"Good vibes"... 'Gang of 10' close to deal on public option. CBO score pending.

[jefferson_dem]

'Gang of 10' pushes pub. opt. deal
Posted: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 12:11 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Congress, Democrats
From NBC's Ken Strickland

The group of 10 progressive and moderate Democratic senators negotiating a deal on the public option may be close to a deal. The group is meeting this morning and will be throughout the day, according to senators in the group.

"This is the first time we've said, 'We're going to go in here, and we're going to keep going,'" said Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) before going into the meeting this morning.

When asked if a deal would be reached today following last night's meeting, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) said, "Yeah. But having said that, I just feel like I've jinxed it."

While going out of his way to say there was no deal yet, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) acknowledged momentum within the group.

"We have very good vibes in the room,” he said, “which is that people want to come to an agreement but we've got a lot of bumps in the road still. We're going to be meeting all day today."

The likely deal will involve a package of fixes. The most talked about -- but not solidified -- include the establishment of a national healthcare plan administered by the government, but run by private insurance companies. It will be similar to the plans offered to members of Congress and their staff.

The other two often discussed programs would be expanding Medicaid to those whose incomes are within 150% of poverty and allowing more people to buy into Medicare, starting a 55 years of age.

"The overall framework, the way I've put it, is some in our caucus want more government involvement, some in our caucus want less government,” Schumer said today. “The question is how do you thread that needle."

<SNIP>

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/08/2145561.aspx?ocid=twitter

How much would the Medicare buy-in cost?
A big question hanging over the public option talks Tuesday is how much the Medicare "buy-in" for people 55 and older would cost.

Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf is the only guy who can provide the answer - and he was seen headed into the negotiating session Tuesday morning, likely to provide guidance on the emerging compromise.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb) said "conceptually" nobody in the group of 10 moderate and liberal senators had a problem with the Medicare expansion.

But the CBO figures will make or break the proposal.

The numbers will also help determine whether the buy-in could begin immediately or not until the major reforms kick into effect in 2014.

If there was immediate access to Medicare, the unsubsidized monthly premium could cost $600 a month, according an official briefed on the negotiations. But senators could shift money around to offset part of the premiums in the lead up to 2014. This would still mean lower premiums after 2014, but not as low as they would be if the senators decided to delay the buy-in until 2014.

Heading into the talks Tuesday, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said they planned to work through the day, but there's no certainty a deal will be sealed by the evening.

http://www.politico.com/livepulse/1209/How_much_would_the_Medicare_buyin_cost.html?showall

[OHdem10]

1. 600 dollars a month is a lot of money for a lot of people.

I am happy to hear they are at least trying.

I get the feeling our Senators have no idea of the people's
financial status. It often sounds as if they will come up with
a bill that half the country cannot afford.

I thought Obama often stated in the campaign. The reason
people do not have health insurance is because they cannot
afford it. It seems the Senate has never considered this.
Reform Medicare and appease the Insurance Companies --the
people be damned.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. The People be damned, indeed.

[uponit7771]

3. "But senators could shift money around to offset part of the premiums in the lead up to 2014"

[newtothegame]

4. $600 is more than I pay for my private insurance..wtf?

I thought Medicare was supposed to be cheaper, more efficient, less administrative costs? I'm a healthy 26 yo and I would be paying Medicare $600 a month to basically never use health services?

[dmallind]

5. Wait until you are 55 and see what a deal that is.

They are not talking about expanding Medicare to you just yet.

[avaistheone1]

8. True. You can be a healthy 55 year old and still pay through the nose.

The insurance companies dramatically jack up the premiums simply due to the fact one has turned 55 years of age, regardless of one's health.

[Occam Bandage]

6. Because you're a "healthy 26 yo," that's why.

You're like the cheapest person on Earth to insure.

[newtothegame]

7. That's my point though.

If I'm the cheapest person on earth to insure, why the hell would Medicare be charging me $600, way more than I'm paying for private? I thought everyone going on Medicare was supposed to save money?

[harkadog]

9. They are not going to charge you $600 or anything.

At 26 you will not be eligible for Medicare under any proposal.

[Occam Bandage]

11. You won't be eligible for Medicare under anyone's proposal.

If they were to open it to twentysomethings, they would presumably charge them less.

[vaberella]

10. But Ben Smith from Politico said the PO was dead and many on here believe him.

Who is telling the truth? I'm not prone to believing Politico, let alone Ben Smith.

[emulatorloo]

12. Politico is toxic. Am with you on not believing it.