Obama Drafts Health Care Fallback Plan

[supernova]

Source: rollcall.com

The White House has been secretly drafting its own health care legislation that it may unveil at some point during the debate if officials believe it would help secure passage of a bill, according to sources familiar with the effort.
Sources differed on how far the process has gotten, with some saying a bill is basically finished and others saying they are aware only of a partially completed effort. White House officials, though they know their preferences, also appear to be constructing different options that could be thrown together depending on how the legislation is shaping up in Congress.

But all sources knowledgeable about the effort agreed the measure includes significant detail and possibly even some legislative language that could ensure the bill is ready to go the moment it is needed.

“They are getting ready for a backup,” said one veteran observer of health care debates who was knowledgeable about the effort. “It will be parachuted in if necessary.”

Read more: http://www.rollcall.com/issues/55_33/news/39053-1.html?type=pf

---

Mods: This is the printer friendly version via HuffPo. Otherwise Rollcall is subscription only.


This is interesting. Wonder what's in it?

[daa]

1. Backup my azz he better be polishing his resume nt

[Alhena]

3. How do you suggest he force Senators to vote for the public option?

Or maybe he can just dissolve the Senate and impose it during martial law.

The problem is Dem Senators, not Obama. Landrieu, Nelson et al are more scared of conservative voters than Obama.

[robinlynne]

9. well the DNC can say no more funding for the coming election. Isn't that how they usually

do it?

[Hawkowl]

15. Old fashioned arm twisting

1) POTUS promises to recruit a primary challenger and raise money for him. As the champion fund raiser of all time, Obama should be able to get any Senator to shit himself.

2) Any pet projects, any pork, any monetary expenditures whatsoever in said Senator's state will be either stricken from the budget or held up by whatever executive branch agency is responsible for disbursing the funds--and the media will know to blame the Senator.

THIS is how old school Chicago Style politics is played. I don't know what the fuck Obama is playing at. Some poster postulated a hybrid between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. Obama is turning out to be one of the weakest presidents in modern times. Really quite extraordinary after shrub, who was maniacally strong to the point of essentially being a dictator. Obama has no spine.

[Frank Booth]

19. Thank you.

That's about the best, most concise criticism of Obama I've seen so far. I don't know why so many are willing to give him a break for being ineffectual. It's like we all got Harry Reid elected president by mistake.

[daa]

24. Unbelievably true

"Really quite extraordinary after shrub, who was maniacally strong to the point of essentially being a dictator. Obama has no spine."

I mean REALLY. shrub did all that with no where near 60. We give him 60 and what does he do? shrub says here is my illegal wiretap plan, pass it. BO says you guys come up with a health plan for me to sign.


And now the union is in on the fix for no public option. Sickening.

[Alhena]

46. Sounds good in theory, but in reality a liberal democrat will not win in Nebraska

Louisiana or Arkansas. Obama won't do what you suggest for the same reason that the Republicans won't recruit a conservative primary challenger for Olympia Snowe.

[Iowa]

49. Well said. I agree.

And the thing is, we had plenty of evidence of his capacity for treachery and spinelessness before the primaries.

[laughingliberal]

2. Don't know what's in it but just saw this and it didn't make me happy

<snip> The White House measure appears designed to entice moderate Democrats and perhaps even Republicans into supporting a health care overhaul if legislative efforts in Congress fail or if they move too far to the left. <snip>

Would have hoped they were drafting back up legislation in case the bill is too oppressive to American people but no...

[supernova]

4. That's worrisome to me as well - eom

How odd if the WH bill turned out to be more conservative than the Congressional bill.

[JDPriestly]

11. Obama is going to be penny wise and pound foolish on this healthcare bill.

He is going to make the same mistake that has been made by the corporate sector in terms of financial planning since the late 1970s. He is looking for a plan that makes his budget look good in the short term. The problem is that will mean no public option, and without a public option, there will be, there can be, no long-term savings.

Without a public option, health care reform will appear less expensive on the government budget, but will be far too expensive for the budgets of American families. No public option; no effective reform.

[timeforpeace]

21. A health care plan of his own? Just now doing one? What an idea!

[Bonobo]

51. Which party do you support? Democrats or Republicans? nt

[blueworld]

5. It's like they're playing chess with each other & allowing us to watch. n/t

[denverbill]

6. I could accept a bill with no public option.

But not the Baucus POS.

If they passed a bill that required insurers to offer the same coverage to everyone in the US regardless of health, age, sex, or any other discriminating factor, that would be an improvement. Risk selection should be banned completely.

If they passed a bill that forced insurers to guarantee that their insurance premiums would be paid in full in the event they lose their employment, that would be an improvement.

If they passed a bill allowing re-importation of drugs or that allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices, that would be an improvement.

If they passed a bill banning 'group' coverage, so that all individuals could freely select their insurer, that would be an improvement.


Lots of things would help.

I want single payer, but that's off the table. Barring that I want a strong public option and if that's off the table, there should be no mandated purchase.

But anything above would be an improvement.

[flamingdem]

8. Can you afford 20% increases every year, try paying $500 a month for crap coverage nt

[denverbill]

16. Hey, if I was dictator, we'd have Canadian style single payer paid for with a flat tax on incomes.

But guess what? The douchebags in power think that anything remotely socialist is evil incarnate and it's going to take a miracle to pass even a weak public option. And if a public option passes, you can bet it will have a mandate that everyone buys insurance and that the public option is either triggered or a last resort.

My point in my post is that I think things could be done to improve the situation, even without a public option. If there is no single payer, I'd at least like to be able to shop around for coverage rather than have my employer pick my options, but that's impossible now because 'group rates' aren't available to individuals, and insurers force individuals to pay higher rates because of their fear of adverse selection. If you force them to offer the same rate to everyone, at least it truly opens up competition because individuals will be buying policies, not employers.

If you say it's a public option or nothing, then you're voting for the status quo. And THAT guarantees 20% increases every year.

[comtec]

44. oh pleast the flat tax is such bullshit it's not funny

the poor will still end up paying - percentage of their paycheck - more than the rich.

are you going to exempt the first 25,000 dollars of income to make it remotely fair for the poor?

easier way to pay for single payer, eliminate the 100,000 dollar ceiling on soc sec payments.

bill gates should pay a full 8% of his salary, along with all worthless sports "stars", and the like.

THEN maybe we can consider a bullshit idea like flat tax.

[denverbill]

47. I'm not suggesting a flat tax for everything. Only health care.

It's what they do in Germany and sounded fair to me.

I'm not a proponent of a flat tax replacing the income tax mind you.

But I'd happily pay a flat tax for single payer health care, with no limits. It would replace a ridiculously regressive Medicare tax which ends at 100K and would give a huge benefit to low-income people - guaranteed health care for life.

Yes maybe a progressive tax would be better, but at least for health care, a flat tax for universal care does provide a huge subsidy to the poor by the rich. Most of us would probably break even, but the guarantee of health care is worth a lot to most people.

[No Elephants]

54. Socialism involves the govt. owning and running things. In health care, that would involve

government's owning hospitals, hiring and firing doctors, nurses and other staff, etc. No one is proposing that.


Single payer would be like Medicare or Medicaid, with government stepping into the role of medical insurer. Ditto a strong public option. If anything is being socialized, it is the function of health insurer. I have no problem with that. We've done it for decades, just not for everyone.

[ramapo]

10. I'm with you

There should be one big risk pool. Everybody in and the rates are the same for all no matter the medical history. The only leeway that I would think might be fair would be perhaps three age-related groups with a moderate premium difference between the youngest and oldest insured.

The ban on negotiating prices has to go. Talk about giveaways.

I like your idea of getting rid of group coverage. Most people have little to no choice of insurance. If your employer offers a group, that is your one and only option. That's why I always want to laugh (or cry?) when I hear that a public option will take away our choices.

[JDPriestly]

14. If you have one big risk pool and everyone in including people with

pre-existing conditions and people who are unemployed and aged 50-65, insurance costs will go way, way up. People with pre-existing conditions and the unemployed aged 50-65 are delaying care and either dying or waiting until they get on Medicare or some other government program at this time. If they start getting regular health insurance, prices will go up for other consumers. Also, you are not considering the kinds of co-pays and premiums that the bill without a public option will permit.

The Baucus bill as I understand it will ruin what is left of the middle class.

[denverbill]

20. What's the alternative?

What do you suggest we do with people 50-65 and with preexisting conditions? Are you suggesting that only young, healthy people should be on private insurance and people that actually need insurance be supported by public insurance? That guarantees insurance company profits more than anything I can think of.

Don't be fooled into thinking your health insurance premiums are what you pay for health care. You also pay Medicare taxes, and taxes for Medicaid. You also pay for it in your auto insurance. And you pay a big chunk in higher medical bills caused by uninsured people who can't pay their bills.

Premiums would go up, it will be more than offset ultimately by lower hidden costs, more competition and more people getting care early.

[ramapo]

45. Bull

Group policies have one risk pool. Corporations large and small are groups.

Go to work at any company that offers insurance. There are no denials for pre-existing conditions, waiting periods, etc . as long as you have had continuous coverage.

Everybody in. Everybody pays. It levels out.

The Baucus bill is a payoff to the insurance companies. If no public option, then there needs to be specific controls on rates and out-of-pocket expenses.

The bigger the pool, the better.

[liberal N proud]

13. No public option = payday for insurance companies.

[denverbill]

23. Would allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices help?

Would allowing re-importation of drugs from Canada help?

Personally, I'd rather do those 2 things than have a weak-assed public option because some of the public options I've seen discussed are pathetic. If the public option is forced to charge artificially high rates or is forced to take only customers rejected by private insurers or if it's only available to people who don't have insurance, it isn't going to help much.

I think a weak public option plus mandated purchase is no better than a mandate with no public option.

Republicans are right. A strong public option will destroy private insurance because insurance companies can't compete on price with the government. So any public option we get will be guaranteed to be weak. The DLC and Republicans will see to that.

And if that's the best we can get, then I say screw it, and fix what we can because the status quo sucks.

Personally, I think all my suggestions in my op would help way more than a weak public option.

[No Elephants]

55. How pathetic that we have to plead for the ability of Medicare to negoiate prices!!

Good Lord, what this country has come to since Reagan was elected.

[daa]

25. Dr, Dean on RM said it would be a FARCE nt

[No Elephants]

53. No public option plus mandates = mega payday for insurance companies. Ditto

eliminating the pre-existing condition bs, but allowing insurance companies to charge much, much more to those with pre-existing conditions. BTW, if you study genetics, many, if not all of us, have one or more--probably more--pre-existing condition.

[MarjorieG]

7. Allowing to pass, fallback, sounds minus p.o., but wish reconciliation for increase to Medicare

separately if need be.

[NYC Democrat]

12. we will most likely never see this proposal

it seems it only exist just in case none of the current bills can pass under any circumstances probably including reconciliation.

[SandWalker1984]

17. Heard on Ed Schultz show last night that White House is NOT for a public option!

Last night Ed Schultz said on his show that Robert Reich is stating that he is getting word that inside White House sources are busy reassuring the big insurance execs that the final health care reform bill WILL NOT HAVE A PUBLIC OPTION.

Question: Has Obama sold us out already?

Just what is going on here?????

[high density]

18. "Sources" have been saying this from the start of the argument

Yet every time we hear directly from Obama he comes out for the public option. I'm tired of hearing "source say" some BS that never gets corroborated.

[No Elephants]

56. Has Reich been unreliable in the past?

[NYC Democrat]

22. at this point im just ignoring "sources" cause it seems that over half the time they are wrong.

[laughingliberal]

48. Troubling that Reich is saying this.

He has been one person consistently believing the final bill would have a public option.

[midnight]

26. White House drafting fallback healthcare bill, report says

Source: Raw Story

The Obama Administration is quietly drawing up its own healthcare plan behind the scenes as a fallback measure should healthcare legislation get tied up in Congress, according to a report Wednesday.

But all sources knowledgeable about the effort agreed the measure includes significant detail and possibly even some legislative language that could ensure the bill is ready to go the moment it is needed,” he added.



Read more: http://rawstory.com/2009/09/white-house-has-backup-healthcare-bill-in-the-wings-report-says/

---

After listening to Mr. Shumer on Rachel Maddow talk about this issue not being over,maybe they will take it to the senate and tie it into a medicare bill that.

[timeforpeace]

27. I bet Obama always turned his homework in late in school too.

[Cant trust em]

30. Yet somehow managed to graduate from the finest universities in the country.

If that pattern holds up, then we should be ecstatic.

[99 Percent Sure]

41. The late homework premise must be a witticism - Obama was the first

Black head of the Harvard Law Review. I doubt he could have accomplished that without the timely submission of his papers, since black people have to be a thousand percent more meticulous to achieve certain successes.

Things learned in high school Civics have obviously been forgotten by most of us, let alone Shrub's signing statement tricks of the past 8 years; news flash - the current president can use the same tricks.

In politics as in life, there is always more than one way to skin a cat -- or as in this case a few dogs. All this hysteria over the Dirty Dawg Democratic Senators voting against the pub op is unnecessary because there have always been presidential end-runs around Congressional obstructions. We ain't dead yet. In fact -- never mind.

ITA with your post.

[No Elephants]

57. Being head of Law Review has nothing to do with papers being turned in on time. The other members

of the Law Review, all stucents, elect the Editor in Chief. Getting elected to that position is no small feat, so I am not trying to diminish it. I am just pointing out that it has nothing to do with papers being turned in on time.

[zipplewrath]

28. So Rahm gets to write it?

So Rahm is working to codify into the language of the bill all the side deals he struck with Big Pharma and others? I suppose that does supply congress with "plausible deniability" and generally makes it harder to figure just how many deals he struck.

[midnight]

34. I hope they use his strength to keep the Republicans out of the way.....

[gateley]

29. Wow - depending on what they come up with, this might be the best outcome! nt

[midnight]

32. This is what I'm hoping for....

[The River]

38. This Is What

I believe was going to happen all along.

[frebrd]

35. Only if you're not interested in a Public Option.

I don't think anyone in the Administration is seriously interested in one.

:(

[gateley]

37. I'm HOPING that they know how very important it us to We The People, and they'll

provide one. They do want to be re-elected, after all. :7

[Oregone]

39. The best way to placate people while they are being fed a shit sandwich

[onehandle]

31. Good. Send it to the Democrats in Congress and tell the GOP to go fuck themselves. nt

[midnight]

33. We can only hope that this stance will be taken, and that we mean business-Now!

[gateley]

36. This seems to indicate (or I may be blindly reading into it) that they will let this

farce play out, then they'll have the right to say -- this has taken too long we gave you every chance, we promised the American people help, so here it is. Oh Please Oh Please Oh Please!!

[midnight]

43. This is what I'm hoping for too!

[NYC Democrat]

40. this only exist in case even the finance bill is unable to pass so we will most likely

never see any real details of the plan.

[SandWalker1984]

42. Is the White House for or against a public option?

If you caught Ed Schultz's show last night, Ed commented that Robert Reich was saying that White House sources, thru the back channels, are reassuring the big execs in the insurance corporations that the final health care reform bill will not have a public option included.

Part of the reason there is not more support in Congress by Democrats for a public option is because the White House is standing on the sidelines saying "maybe we will, maybe we won't" on the public option and none of them have enough spine to stand up for what needs to be done to address the issues created by greedy insurance corporations.

If Congress is not going to give private insurance corporations meaningful competition thru a strong public option open to ALL Americans,

then the only other option for meaningful reform is to REGULATE THE HEALTH CARE INSURANCE CORPORATIONS IN THE SAME MANNER AS PUBLIC UTILITIES.

Passing a Baucus type bill to say you passed legislation is NOT what we want and will only make matters worse. I agree with Michael Moore on this one -- do the right thing or we will vote you out of office!

[Overseas]

50. Best fallback plan -- Open Up Medicare to all who choose it.

My Fallback Plan =

Our legislators can't win against the millions of dollars a day the private insurers are spending to defeat reform or weaken the legislation.

We thought we could get all legislators to go along with insurance reform in light of the disastrous situation our constituents are in after 8 more years of unregulated rule. We thought the massive suffering of our people would override their fundraising interests, but it hasn't.

Therefore, to treat our national health security emergency, we will just have to open up Medicare and Medicaid to all who want to buy into them on a sliding scale.

We will start in 2010 by opening up Medicare to everyone over 50, because there are a lot of unemployed older Americans whose premiums put them at a great disadvantage in the job market.

[harun]

52. He should use that as the alternative to those not willing to vote for

a PO. Say if you won't vote yes on a strong public option you are going to be voting on Medicare for all, period.

Say people 50 on up get it in 2010 and every year it opens up for five years less. 2011, 45, 2012, 40, etc. until everyone has the option of signing up.

Whole bill could be one page.

[Overseas]

58. That's what I'm talking about! Enough with the Grand Obstructionist Party!

That would be the best reply to the professional bullying and constant nay saying by the GOP.

That's it folks! Medicare for all who want it.