Is the Public Option Dead?

5215995After Democrats in a Senate committee yesterday cast the deciding votes to reject a government-sponsored health insurance plan -- not once, but twice -- it appeared the idea may have petered out in Washington.

The Senate Finance Committee's decision to leave the plan out of its health care bill dealt "a crippling blow to the hopes of liberals seeking to expand the federal role in health coverage as a cornerstone of reform," the Washington Post wrote.

Dozens of liberals in Congress, however, are staking their vote for health care reform on the fate of the government plan, or "public option," and their fight for the plan is not up. Democratic leadership could revive the idea at various points in the bill's progress before it reaches President Obama's desk.

Once the Finance Committee approves its health care bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will have to merge that bill with the more liberal bill from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which includes a public option.

"I would hope — assume — that in the bill we send to the floor, it will have a public option," Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the HELP chairman, said Tuesday on a liberal radio show, the Hill newspaper reports. "Then let the minority offer amendments to take it out, and we'll see where the votes are."

President Obama's support for the proposal could be the most important factor in whether or not a public option is included in the merged Senate bill, Politico reports.

Even if it is not in the merged bill, senators could attempt to add it with an amendment on the Senate floor. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), one of the senators who attempted to insert a public option into the Finance bill Tuesday, has said that may even be easier.

"The Senate floor is more favorable to the public option than the Finance Committee, and [negotiations with the House are] more favorable than the Senate floor," Schumer said before Tuesday's vote.

Directly after the Finance Committee shot down his public option amendment, Schumer sent his supporters an e-mail saying, "This is the opening day of our fight, and I will continue to work to improve the health care reform bill as we take the legislation to the Senate floor."

If a public option is not added on the Senate floor, it could also wind up in the bill once the Congress merges the Senate and the House bills. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday repeated her assurance that the House bill will have a public option. This is another step in the legislative process in which the White House could insert its voice. Moreover, Republicans will have less influence in this step.

CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

While the public option could be added to a full Senate bill at any of these points, it must also win the votes to pass. Schumer and other senators acknowledged Tuesday that currently there are not 60 senators who would vote in favor a public option. Still, it could be possible for 60 senators to vote to break a filibuster, allowing a bill with a public option to pass with 51 votes on the Senate floor.

"I believe we'll have the 60 votes, now that we have the new senator from Massachusetts, to at least get it on the Senate floor," Harkin said Tuesday. "But once we cross that hurdle, we only need 51 votes for the public option. And I believe there are, comfortably, 51 votes for a public option."

Liberal blogger Chris Bowers wrote Tuesday on Open Left that "the good news is we also learned today there are at least 51 Senate votes in favor of Schumer's public option." Bowers lays out the evidence in support of his claim that the 51 votes are there.

[gboyd41]

Stuart-a mental health hint. Calm down,take a walk,talk to your family. It must be stressful posting 24/7. And don't forget to take your meds! Have a good night.

[hungry1968-16]

by shawshank22 September 30, 2009 5:30 PM EDT
Illegals don't count.....i'm sure you libs will push for complete amnesty so they are covered at the taxpayers expense.It's no secret that the left will bankrupt the country to get your way.







"Instant Amnesty" was the Bush plan - not us liberals.

Guess again.

[lawyertom1]

There are five bills. Now, one will not have the public option. It is way to early to tell.

[hungry1968-16]

by shawshank22 September 30, 2009 5:19 PM EDT
87% of all Americans are happy with their current healthcare plan.In other words.the "public option' goes against the will of the American people. The democrats will pay dearly for trying to force a terrible bill down the throats of the vast majority.






How are 87% happy with their health plan, when 40% of Americans aren't even covered by health insurance?

That's some weird math you've got there.

[shawshank22]

Illegals don't count.....i'm sure you libs will push for complete amnesty so they are covered at the taxpayers expense.It's no secret that the left will bankrupt the country to get your way.

[velma179]

Uh shawshank22 ...

87% and 40% equals 127%. That was hungry's point. Your answer is even more lame brained than your original post... which was a tough act to follow.
Wow

PS -- it sickens me that you took the name of one of the best films ever made - IMHO - as your screen name... you sure don't typify the spirit of that great story.

[shawshank22]

87% of all Americans are happy with their current healthcare plan.In other words.the "public option' goes against the will of the American people. The democrats will pay dearly for trying to force a terrible bill down the throats of the vast majority.

[singlepayer4all]

Here is what I think, The dems will Get a Non for Profit Company going, it will be regulated by the goverment, it will be like a semi PO, the Gov will set the price, the Private Insurance companies will go bust(and they should go bust), and then the Non for Profit company will be taken over by the Gov in full, from there it will turn into a Single Payer system, At some point in time It will go that way, why? because its the cheapest & most simple way to solve this mess. There is No way American cant have a Very Good single payer Healthcare system. The reason why we dont is Due to Three or four insurance companies! So we need to flush em out first before we can move on to TRUE Universal healthcare

[RosanneinTN]

Tell Men To Listen
http://www.thenewuswoman.com/_blueprint_for_2010plus.html

[RosanneinTN]

The Baucus bill leaves women aged 20-29 out in the cold. How clever to cover only catastrophic illness for "Young Invincibles", when women need maternity care! 75% of Americans want the public option to increase competition, yet Baucus was predisposed to shoot it down not once but twice yesterday.

The GOP that seeks to control women's reproductive health (Grassley, Kyl and Hatch) should remove themselves to Iran, where women are 2nd class citizens. Women in the US (more than 1/2 of the US population) are not going to tolerate gender discrimination in healthcare via "gender rating."

Get on the phone and lambast those preventing the public option. Let them know you are watching C-Span and the healthcare debate, and if they continue to deafen their ears to Americans they risk a revolt of magnanimous proportions.

[doc_holliday76]

by RosanneinTN:
"75% of Americans want the public option to increase competition, yet Baucus was predisposed to shoot it down not once but twice yesterday."
-------------------------------------



Yep, the vast majority of Americans do indeed favor the public OPTION, and sen. baucus is just another for-profit insurance company patsy.

[gboyd41]

RosanneinTN-sorry, but I disagree. I pay enough taxes already. I am not looking forward to this group of "women aged 20-29" rearing their offspring on my tax dollars. I have my own children to feed, provide shelter, ect. Get a job, insurance, and take fiscal responsibility.

[hungry1968-16]

by --_One-American_-- September 30, 2009 4:26 PM EDT
If Liberal Democrats, clearly against the will of the majority of Americans, are successful at sneaking in the public option to this health care "reform" bill - then I fully expect the next march on Washington D.C., rather than being a tea party, will be a necktie party for those who have refused to listen.







The majority of Americans are FOR the public option.

Learn to read, instead of listening to the lies that Fox News tells you all the time:

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/09/25/us/politics/25pollgrx.html




And to be quite honest with you, more people believe in UFO's than oppose the public option!!

http://mediamattersaction.org/blog/200909290001



That shows what a loon you are!!!

[hungry1968-16]

by doc_holliday76 September 30, 2009 4:09 PM EDT
by robham777:
"Profit margins for insurence companies account for an estimated 1% of the nations health care cost."
-----------------------------



Which for-profit insurance company bozo told you that?

First off, you're playing the insurance game here, where "figures never lie, but liars always figure."







Here's how it breaks down:

Insurance company "_____" makes $1,000,000,000.

Payments to doctors and hospitals: $600,000,000.

Administration and re-investment back into the company: $200,000,000.

Advertising: $100,000,000.

Executive pay: $100,000,000.

Contributions to members of congress and the senate to leave the broken system in place: $90,000,000.

Net profit: $10,000,000. (Which is split up amongst the tens of thousands of share holders.)




"Boo Hoo!! We only made a 1% profit last year!! Boo Hoo!!"

[robham777]

You forgot taxes.

[doc_holliday76]

by hungry1968-16:
"Boo Hoo!! We only made a 1% profit last year!! Boo Hoo!!"
-----------------------------------------



by robham777:
"You forgot taxes."
-----------------



Maybe so, but you can see how silly your 1% profit fits into the entire for-profit insurance industry scam, where paying lobbyists and congresscritters comes to much more money, and NONE of the 37% that they receive in premiums goes to PROVIDING HEALTH CARE!