Dean: Health Co-Ops Just Political Theater

Former Vermont Governor and doctor, Howard Dean said the health care co-operative proposal is purely for political strategy and has not worked in the past on "Face the Nation" Sunday.

"That proposal is a political compromise, not a policy compromise," Dean said. "No one knows what it would look like and when it has been tried in the past it mostly hasn't worked."

Dean, a strong advocate for the public insurance option, said people need the choice of a government-run plan to compete with private insurers.

He argued that because private insurance companies are investor-owned, they are spending less money on health services and more on equity.

Special Section: Latest News on Health Care Reform

Medicare, Dean said, "is by nature much more efficient" because currently seniors can move, leave their job and get sick without having their coverage discontinued.

"Everybody over 65 has it and the question is 'Why don't we open up that program,'" he said.

Schieffer asked who foots the bill for a government-run health care option.

Dean said that taxpayers receive subsidies if they need help paying for the option and that large employers would "either share the cost or keep the system the way it is."

"Small employers are off the hook," he said, arguing that they no longer need to provide health insurance to their employees.

Dean said "we are getting pretty mixed signals from Senator Grassley. … I think the Republicans owe it to this country to give us a clearer sense of what they will and will not support."

Senators Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Kent Conrad, D-North Dakota, appeared earlier on "Face the Nation," saying that the . The co-op solution, they said, would be the only hope for a bipartisan agreement.

Dean also said the $600 billion dollar House price tag on health care is "reasonable" because it is less than we are spending in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[MICdunson]

The Dems need to stop talking with the GOP they have no intrest in doing any thing good for American. What good haveing 60 vote if they are afaid to you them to do what we voted them in office to do.

[babooph]

In the US political system ,I do not see how public health care can work-who will hire the lobbyists to bribe the politicians?Maybe the new law could include bribe$ for elected officials?

[Imadinnerjacket]

Dean is a cancer to every issue he addresses...
The Dem party needs to bury him in a deep hole...
he is an angry bitter man

[reveal5]

This is a truly funny post. ha ha Imadinnerjacket, you didn't mean to be funny, but wow, this is truly so ridiculous, it's funny. ha

[speakingfrankly]

Thanks, Bob, for the 7.5-minute infomercial starring Howard Dean. I've been worried about you since Rahm Emanuel came on FTN several weeks back--something about the steely-eyed political ax-man from central casting beating up on the old guy turned my stomach. I kept waiting for that Bob Barker scene in "Happy Golmore" to develop, where you'd kick Emanuel's butt all over the studio. But, that never happened. But, Dean is so much more well-mannered: it's just fair and fitting that such a venerable shill such as yourself should be treated with respect by adminstration henchmen! Bravo, Bob!

[jschmidt27]

With the employer provided insurance the employee is not the customer of the insurance industry. The employer is. The employer searches the best deal for them not the insured. So all employers should pay into a fund the employees can access for insurance. That would force insurers to be competitive to their customers. The govt should reduce overlapping regulation between state and Fed govt. The public option would bypass state regulations giving them an unfair advantage. The drug approvals are costly and take many years. That process needs to be studied and improved. Govt paperwork adds a huge amount of cost to insurance. The medical records need to be computerized across doctors, hospitals. Govt can provide incentives for that. Insurers should not be allowed to drop subscribers but should be allowed to charge a small fixed percentage for increased risk of insuring higher risk individuals. Individuals should not be uninsurable for pre-existing conditions. And of course last what Congress doesn't want to hear, tort reform. If we have such upstanding Congressmen as Dodd, and Frank,designing legislation, we'll get something that is more important to lobbyists than to voters as we did with the credit card legislation. Unfortunately Democrats thought they had unlimited power but they were elected because they were not Bush and Obama was an unknown to most except those who were wise enough to know a Chicago politician couldn;t be good.They thought all Americans would welcome their intrusion into every aspect of our lives because Democrats know what is best for us, better than we know. They know best how to spend our money, how to regulate our lives and how to give us the best healthcare. But that attitude has backfired and they found out the hardway just how independent Americans are.

[ubrew12]

Those are all 'good' republican ideas. Can you give me a plausable explanation why they weren't implemented during the six years that Republicans owned every branch of the Federal government?

Is it possible that, despite your words, Republicans don't really think there's a problem here?

[sjc_1]

"intrusion into every aspect of our lives "

How is a public OPTION an intrusion into every aspect of our lives? I would think that the illegal wire taps where BUSH violated the FISA laws was an intrusion into a lot of lives. That seems to be a "slippery slope" argument and when Bush was allowed to listen to your phone calls and read your email, that was quite a "slope" to start down.

[reveal5]

Well, one thing is assured. Mau we all gather and give last rights to "death panels"...The whole death panel controversy is rapidly dying.The death panel idea has been shown incontrovertibly to be a hoax. The death panel hoax was filled with fear and paranoia fed to psychologically vulnerable folks to spread like the plague. The "Tea Party" protestors were filled with this plague by their local and national handlers. The GOP is clearly manipulating these psychologically vulnerable protestors for it's own selfish goals. The protestors will probably remain unaware of the manipulation. The GOP will keep manipulating these fringe folks. Thing is...the whole folly is becoming more fully and widely inderstood by the general public. The whole country is now coming to an understanding of the lies, fear, paranoia, and hate tactics of the GOP. Many will understand that the local and national tea party organisers are spreading lies and fear thru challenged individuals whom they are using and psychologically abusing. The "Tea Party" organisers at the local and national level are psychologically abusing "challenged" individuals. Seems like a smart lawyer might be able to make some hay with that. The local and national "Tea Party" organisers should be sued on behalf of the psychologically and intellectually challenged individuals whom the GOP is abusing. The GOP along with"Tea Party" organisers should be sued for abuse. Abuse of the "at risk" in some instances.

[trapbreaking]

Did Dean give one of his "WHOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHH" yells after the interview?

.

[crispy-gmx]

Dean will go down with the sinking Obama ship.
America has spoken. No to ObamaCare ..........
by the_majesty August 23, 2009 1:43 PM EDT

America HAS NOT spoken, unless you're referring to a group of misinformed people disrupting town hall meetings by shouting and calling president Obama a Nazi! The last time America 'spoke' was last November's election, when Obama won, and Republicans in the house and Senate Lost!

[antimicro]

Mr. Dean's response as to how we will pay for this "reform" is exactly why it will never pass. He doesn't answer the question. He says that "the government", ie TAXPAYERS will pay for this and that it is less than we spend on Iraq and Afghanistan. So what? I guess his point is that we should pay for things that he thinks are important, even if they may bankrupt the US and devalue our currency. Obama claims he wants to cut costs by starting a new government bureaucracy, ie a public option. We have a big enough problem funding the current government option called Medicare and the prescription drug benefit. If we just continue with this part of the "public option" and don't reform it, we will be broke. Imagine what will happen if we add to it during a time when the economy is in the tank.

Then to top it off, Mr. Dean claims that the Republicans are political and he isn't. If this debate really isn't about saving money, as it clearly isn't, then the only reason for pursuing a public option is sothat Mr. Dean can appeal to his left wing political constituency within the Democratic Party, ie the unions.

[sjc_1]

Dean knows this issue, he also knows what will work and what won't. Let's go with what we know will work and quit experimenting. We have to get this right the first time, we do not have the time nor money to waste. We do not need another half measure that will kick this down the road another 10 years, when the price will double yet again.

[misha256]

Political theater -- more like POLITICAL FARCE - The Republicans have made it clear they will not vote for co-ops even though they are some of the ones pushing the issue (despite a GAO report in 2000 saying co-ops are ineffective at securing the large corporation discounts for their members).

Sorry both the Republicans and history are killing the Co-op option soundly. Even if the Republicans tried to revive co-ops they have no basis on which to propose change -- their current position is not based in proposed legislation from which they could show changes from a "bad" co-op to a "good" co-op. Clearly their knee-jerk reaction to co-ops has limited their future options.


http://www.gao.gov/archive/2000/he00049.pdf

Pricing conclusion (where small businesses and individuals need help -- they won't get it)
-- "The experiences to date of small employer purchasing cooperatives typically have not resulted in a third advantage, which is available to large employers: leverage in negotiating lower premiums."

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Republican Senator Kyle says the REPUBLICANS are killing co-ops

"On the co-op... as Democrats have said, it doesn't matter what you call it, they want it to accomplish something that Republicans are opposed to," Kyl told reporters. "That is the step towards government-run health care in the country. The president himself said you can imagine a cooperative meeting that definition of a public option."

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http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/08/18/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5248729.shtml?tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea

"You can call it a co-op, which is another way of saying a government plan," Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said in Tuesday's edition of The New York Times.

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Republican National Committee agrees with the fabrication that Co-ops are government-run plans.

http://www.gop.com/News/NewsRead.aspx?Guid=72edae22-984e-4019-872c-1438fcc5452f

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Which of the above versions of NO do you have a problem comprehending?
- The fact Co-ops are ineffective at lowering health care prices?
- The Republicans have already started the fabrications to put an end to your proposal for Co-ops.

Not to mention; there are no federal politicians I have heard that have bought into "Rowdy's" plans to end Medicare and Medicaid, (and the VA, SCHIP, etc) to "force" those people into co-ops so there MIGHT, ONLY MIGHT, be a chance of volume discounts like large employers get.

[the_majesty]

Dean will go down with the sinking Obama ship.
America has spoken. No to ObamaCare ..........

[jsf14]

We have at least one health care coop in my town. Seems to be working well. Attracts many public and university employees who have four or five competing options. How many competing options are there in your town?

[misha256]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8601-18563_162-5258294.html?assetTypeId=30&tag=contentMain;contentBody

by CP30 August 22, 2009 12:11 PM EDT
Misha, I'm not concerned about what the republicans did in the past like you are so fascinated with pointing your finger at...those days are OVER AND DONE.
....

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Rowdy's Approved Death Panels (newID CP301)

Politicians that voted for required end-of-life counseling by a GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRAT:

Write them to demand REPEAL of the GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRAT'S
---- determination of THRESHOLD CONDITIONS
---- determination of who are TARGETED INDIVIDUALS
---- INVOLVEMENT in the REQUIRED COMMUNICATION of END-OF-LIFE options
---- Answers are REQUIRED
---- Other unsolicited contacts are allowed (medical service providers)
---- Required to communicate the program is voluntary
---- NOT required to communicate that a person can opt out at any time
that they VOTED INTO LAW.



Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003


CHECK OUT ALL THE LEGISLATORS THAT VOTED FOR THIS BILL

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll669.xml

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00459


Check out the entire bill / law (the end of life provisions are in Section 721)

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_bills&docid=f:h1enr.txt.pdf