AP: Dem Senators say they've reached tentative deal to drop public option

[IndianaGreen]

now breaking on MSNBC

On edit:

According to Keith Olbermann, the deal involves having people 55-64 to opt for Medicare.

On second edit:

Dems agree to drop gov't-run insurance option

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent David Espo, Ap Special Correspondent – 6 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Democratic senators say they have a tentative deal to drop a government-run insurance option from health care legislation. No further details were immediately available.

But liberals and moderates have been discussing an alternative, including a private insurance arrangement to be supervised by the federal agency that oversees the system through which lawmakers purchase coverage. Additionally, talks centered on opening up Medicare to uninsured Americans beginning at age 55, a significant expansion of the large government health care program that currently serves the over-65 population.

Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa told reporters he didn't like the agreement but would support it to the hilt in an attempt to pass health care legislation.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul

[Skink]

1. Vacation starts now then I guess.

[IndianaGreen]

4. from single payer off the table, to watered down public option

to no public option at all. Olympia Snow and Ken Conrad are quoted as saying they are opposed to opening Medicare to 55-64 year olds. How many surrenders are yet to come?

[ClarkUSA]

42. Hold the sunscreen --> 'Reuters: Sen. Reid says reports of public option death "not true."'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x45204

[hedgehog]

2. You mean single payer for people 55 and over?

BTW - possible unintended consequence - i know people who are ready willing and able to retire now who are working only until they qualify for Medicare. If this passes, look for a bump in retirements.

[IndianaGreen]

8. That may not be bad

if the older folks retire, the younger folks would get jobs.

[amandabeech]

47. If they can afford to buy in to Medicare.

That means that they will pay for Part A, which is hospitalization insurance, and will receive no taxpayer subsidies on any other part.

I've seen estimates of monthly coverage per person starting at $850 for a complete buy-in.

Many 55+ who don't have coverage now will not be able to afford to buy in to Medicare.

Wealthier 55+ who cannot get coverage may retire, but that's not such a large group.

In other words, don't get your hopes up about getting the baby boomers out of the workforce any time soon.

[NightWatcher]

3. what about those of us under 55?

Need we form an AAYP
American Association of Younger People to lobby for us

[IndianaGreen]

5. u r SOL

shit out of luck! :-(

[NightWatcher]

9. so we should take our $ and votes and buzzoff?

[IndianaGreen]

11. that seems to be the message we are getting

There are an awful lot of people under the bus already.

[hedgehog]

6. My proposal : raise the age to buy cigarettes and drop the age to join

medicare a year at a time until they meet in the middle.

[Mojambo]

The insurance parasites get to keep pumping us for a couple more decades.

I'm not even convinced they'll get the Medicare drop to 55.

They've capitulated on every other compromise.

[Mojambo]

12. dupe. n/t

[smoochpooch]

14. I guess we will still be forced to buy expensive-ass private insurance.

Not sure how we're supposed to benefit it there isn't a private option to keep prices low. Oh, and I'm sure the insurance companies will jack their rates the same way the credit card companies did too!

[IndianaGreen]

18. There was talk of having OPM set rates for private insurance, as it does for federal workers

the problem is that federal workers get a big chunk of their premiums paid by the government, and people won't have that.

[ClarkUSA]

30. If this report is true, we'll get the same healthcare options as those in Congress.

Which is what Candidate Obama promised Americans at all of his rallies.

[Blaukraut]

38. As IG said above, unless the government subsidizes

like it does for FEHP, that healthcare plan will be unaffordable for people.
Here's a link to the premiums for non-postal government workers. Check how much the insured pays and how much the government pays.

http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/rates/nonpostalhmo2010.pdf

[ClarkUSA]

41. I don't believe IG as a source for facts. The final bill hasn't been hammered out yet...

and if this story is true, the final bill will have to provide some form of government subsidies for those in a
certain income range, which was part of the House bill originally ($80K and under).

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

7. Will the House let them get away with it? It still has to be reconciled with the House bill.

As to the Senate - Gee, what a surprise.

[IndianaGreen]

10. I am more worried about the House insisting on Stupak language

in reconciliation.

[ClarkUSA]

24. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz said repeatedly on MSNBC that it would be taken out in conference.

So did Sen. Barbara Boxer. :)

[jefferson_dem]

13. Cool. Ezra Klein and Jonathan Cohn were on last night saying this would be a better deal than the

way watered-down public option they were trying to push through anyway. Howard Dean recommended opening up Medicare in this fashion several years ago.

[IndianaGreen]

15. HR676, Single Payer, is Medicare for all

which Obama put off the table.

[jefferson_dem]

20. Right. Medicare "for all" was never on the table...

but if this deal goes through we will be a (small) step closer to that than if the deal does not go through.

Open it up to 55s for now. Then to 50s. Then 45s. And so on... Camel's nose in the tent, you know...

I want reform. With or without the public option, this would be that.

[Thrill]

16. What the hell does that do for everyone else?

Thats disappointing. How does this help the 27 yr old or the 42 yr old who can't get insurance?

They can go fuck themselves with this sellout

[IndianaGreen]

17. You can join LGBTs underneath the bus

together with Stupak victims.

[ClarkUSA]

33. If this report is true, we'll get the same healthcare options as those in Congress.

Which is what Candidate Obama promised Americans at every one of his general election rallies.

[jeanpalmer]

19. Does Obama still strongly support the PO

That's all I need to know. yehaw!!!!!!!!

[IndianaGreen]

21. As in SNL skit with Biden, all Obama wants is a bill to sign

he doesn't care what is on the bill as long as it has Health Care Reform for a title.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

22. Also, as in the SNL skit, sharks walk on land and attack people after posing as Candy Gram delivery

[IndianaGreen]

23. LMAO

We will consume mass quantities!

[Hippo_Tron]

25. Allowing everyone to buy into Medicare would be cheaper

Having young and healthy people buy into Medicare would draw down the cost per capita. Limiting it just to 55 and over doesn't make sense.

[IndianaGreen]

26. That's was the single payer bill many of us supported HR676

Medicare for all.

[Hippo_Tron]

34. Politically that's never going to happen

Insurance companies are simply too powerful. However, if you make it so that people under 65 have the option to buy into Medicare and people over 65 are automatically covered then it's the same net loss to insurance company profits as a public option. The added advantage, though, is that it would bring down the cost per capita of Medicare helping make the program solvent for longer.

[ClarkUSA]

28. This is the beginning to single-payer for all.

It's a big step if this report is true.

[IndianaGreen]

31. I am having flashbacks to Orwell's Squealer, in Animal Farm

I wonder why...

[ClarkUSA]

35. Perhaps you're looking in the mirror?

:)

[IndianaGreen]

37. I am looking at you!

and your like-minded cohorts.

[ClarkUSA]

39. How can you do that when you're looking in the mirror? Besides, I'm not into pork of any kind.

:)

[jeanpalmer]

43. It would draw down the cost per capita

only for the older people already in Medicare. Let's say Medicare now costs $11,000 per capita. (Remember, every worker is now paying into Medicare to fund health insurance only for those >61. And even with all that funding and limited number of beneficiaries at $11,000 per capita, the system is now going into the red). And let's say they bring in a lot of young people to drive down the per capita cost. And they end up driving the per capita cost down to $7,000 per capita. Is that a good deal for the young? Of course not, but it's a great deal for those >55.

The public option as originally proposed didn't include the people already on Medicare. So the per capita cost was relatively low -- I believe in the $5,000 per capita range. That's still a lot of coin for someone making $44,000 a year. But if this new proposal opens up Medicare to the young and requires that they pay the per capita cost of $7,000 or whatever it is (definitely greater than the cost of the original PO), then those under 55 are going to get screwed. This sounds like a scam to designed to solve the Medicare funding problem.

[ClarkUSA]

27. Didn't Candidate Obama promise Americans the same healthcare options as the folks in Congress?

Well, this is it.

[IndianaGreen]

29. The only promise Obama has kept is WAR

and Congress has a very generous health care coverage, unmatched anywhere in the world.

[ClarkUSA]

32. Spare me your bullshit Counterpunch rhetoric and acknowledge the facts for once.

Go and check Politifact for a reality check.

[IndianaGreen]

36. That seems to be the Ministry of Truth's meme for the day

accuse people of carrying water for Counterpunch.

[ClarkUSA]

40. Have you checked Politifact yet? Anti-Obama rhetoric is all you seem to spout.

<<accuse people of carrying water for Counterpunch>>

If the shoe fits... oink it.

:rofl:

[Sebastian Doyle]

44. Not fucking acceptable

It's simply not.

FUCK you Max Baucus. FUCK you C*nt Conrad. FUCK you Blanche Walmart. FUCK you BadRug Nelson. FUCK you Joe Lieberdouche. FUCK you Spineless Harry. FUCK you Insurance Nazis. FUCK you Big Pharma. FUCK you anyone excusing any of the previously named cowards.

[ClarkUSA]

46. Beware of unconfirmed rumors -> 'Reuters: Sen. Reid says reports of public option death "not true."'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x45204

[Mass]

45. Not great, but it culd be a better deal that the PO as it was in the Senate bill.

We need to see the details. A lot of people, including myself, wanted a PO, but the way it came to be described, it was becoming useless.

The devil is in the details... (Medicare without subvention would be too expensive for most, for example).

But still disappointing.

[philly_bob]

48. UNREC Right-wing news sources tend to overplay stories that alienate progressives.

Trying to alienate Democratic left for 2012?

Wait for news from someone you trust...