New Government-Run Health Proposal Eyed

[stevedeshazer]

Source: Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON -- Democrats wrestled with a new proposal on a government health-insurance plan that would give private entities a central role in running the program, in a bid for compromise on one of the health bill's most divisive issues.

The talks came as President Barack Obama traveled to Capitol Hill Sunday to urge party unity among Senate Democrats considering the measure.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) held the chamber in session over the weekend to debate the legislation that would extend health insurance to tens of millions of Americans not now covered.

The government-run plan remained a sticking point. In closed-door negotiations Sunday, Democrats on both sides of the issue who were assigned by Sen. Reid to find a compromise were nearing agreement on an alternative that would empower the government's Office of Personnel Management to run a new national health plan, congressional aides said. The office already oversees the federal employee health plan, and administration officials have pointed to it as an example of how the government can successfully run a health-insurance program.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126004745673278523.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird

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more at link

[New Dawn]

1. "that would give private entities a central role in running the program"

Then it would NOT be "government run."

[stevedeshazer]

3. You might want to read the whole thing first.

At least the fifth paragraph, which I'm not supposed to post.

[NYC_SKP]

4. the Fifth paragraph sounds sucky. Here's paragraphs 5-8:

Maybe I'm misreading it, but here it is.

..snip..

Under the proposal, the office would negotiate terms of the plan with private insurers, and contract with nonprofit entities set up by the private sector to run the program, aides said. One senior Democratic Senate aide suggested the idea is now the "leading proposal" among Democrats. A key issue remained demands by liberals for additional steps to widen coverage and ease costs for consumers, and one option under consideration was a further expansion of Medicaid, the health program for the poor.

"We're finding a good deal of the give-and-take that leads to common ground," said Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.), a negotiator on the issue. Sen. Schumer said no deals had been reached, and that talks on the issue would reconvene Monday afternoon.

Mr. Obama said party lawmakers should put aside their differences and focus on fundamental goals.

White House spokesman Bill Burton said the president called on senators to seize "this historic opportunity," which would make good on a major Democratic promise of the 2008 campaign. "If we don't deliver, we've got a problem," added Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) during an appearance Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

..ship..

Why negotiate with private insurers? What's to negotiate?

:shrug:

[grantcart]

5. lower rates and better coverage.

The OPM now negotiates the plans that they allow into the FEHB and they do a very good job at keeping rates down and coverage high.

Presumably private companies that cannot meet their benchmarks would not be allowed in.

[NYC_SKP]

8. Thanks, I clearly don't understand enough about this industry, except as a consumer.

Thanks, grantcart.

[stevedeshazer]

12. Right. That's clearly an improvement over what was before.

Remember Bush's Medicare Part D? The gov't can't negotiate the price of prescription drugs, thus we get gouged by Big Pharma.

Thanks, Grantcart, that's how I read it too.

[Vidar]

11. Congressional bribes & kickbacks.

[napi21]

7. I think the terminology being used is wrong. I honestly think

what this public plan would look like would be more like Medicare than anything else. It's gov't run...sort of...but all claims are processed by a private entity the same as the ins. cos do and funded by the gov't from premiums received. Right now claims processing is such a complex operation, I don't think you'd want it any other way.

[Ian David]

2. Why do we need health insurance companies to run the damn thing?

I say we padlock their doors and throw their CEOs in jail instead.

[TacticalPeek]

6. Leave it to the Senate to fuck it up beyond all recognition.

The greatest deliberative body you can buy.

[Odin2005]

9. Nice spin in the headline, WSJ.

:puke:

[Judi Lynn]

10. Hope that paper will do so poorly Murdoch will be forced to sell it to a human being. n/t