Listening to Blue Dog Sanchez from California on MSNBC this morning - they are right!!!!!

[old mark]

They are planning to sever health insurance from the employer, make a large pool with EVERYONE in it, and let individuals choose their own insurers. They want a good, viable PUBLIC INSURER - such as a medicare-type program - as an option that the private insurance companies will have to compete with if they wish to stay in the business. She made the point that Medicare's administratice cost is 5% of the cost pf each policy, while private insurance's administrative cost is 40-50% currently - mostly profit.

The Blue Dogs are also pressuring the for-profit hospitals and big pharma to increase the contributions they are already making to help fund the program.

They are planning to work over this weekend to deliver a package to Pelosi next week.

What are they doing that is so terrible?

mark

[redqueen]

1. Which version of the bill were they talking about?

They're the ones pushing for triggers and co-ops. Don't be fooled.

[Captain Hilts]

3. Well, that's the trouble.

Gerrard acquitted!

[redqueen]

5. He threw the first punch...

but didn't start the violence.

Yyyyyeeeeah.

[Captain Hilts]

8. You got a hard time with dat!?!?!

[babylonsister]

2. Read this if you feel like it...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x466128

Blue Dogs heel when lobbyists whistle

[Captain Hilts]

4. Once bitten by a Blue Dog, twice shy....nt

[rateyes]

6. Didn't Sanchez break away from the Blue Dogs on health care? nt

[redqueen]

7. Hah, yes... you're right.

I forgot about that.

So she's not speaking for the Blue Dogs, she's now working against them.

[Ewellian]

9. Except she said

private insurance administrative costs are 20 - 30% (not mostly profit*). The difference is large enough..no need to exaggerate.

* my comment, not hers

[sinkingfeeling]

10. Sure doesn't sound like what Rep. Mike Ross, leader of the Bluedogs, is saying.

[redqueen]

11. She broke from the Blue Dogs a couple of weeks ago.

So she's speaking not as a Blue Dog, but an actual Dem now.

[Cleita]

12. Something that Congress could do before the recess is this.

Pass a bill in the middle of the night stating that premium money and pharmaceutical money is not to be spent on advertising and "K" street publicists and lawyers (lobbyists) for the health care industry. I have been watching "Harry and Louise" ads run every hour on every station lately backed by PhRMA. They are not benign. Read this article from Salon.

http://open.salon.com/blog/kevin_gosztola/2009/07/21/harry_and_louise_switch_sides_good_or_bad_for_healthcare

Any money that Americans have to pay into premiums and drugs should not be used for political advertising. It's forcing Americans to sponsor a movement that is against 72% of Americans who want national health care. They are being held hostage. Write or phone Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and your Congressperson and Senators asking them to do this. If the insurers and PhRMA want to advertise, let's level the playing field for us for a change, and make them raise the money outside of their traditional income just like we at the grass roots level have to do it to help MoveOn air ads.