartisanship

Im tired of seeing the Democrats bending over to the Republicans.

Lets try and have some balls for a change.

[LiberalLovinLug]

8. "We're not ready to support a bill yet,"

"said Rep. Baron Hill, D-Ind"

Not enough profits guaranteed for my big corporate contributors yet.

I am starting to believe that the so called Blue Dogs are not DINO'S,
They are full fledged Repukes. Fucking bright red Trojan horses.

[The Stranger]

9. I thought the Nancy Disaster said she already had a bill that would pass.

[endarkenment]

11. The house isn't the problem.

[The Stranger]

24. Here's what the OP says:

In the House, Democratic leaders continued to negotiate with conservative and moderate rank-and-file party members with time running out for a vote before lawmakers leave Friday for a monthlong vacation.

[Dr.Phool]

10. Go on vacation! Come back and get it right.

In the mean time, give these Blue Dogs and repukes holy hell during the break.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[PassingFair]

15. Don't forget the "don't know" NEW DEMS....

http://standwithdrdean.com/where_congress_stands


Blue Dogs are taking the heat, but the
New Dems are SANDBAGGING us, again.

[clear eye]

29. + 1

[msongs]

12. bipartisan = death industry corporate whores lololol nt

[dflprincess]

14. I'd say you have that right.

[mvd]

16. No public insurance option = unacceptable

Mandatory private insurance in the end would be WORSE than what we have.

[BlueIdaho]

18. Let Max know how you feel...

http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. He doesn't care. WE are not paying him as much as the Insurance lobby is.

[BlueIdaho]

21. Lobbiests aren't enough to win a election.

Turn the heat up on this pile and let him know he might lose his job. No job - no payola.

Are we all "to busy" on DU to take five minutes to contact our elected officials?

[clear eye]

30. Unfortunately it's been discovered that they are.

You can sell any lying message if you can buy enough media and fancy enough websites. Even if you've sent 90% of your constituents to the poorhouse, you can convince them you've been their best friend if you have enough money. See the same media you're buying your ads from aren't going to carefully factcheck your claims and call you a liar. Especially if you've been doing favors for the same monied special interests as make up the rest of the media's ad market.

That's the crux of the problem, and why some activists are working their hearts out for publicly financed elections as are already available at the state and local levels in Arizona and Maine.

[BlueIdaho]

32. I'll vote for that... nt.

[dixiegrrrrl]

34. Hear hear.

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[dixiegrrrrl]

33. NO, I am not and I was not too busy to join everyone when they

all rose up, 300 to 1 against the bailout.
Which, if you remember, passed anyway. Twice.

One day soon we will have to come out into the streets.
and we know it will make Iran look like a cakewalk.

[bemildred]

22. More corporate stooge fakery. nt

[DebbieCDC]

26. "We're going to pass a health care bill"

"That protects big pharma and big insurance and fucks the American middle class"

[Becky72]

27. bipartisanshi is what weakened the Stimulus Package

It could have been much stronger, if not for the concession given to Olympia Snowe and Collins of Maine.
The House plan is the one that should pass. No ifs or buts.

[Zorra]

28. A bipartisan plan will be an Insurance Industry boondoggle that they

will convert into a huge taxpayer ripoff resulting in less than zero benefit for everyone except for the Insurance Industry, which will make brazillions in new profits.

[Vidar]

31. Their end product looks to be another triumph of corruption.