Public option keeps a toehold in Senate Health Care Deal with a trigger and state opt out.

[Better Believe It]

'Public Option’ Keeps Toehold in Senate Deal on Health Bill
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
December 9, 2009


The deal also keeps the public option as a fallback plan, to be “triggered” if the health care legislation, including the new national plans, fails to meet targets for providing affordable insurance coverage to a set number of people. Such a fallback was included in the Republicans’ Medicare drug bill; it was never needed.

It is unclear whether Mr. Lieberman would ultimately accept a bill with the public plan on a trigger; he reiterated on Wednesday that he opposes the idea. But it could appeal to Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, the only Republican senator to support any version of the health care legislation (she backed it on the Finance Committee). Her support is still being courted aggressively by the White House.

In recent days, many Senate liberals angrily warned that they were done making concessions, saying they had already moved from a public plan tied to Medicare rates, or 5 to 10 percent above Medicare, to a much weaker plan that would negotiate rates with providers.

Mr. Reid’s version of the bill would also let states opt out of the program.

“We have compromised four times on the public option,” Mr. Brown (Senator Sherrod Brown) had said. “There is no more movement on the public option.”

Read the full article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/health/policy/10health.html

[havocmom]

1. Opt out means no real public option

And Big Insurance has long since pulled any trigger worth a shit.

[kenny blankenship]

2. Reduced to a laugh line

trotted out for derisive snorts now and then.
Remember Beanie Babies? What was up with that?! Remember the Public Option? Remember how we were going to join the civilized world and create a health care system that would take care of everyone and lower costs? Yeah! No, no, but really! Remember SUVs the size of houses that got 10 mpg? What were they thinking!?! Did you have to sniff glue before you could vote back then, or what?

[quantass]

3. Called it back in August....Democrats would settle for a lame Trigger

It's not a done deal and i wish i was wrong but it is looking like a trigger every day as i said it would back in August....I am making a killing in the predictive marketplace and stock market right now...Hope others are doing the same. Ironically i was hoping i actually would have lost money in hopes that a real robust PO would be the end result but seeing the patterns of Congress and Obama's actions made me realize it wasnt going to happen