Dean: Senate Health Care Compromise a "Positive Step"

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The new health care compromise isn't perfect but it represents a "positive step forward," former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said on CBS' "The Early Show" Wednesday.

Liberals appear ready to drop their demands for a public option in order to assuage moderate Democrats and get the 60 votes needed to avoid a Republican filibuster. The revamped legislation would reportedly set up a private insurance plan overseen by the same government agency that controls lawmakers' insurance. It would also expand Medicare, lowering the qualifying age from 65 to 55.

Dean, who previously chaired the Democratic National Committee, said Medicare expansion "makes a lot of sense because you don't have to reinvent another bureaucracy to do it."

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"This is what should have been done in the first place," he told "Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez, who noted that Dean had insisted in August that reform must include a public option.

Dean said the compromise solution still represents "real reform."

"Whatever we call it is irrelevant. Is it going to work? Yes, it is."

The group of five liberal Democrats and five moderates have agreed to submit the revised proposal to the Congressional Budget Office to assess how it will affect the overall cost. Dean acknowledged that "there's not much cost control in this bill" but expressed confidence that "it's going to happen later on."

Even if the Senate passes the legislation, further tweaking would be needed to reconcile their bill with the House's version, which includes the public option. Dean predicted a "reasonable compromise" between the two bodies.

[AngryMobVoter]

There has been much talk about why health care reform is needed to reduce costs without explaining the makeup of those costs and especially the increase in costs.

Demographics and the aging population - Older people in general require more health care. The population of the US is aging and that will force up the aggregate costs of healthcare. In addition, since the number of people paying taxes will fall at the same time, the burden on each taxpayer will increase even faster.

Americans smoke too much, drink too much, eat too much and eat the wrong foods, and get too little activity - Bad lifestyle choices will continue to force up health care expenditures.

Malpractice - In the end, the costs of the obscene malpractice awards are passed on to the person buying health insurance. Since these costs are included in the costs of doing business of drug companies, medical equipment produces, hospitals, and physicians, the rates and prices that are charged to health insurers is higher. Also, these costs force up the cost of malpractice insurance which is also passed on to the health insurer. That just pushes up the cost of health insurance. These obscene malpractice awards also prompt doctors to order more tests and procedures in order to do CYA.

Cost of medical research - Most of the easy to discover drugs, procedures, and devices have been found. The education and experience required to be at the cutting edge of medical research requires a huge investment of time and money. Very few people are going to pursue those fields if they cannot expect to be well compensated. Also, the complexity of the equipment used in cutting edge medical research is increasing rapidly. That costs money just like the research itself.

It is clear the only major cost item that could yield large cost savings is malpractice and that is not even being addressed in the current plans. Also, the US is financing most of the medical research budget through higher drug prices but that opportunity to reduced costs has also been negotiated away by the current administration.

Short of passing laws withholding healthcare from people as they age (health panels) or passing laws to force people to make better lifestyle choices, the current administration has eliminated the opportunities where real savings could be realized.

The current plans being proposed will not reduce costs but they will provide a bunch of high paying government jobs that we as taxpayers will pay for.

What is actually needed is to remove the barriers that retard competition between health insurance companies. Also we need to provide a framework where insurers can compete more effectively if they achieve better lifestyle choices among their insured.

[realdem55]

This Healthcare plan costs one Trillion dollars and all that money is going to the insurance industry . Yes President obama suceeded in doing for health insurance companies what an army of their lobbists could not make them a Trillion dollars richer 30 million clients larger AND MORE POWERFUL THAN EVER . Man You liberals are stupid We are going to wrap this around your necks like a noose and hang you with it come 2010

[rhytonen]

There WAS supposed to be an attempt to control - in fact REDUCE costs (as "the curve" is not, and never was, the problem for those of us WITHOUT health insurance because we can't even come CLOSE to affording it!)

It was and is the ONLY aspect to this "reform" that made any sense, and a government-run program was the ONLY way to get it.

Now it will help NO ONE who's under 55, and even for all, it will not help - because Insurers have NOTHING to stop them from VASTLY overcharging "to pass on the cost of Reforms." And of course the original motive -GREED- is atill rampant as we ....write.

And just like now their greed will keep costs rising - and by "costs I mean the only ones that count - "Costs" TO THE PATIENT, customer, or "insured" - somewhat of a misnomer if you actually try to USE your insurance for anything either routine (copay/deductible) or costly (Rescission.) How do I know? Two immediate neighbors dies llast month - next door, amd across the street,) and one person in my family with a condition that could have been saved nut care wa refised (no insurance at the time - now, it doesn't matter. Too late.)

So, bottom line no matter what is passed I still won't be able to afford it. I couldn't afford medicare, or medicaid (still much out of of pocket, no one accepts it. Sub FPL, retired.)


Welcome to a third world plutarchy - even though you worked all your life. DIE QUICKLY.

NO INCUMBENTS MUST SURVIVE THE PRIMARIES. (anway there are no "parties," just Corporate Wealth (and Investor/Gamblers) vs. the Taxpaying Working Citizen.

Even Anthony Wiener and Howard Dean sold us out. (going now to check out Sherrod Brown.)

[starving1968-1]

by jimmyc1955 December 9, 2009 11:22 AM EST
Starving - you haven't been paying any attention at all have you? The whole reason we are having this excercise is two points - too many people without coverages (actual estimates all over the map) and costs rising much faster than cost of living. The idea was we could control costs to get more comverage. Then it because - keep costs flat an increase coverage.

Now it's no increase in coverage and costs rising faster than before.

Can you, or anybody, explain what the heck is actually going on here??







There was NEVER any attempt whatsoever to "control costs".

There are no mandates on what the hospitals or doctors should or should not be charging.

The only "cost control" that was discussed, was having a public option which would force private insurers to quit screwing their customers by raising rates every year, with double digit increases.

[jab232]

I trust Howard Dean's opinion. Also, I know from personal experience how important it is to extend Medicare downward to 55 or even lower. When my father-in-law retired at just over sixty-five, he went into Medicare. But his wife who was about ten years younger lost her coverage, and of course with all the commercial insurance companies' exclusions, she couldn't get insurance.

We need strong health care reform. The almost fifty million without insurance, those who have insurance but may well see it canceled (or they will lose their jobs) when they get a serious illness, all of us (except those on Medicare) who will see our premiums double in the next ten years for less coverage . . . all of us need the present system to be reformed.

I hope the Senate Democrats have gotten their act together and will pass strong reform. Of course the GOP has no positive plan at all except just to keep shoveling money to the rich people while the rest of us are unemployed, without health insurance, losing homes and retirement funds.

[aghast101]

I have 1 question. Rocketjl said "First of all the doctors are going to run away from Medicare as fast as they can." He is right. Has anyone proposed an amendment making it illegal, for Doctors to deny care to a person because of their health care plan? How much deeper and stupider is this going to get. This helps no one

[us_1776]

I am outraged at dropping the public option. There is no other way that you can control these greedy private insurance companies other than by having some meaningful competition. The whole incestuous lot of private insurers has controlled rates in a monopolistic manner and now there is nothing to prevent them from continuing to rape the American public over healthcare. Healthcare should have NEVER been given over to the private sector. Profit has no business being part of healthcare where people are suffering and dying because of greed and profit-based decisions.

[rocketjl]

I hope Reid and the rest of you morons are not still going to take 500B out of Medicare. Tell Obama that he is going to have to add money to Medicare now. If the current Medicare is going to go broke in 7 years, adding more people is not going to help. First of all the doctors are going to run away from Medicare as fast as they can. Before to many politicians think about blowing smoke in our ears about the cost of Medicare, remember Medicare was doing fine on its own until Congress swallowed up the golden goose funding of Medicare so they had more money to spend.

[jimmyc1955]

Wow - a strategic advance to the rear by Harry Reid. Howard Dean takes the lead role in explaining why this isn't giving up the keystone piece of legislation in health care non-reform (since in reform costs should go down in this - costs - average costs per visit and per consumer will rise) and how it was all part of the master plan.

Now they want to push 55 year old onto medicare - but then cut the payment to doctors and hospitals for services by 40%. Guess what - you an enroll as many as you want and it won't cost anybody a dime. Because doctors and hospitals will quit accpeting them as patients - they can't afford to treat them!!

See - thats is Harry Reid in action. Force mandates on the states, enroll tens of millions into medicare and then cut the funding - that is pure genius!!

[aghast101]

Push Harry Reid into Medicare and see how he likes it.

[bc-1948]

There is nothing that is nothing in the bill that cuts payments to doctors and hospital by 40% - where did you get that number?

It does support savings of through:

1. Changing the structure of payments to Hospitals - which now very complex - called a prospective pay system

2. Cuts some of the subsidy being paid to private insurance companies that the Republicans set up under the guise of "Medicare Advantage". It has nothing to do with Medicare except for how the premiums are paid by the government - They pay for private insurance policies at the average cost of care of a traditional Medicare patient, plus 14% more. Originally, this was sold as a way to reduce Medicare costs - but it has a dramatic opposite effect. Why? - Because the Medicare Plus programs target the healthy seniors - leaving the seniors with medical problems in traditional Medicare, thus increasing the average cost of care for a traditional Medicare patient, and increasing the premiums paid to the insurance companies - who not only benefit from the increased cost of patient care under traditional Medicare, but they also get a 14% bonus on top. I have a client whose mother developed some severe illness and was "encouraged" to switch back to traditional Medicare. - This is what is going to break traditional Medicare unless changes are made.

It's the same old shell game that Golden Rule and Time insurance used to play - saying they couldn't raise your rates unless everyone in the group had their rates increased. What they didn't tell you was that they wrote a new policy number each year, so the pool was only for those people that acquired insurance in an individual year. So, when premiums were raised for the group, the healthy ones found cheaper coverage elsewhere, leaving the people with health conditions stuck in the pool - and allowing the insurance company to raise their rates even more.

Golden Rule is now United Health Care.

[th9876]

No it is not a positive step - it is a windfall for insurance companies. Democrats - including Obama - will not longer get my vote.

[rhytonen]

I agree.

NO INCUMBENTS AT THE PRIMARIES !