53 House Democrats Declare They Won't Vote For Healthcare Compromise! Full text of letter here.

[Better Believe It]

Congressional Progressive Caucus Rejects Blue Dog Compromise
In a letter to Speaker Pelosi and committee chairmen, 53 CPC members say no votes for a bill the Blue Dogs like.
by Adele Stan
Alternet
July 30, 2009

Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are not amused by the deal struck on health-care reform by Henry Waxman, D-Calif., with conservative Democratic members of his committee.

TPM's Brian Beutler reports that, earlier today, the CPC gathered the signatures of 53 of its members on a letter delivered to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the chairman of the three relevant committees: Waxman, Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. (Ways and Means), and George Miller, D-Calif. (Education and Labor).

Here's the text of their letter:

-------------------------------------

July 31, 2009

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable Henry Waxman
Speaker Chairman
U.S. House of Representatives House Committee on
Energy and Commerce
H-232, The Capitol 2125
Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515


The Honorable Charles Rangel The Honorable George Miller
Chair Chair
House Committee on Ways and Means House Committee on
Education and Labor
1102 Longworth House Office Building 2181 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC
20515


Dear Madame Speaker, Chairman Waxman, Chairman Rangel, and Chairman Miller:


We write to voice our opposition to the negotiated health care reform agreement under consideration in the Energy and Commerce Committee.

We regard the agreement reached by Chairman Waxman and several Blue Dog members of the Committee as fundamentally unacceptable. This agreement is not a step forward toward a good health care bill, but a large step backwards. Any bill that does not provide, at a minimum, for a public option with reimbursement rates based on Medicare rates - not negotiated rates - is unacceptable. It would ensure higher costs for the public plan, and would do nothing to achieve the goal of "keeping insurance companies honest," and their rates down.

To offset the increased costs incurred by adopting the provisions advocated by the Blue Dog members of the Committee, the agreement would reduce subsidies to low- and middle-income families, requiring them to pay a larger portion of their income for insurance premiums, and would impose an unfunded mandate on the states to pay for what were to have been Federal costs.

In short, this agreement will result in the public, both as insurance purchasers and as taxpayers, paying ever higher rates to insurance companies.

We simply cannot vote for such a proposal.


Sincerely,

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/in-letter-house-progressives-object-to-blue-dog-public-option-compromise.php?ref=fpa

Good for them!

I haven't found the list of 53 signers. If anyone can locate it, please post it!

[Laelth]

1. k&r for the Honorable Members of the Progressive Caucus. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[Sheri]

2. cool. that's the way to stand your ground for the people.

:)

[usregimechange]

3. k&r!

[democracy1st]

4. K & R

[ColbertWatcher]

5. Good, now let's hear how the GOP-controlled media will cover this.

LOL!

Just kidding, they won't cover this.

Thank you for posting anyway; k+r.

[ProSense]

6. If this

Any bill that does not provide, at a minimum, for a public option with reimbursement rates based on Medicare rates - not negotiated rates - is unacceptable. It would ensure higher costs for the public plan, and would do nothing to achieve the goal of "keeping insurance companies honest," and their rates down.

...doesn't kill the Blue Dogs' BS, then this should:

To offset the increased costs incurred by adopting the provisions advocated by the Blue Dog members of the Committee, the agreement would reduce subsidies to low- and middle-income families, requiring them to pay a larger portion of their income for insurance premiums...

[tridim]

7. Pelosi is growing a spine lately. That's good news.

Now, what about Harry Reid?

[brentspeak]

9. She didn't sign this letter

[tridim]

12. Regardless, I still see some spine growth lately. nt

[wryter2000]

8. Awesome

If they need to take Blue Dog's "concerns" into account, they need to take ours, too.

[angstlessk]

10. I would love to see the list since I called my rep..a Democrat to sign on

and would like to know if she did? Of course I would never think it was my phone call..,but the Move On org that pushed her in that direction.

[Laelth]

11. Very interesting discussion following the article. Thanks. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[tritsofme]

13. One side has to blink, it would be disastrous if the bill leadership puts on the floor fails.

If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on the Blue Dogs coming out on top.

[Laelth]

19. I don't think it would be disastrous at all.

Do you have some evidence that I am unaware of?

As far as I know, the Republican party's popularity is still in the toilet and its leaders are still insane, reflecting the party's base. I don't see that changing in the next 17 months. If we pass a bad bill, there could be repercussions for the Democratic Party, yes. If we do nothing, however, we can simply blame the Republicans for obstruction.

I don't see the problem.

:shrug:

:dem:

-Laelth

[tritsofme]

26. Losing a floor vote on President Obama's signature issue would be highly embarrassing

for the House Leadership.

It isn't like the Senate where votes routinely fail for the majority. The House leadership generally doesn't allow a bill to the floor if the votes are not there, making a defeat much more dramatic.

Democrats have a large majority in the House, you couldn't blame Republicans for the bill failing.

We wouldn't be hearing about Republican obstructionism, we would continually hear how it was a vote of no confidence in Obama.

But like I said in my first post, none of this will happen. One side will blink.

[Laelth]

27. Well, then. I will continue to put pressure on the Progressive Caucus.

To make sure that they're not the ones who blink.

I don't believe in your prophesy of disaster. I'm a goo-goo. I want good government. If Obama is embarrassed because he supported a very bad plan, then so be it.

I still don't see the Republicans gaining any ground in 2010.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Nite Owl]

14. Here's the names

and now it's 57


http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/07/30/health-care-update-57-house-progressives-won%e2%80%99t-vote-for-blue-dog-compromise/

Lynn Woolsey
Raul Grijalva
Carolyn Kilpatrick
Jerry Nadler
Phil Hare
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Keith Ellison
Earl Blumenauer
Mel Watts
Donna Edwards
John Olver
Dennis Kucinich
Laura Richardson
Maxine Waters
John Conyers
Judy Chu
Maurice Hinchey
Hank Johnson
Diane Watson
Jackie Speier
Bill Pascrell
Lloyd Doggett
Marcy Kaptur
Mazie Hirono
Bob Filner
Linda Sanchez
Marcia Fudge
Barbara Lee
Andre Carson
Sheila Jackson Lee
Michael Honda
Jim McDermott
William Lacy Clay
Jim McGovern
Yvette Clarke
Eric Massa
Chellie Pingree
Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Elijah Cummings
Bennie Thompson
Gwen Moore
Donald Payne
Fortney "Pete" Stark
Ed Towns
Corrine Brown
Alcee Hastings
Nydia Valezquez
Luis Gutierrez
Grace Napolitano
Albio Sires
John Tierney
Mike Capuano
Chaka Fattah
Jose Serrano
SamFarr
Bill Delahunt
Eddie Bernice Johnson

[Better Believe It]

15. All right! Thank you very much from all of us on DU

Well, almost all of us but who's counting?

:)

[Better Believe It]

16. House Democrats Demand Robust Public Health Care Option

House Democrats Demand Robust Public Health Care Option
By Sam Wechsler – Talk Radio News Service

The Congressional Tri-Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus announced Thursday that they have 53 signatures vowing not to vote for health care reform unless the legislation contains a robust public option.

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), Co-Chair for the Congressional Progressive Caucus, stated that many in Congress who favor a single-payer health care system have compromised to ensure a meaningful public option.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, voiced her support for a public option, arguing that it would guarantee coverage, give people a choice of doctors and hospitals and give private insurers an incentive to lower costs.

“Health care should not be a privilege as it has been in the past, it is a basic human right,” said Lee. She also specified that the insurance rate in the public option would be the Medicare rate plus five percent.

“We need to lower health care costs. The only way to lower health care costs is by providing competition, and the only way we can provide competition is by having a public option,” said Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.).

Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-Mich.) said she doesn’t anticipate that any Republicans will vote for a bill with a public option, but added that their votes aren’t necessary in order for a bill to pass.

July 30, 2009

http://talkradionews.com/2009/07/house-democrats-demand-robust-public-health-care-option/

[foginthemorn]

24. Here is a list of all the Progressive C. members.....

http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?ContentID=161&ParentID=0&SectionID=4&SectionTree=4&lnk=b&ItemID=159

[foginthemorn]

25. I am very surprized that Tammy Baldwins name is not on the list . I

recall her working closing with Conyers on single payer in the basement during the Bush years.

[slipslidingaway]

18. Thanks for the names n/t

[Laelth]

20. Heroes, one and all. n/t

:patriot:

:dem:

-Laelth

[AllyCat]

29. I called Rep Tammy Baldwin to express my disappointment that her name is not

on this list. Staffer stated she did not sign because she sits on the committee and "it would be inappropriate for her to do so". Not sure I understand that, but staffer assured me Rep Baldwin will not vote for this watered down, Blue Cross Dem bill. So that makes 58!

[slipslidingaway]

17. knr - Also this is a good article detailing more about the public

option and what has already been compromised.

http://www.pnhp.org/blog/2009/07/28/does-the-congressional-progressive-caucus-care-about-its-public-option-principles/

"...The CPC’s list of criteria includes about a dozen “principles.” The principles are an odd mix. Although the letter to Speaker Pelosi repeated the “public option” proponents’ mantra that the “public option” should be “robust … like Medicare,” the criteria enunciated in the letter were far weaker than the criteria Jacob Hacker originally proposed for his version of the “public option,” a version which would have enrolled 130 million people. The CPC’s criteria refer to only one of the features of the “Medicare-like” program that Hacker called for, namely, the one calling for giving all non-elderly Americans access to the public program (as opposed to limiting access to uninsured people and employees of small businesses). Missing from the CPC list of criteria are these four features of Hacker’s original proposal:

• the public program must be pre-populated with tens of millions of
people;
• subsidies must go only to Americans who enroll in the public program;
• the program must be authorized to use Medicare’s payment rates; and
• the insurance industry must be required to offer the same benefits
the public program is required to offer.

One CPC criterion would actually reverse one of Hacker’s: The Progressive Caucus insists on paying the insurance industry the same subsidies the public program gets..."

[nightrain]

21. 57 signatories now--

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/57%20member%20letter%20to%20PelosiWaxman%207.30.09.pdf


sorry, formatting didn't copy well...

-----------------

Lynn Woolsey Raul Grijalva Carolyn Kilpatrick Jerry Nadler Phil Hare Lucille Roybal-Allard Keith Ellison Earl Blumenauer Mel Watts Donna Edwards John Olver Dennis Kucinich Laura Richardson Maxine Waters John Conyers JudyChu Maurice Hinchey Hank Johnson Diane Watson Jackie Spier Bill Pascrell Lloyd Doggett Marcy Kaptur Mazie Hirono Bob Filner Linda Sanchez Marcia Fudge Barbara Lee Andre Carson Sheila Jackson Lee Michael Honda Jim McDermott William Lacy Clay Jim McGovern Yvetter Clarke Eric Massa Chellie Pingree Jesse Jackson, Jr. Elijah Cummings Bennie Thompson
Gwen Moore
Donald Payne
Fortney "Pete" Stark
Ed Towns
Corrine Brown
Alcee Hastings
Nydia Valezquez
Luis Gutierrez
Grace Napolitano
Albio Sires
John Tierney
Mike Capuano
Chaka Fattah
Jose Serrano
SamFarr
Bill Delahunt
Eddie Bernice Johnson

[Laelth]

22. More heroes! All the better. n/t

:patriot:

:dem:

-Laelth

[AllyCat]

30. Add Tammy Baldwin to that list...she didn't sign, but will not support this

bill from the Blue Dog Dems either.

[totodeinhere]

23. They are drawing a line in the sand. A robust public option is non negotiable.

Good for the Progressive Caucus. We should all be proud.

[pleah]

28. K&R