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Loading...Senators to Reid: Public Option No Longer Optional
Despite claims to the contrary, the public option is not quite dead. At least not if Senator Bennet has anything to say about it.
In a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), along with Senators Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) clearly and concisely states the case for avoiding a filibuster by passing the public option through the process of reconciliation.
“We respectfully ask that you bring for a vote before the full Senate a public health insurance option under budget reconciliation rules. There are four fundamental reasons why we support this approach – its potential for billions of dollars in cost savings; the growing need to increase competition and lower costs for the consumer; the history of using reconciliation for significant pieces of health care legislation; and the continued public support for a public option.”
Citing the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report that the Senate health reform bill would reduce the deficit by over $130 billion in the first then years and up to $1 trillion in the first 20 years, and estimated that various public option proposals in the House would save at least $25 billion, the Senators state that a strong public option is “one of the best, most fiscally responsible ways to reform our health insurance system.”
“A strong public option would create better competition in our health insurance markets. Many Americans have no or little real choice of health insurance provider. Far too often, it’s ‘take it or leave it’ for families and small businesses. This lack of competition drives up costs and leaves private health insurance companies with little incentive to provide quality customer service.”
Democratic Senators who are loathe to consider using reconciliation take note: also included in the letter are examples of Senate precedent for using reconciliation to enact other important policies — The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicare Advantage, and the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA). Reconciliation is not a dirty word.
Allowing the public option back into the debate through reconciliation would allow passage with a simple majority of 51 votes in the Senate.
A December 2009 CBS News/ New York Times poll indicated that 59 percent of Americans support the public option.
You can read the full text of the letter HERE.
Related Reading on Care2:
Health Insurer Defends 39 Percent Premium Increase: Increases 15 times that of inflation… cost increases cause policyholders to drop coverage, which causes prices to increase. Vicious cycle.
Petition:
Tell Lawmakers You Expect Health Care Reform Now: Tell Congress and the President to do the jobs we sent them to Washington to do and pass real health care reform!
Read more: chip, cobra, deficit, health care reform, health policy, medicare advantage, reconciliation, senator harry reid
Photo: democrats.senate.gov
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+ add your ownI know this is off the subject, but if you will just take a moment to look at my Petition-I would appreciate it kindly. Thanks!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/23/human-rights
I currently live without insurance(sure,I'd love to have insurance) but just not something that is only designed to benefit the insurance companies who make billions already and will make many more billions as a result of this Government sponsored health reform.
when this health reform really represents something to help the people, i might just change my mind. But as written its nothing more than a joke on the people.
all of you who call for a public option plan (citing that it saves money) please prove your assertions. It seems your claiming this public option will save money only because corrupt polatitions say it will. Show some proof here. We don't need government providing medical coverage to our people. It will only put money in the hands of polatitions who have been proven not to know how to properly handle money in the first place.
Government is only talking about this reconciliation crap as a way of cramming something down our throats that they know good and well, it is not in our best interest in the first place.
Americans must get their values straight: money or people. Why is it easier to get permission to start a war, torture prisoners, or suspend habeaus corpus than to supply health care for all Americans?
I can't believe that we're still at the point that we need to even think about whether the public option is a good idea.
Of course we need the public option.
It saves lives and money, where could there be a problem?
yes....thank you
The government needs to fix the healthcare problems, not take it over. All you have to do is look at social security, medicare, medicaid,the post office,etc... They are all going bankrupt.
Here's my bottom line: life is a right, not a privilege. Health care and therefore life should not just be for the rich. It should be be free, actually, to all. Since that probably won't happen in my lifetime, a public option is probably the best we can do. Since no one wants to pay their taxes, there will likely never be single payer like there is in places like Norway, where taxes are higher but everyone is covered. I have seen testimonies to the success of single payer health care in some of these other countries. But here's an additional issue: now Sen. McCain and other Republicans want to criminalize nutritional supplements, the very thing many uninsured rely on to help maintain their health. First, they block us from getting a public option so insurance companies can get richer off our suffering, then they want to finish us off by denying us our right to supplement our nutrient deficient diets with relatively low cost (compared to dangerous drugs they advertise on TV) nutritional supplements! This has not been talked about much, but people need to know about this danger before it's too late and they take away your right to buy stuff that can help you remain healthy. Why? Because they want your money! ALL of it. If you can't pay, you will pay with your life. What a deal!
Ant m, and others,
Having worked for a public plan, Medicaid as an Analyst in Michigan, and for King County Blue Shield in Washington state, believe me, public option is the only way to go. Look at what insurance companies have done since they believe public option is off the table, they are increasing many policies by 30 to 50%, even though they have made record profits during a year that they also spent as a group over a million a day in lobbying against the public option. You folks need to think for yourselves. If the public options goes through you had a great reason for a celebration. It will save thousands of lives and thousands of households from bankruptcy due to medical expenses.
I would like to mention here that as a 56 yr. old disabled person on Medicare, I was until recently, on Medicaid (my state's insurance and had all medical need's covered, until my husband, died. Then still, as a low-income person, I had an income adjustment due to disabled widows benefits, of just a few extra dollars that put me over the limit for aid, and while still eligible for help with my drug costs, I no longer have health insurance. I had to purchase regular health insurance that I cannot afford due to my low income. The system, if Health Care Reform (remember when it was first called that instead of Health Insurance Reform) (the "care" had gone out of it)had a public option as it was promised at the beginning, those of us who are low-income, and many more who need a choice for different circumstances, would not be "caught" in this very precarious position. Decent health care is a right for Americans, not a privilege. If an American is taxpaying now or in the past, or otherwise a participating American, they should be able to have health care as good as what Congress gets.....where did we hear that before? The Senate SHOULD PASS the Public Option through Reconciliation! No harm, much good. Big Pharm and Insurance Companies should get the heck out of the pockets of Congress......SAY NO TO LOBBYISTS! That also is a HUGE problem. Health CARE for ALL Americans...you never know when you are ONE payday away from losing it all. Grim thought, but true.
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