A must READ snippet from an article about the compromise that the Blue Dog's 'Won' today

[debbierlus]

The entire article link follows the snippet & comment. I am posting this section because it appears towards the bottom of the article, and it summarizes perfectly the strategy of the insurance companies (through their bought & paid politicians) to create a toothless 'public option'...

"Under the agreement between Waxman and the Blue Dogs, House Democrats retained the idea of creating a government insurance program, which they believe will help drive down costs and give many consumers a new insurance option.

But the deal takes steps to ensure that the government plan would not gain advantages as a result of the federal management of Medicare, the insurance program for seniors that can negotiate low rates for services because of its massive size.

Originally, the government insurance plan would have paid doctors, hospitals and other providers a rate set slightly higher than Medicare's. Insurers and hospitals, as well as many lawmakers, feared that arrangement would mean the government plan would incur lower costs than private insurers and could charge low premiums -- driving companies out of the market. Consumers, critics said, ultimately could be left with only one choice for health coverage: the government.

Under the deal struck Wednesday, the government insurance plan would have to negotiate with hospitals and other providers apart from Medicare. That could make it harder for the federally run plan to charge very low premiums."

.......

Further down the article, Rep Pat Kennedy gives his take:

But more-liberal members protested. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.) said that by limiting the government's ability to drive insurance rates lower, the deal "lets insurance companies off the hook" for savings they had already promised the White House.

"It's a sop to the insurance companies," he said

This agreement is BULL SHIT. It undermines the entire purpose of a public option - creating AFFORDABLE & ACCESSIBLE insurance for the American people. The SOLE purpose of the Blue Dog's strategy is to weaken the bill so that it will be MORE expensive so that the private health care leeches can remain in their sick profit game.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-healthcare-house30-2009jul30,0,4349602.story

[dflprincess]

1. If the purpose of the public option is to create

"AFFORDABLE & ACCESSIBLE insurance" we've already lost. We need access to health care, not access to insurance. The public option in HR3200 has some pretty hefty out of pocket expenses, similar to what many private policies now have and even worse than some others. Access to that kind of insurance does not guarantee access to care.

[MarjorieG]

2. Just get it to conference. Many more Dems agree with Waxman, Pat Kennedy.

Blue Dogs can claim a hollow victory, at the end of the day.

[The Magistrate]

3. Exactly, Ma'am: This Is No 'Win' For Us, And Is Neither Reform Nor Acceptable

Health care reform requires the destruction of the insurance industry; it is impossible without this. The insurance industry is what is wrong with our health care system.

[John Q. Citizen]

4. On this we both agree. Private health insurance is an evil oppressive system

that must be abolished.

[avaistheone1]

6. No other industrialized country allow insurance companies to be

profit-making entities.

In the US the health insurance companies are free to rape us - while our elected officials are comfy with their gold-plated health insurance policies paid for by the taxpayers.

[grantcart]

8. I believe, sir, that in this case there is an entirely reasonable explanation

for allowing rates to be negotiated; disparity of rates has resulted that in some places, inner cities and rural areas the rates are not high enough to attract enough primary care.

[The Magistrate]

11. Mere Pretext, Sir: These People Are Simply Bought-Out Shit-Heels

Their sole purpose is to see to it the profiteering of insurance companies continues unchecked.

[Bleacher Creature]

13. Yep, and it makes it worse how they claim to care only about the cost.

Krugman has pretty much evicerated that talking point, but it still doesn't stop them.

[The Magistrate]

16. Exactly, Sir: Cost Will Be Cut, And Only Can Be Cut, By 'Public Option'

And these wretches know it; that is why they do what they do, to preserve the portion of present costs that goes, without benefit to anyone, into the pockets of their paymasters....

[donco6]

20. Yes. And they know they have to die on this hill.

So can we ever win? I mean . . . LOOK at them. Bloated to the gills with OUR money, and all of it available to keep themselves alive.

I have little hope anything will change.

[Unvanguard]

21. And capitalism is what is wrong with our economy, and stupidity is what is wrong with our species

but none of those things are going anywhere.

Due to their plainly manifest political stupidity, expressed in their continual determined opposition to stronger public options, it may well be impossible to get conservative Democrats on board any other way, and it's obvious that the Republican Party is pursuing a policy of continual obstruction to anything coming from the Democrats, so it's not like they can be made up for by votes from the other side.

We should not be ready to concede at this point, perhaps, but--especially in light of the opposition's capacity to dominate the debate, which has not yet been successfully broken and may never be--we need to accept that concession may well be necessary.

If the compromised bill includes any kind of public option, that is better than some of the other compromise alternatives that have been thrown about.

[Laelth]

22. Hear, hear! n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[jeanpalmer]

5. The purpose of all the "negotiating"

and the apparent give and take is to acclimate people to the idea of mandatory health insurance. By the time the process is finished, people will have been conditioned to accept it.

[ensho]

7. kick

nt

[DevonRex]

9. This is a good, informative OP. Thank you for the information

and the link. I'm going to call my representatives today, armed with this information. Why can't we all just opt for Medicare? It would be so easy...

[The Magistrate]

12. Indeed, Ma'am: Extending the Medicare Program To All Would Be The Best Measure

[DevonRex]

14. And everybody knows about Medicare. It's not scary since we'll

all be on it at some point. All our parents and/or grandparents are on it and do just fine.

I hate insurance companies.

[DevonRex]

10. And recommended, just so you know.

Edited to add -ed to recommend.

[DevonRex]

15. Kicking again.

[Unvanguard]

17. Any kind of public option is progress

simply because no public option, unlike private insurance companies, will be out to cheat its customers.

The refusal to use Medicare rates, while plainly devoid of any substantive justification whatsoever, will only weaken the potential of a public option, as preserving the competitive health insurance market would already; it would not destroy it.

This compromise is not particularly to my liking, but it is something--certainly preferable to the proposals that do away with a public option entirely.

[Phx_Dem]

19. Agreed! This is not a final bill, so we'll see where we end up.

For all we know, we could still end up with no bill at all. Did anyone honest believe the Liberal Dems would get everything they wanted? Really? When has that ever happened -- especially with Dems who'd rather shoot themselves in the foot than do something constructive?

[donco6]

18. Government funded insurance is the most idiotic idea ever.

Insurance is a pool of money. That's all.

Government has it's own pool of money. Bigger than anyone else's.

They don't need to pay money to have access to someone else's pool of money.

This is a SOP TO INSURANCE COMPANIES. That is the ONLY reason for it.

[Laelth]

23. +1 n/t

:dem:

-Laelth