Dean: Health Co-Ops Just Political Theater

(CBS)  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!

[ianlou]

the_majesty is a propaganda monger with a product that lacks imagination. He might as well be spraying graffiti with a spray-can.

[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.

[drsam8]

BRAVO, Dr. Dean! Bravo also to Speaker Nancy Pelosi!!! Democarts must stand up to these thugs. They are a cowardly minority trying to re-fight the last election. We should not tolerate. Obama told us what was going to do during the election, and the country gave him a decisive mandate. The irony is that Republicans are behaving as if their platform is the one that MUST be implemented. Overall, I blame Democrats, not Grassley, for not standing up to intimidation by Republican thugs. This country must resoundingly say no to hooliganism, by whatever name people like Hoyer may choose to call it. Hoyer says it is democracy; we bet to differ! This has happened repeatedly in American history, sometimes leading to assassination and violence. The radical right and their surrogates in the general society threaten or in some cases carry out violence, and Democrats cave in. When the Homeland Security Report came out warning about violence by extremist rightwing groups, the Homeland Security Secretary was almost apologetic, and later retreated into silence. Apart from the general cynicism such an outcome would create about politicians, Democrats would surely lose the support of their base. This, without getting any tangible or assured support from Republicans. The Democratic base has grown increasing cynical and distrustful of the intentions of Democratic leaders. This is reflected in recent polls. Obama's numbers also because of disillusionment within the Democratic base. What principles are Democrats and the President prepared to stand for firmly? You lose when you are not clear about what you want and lack courage to face your opponent. You lose when you negotiate without a good winning strategy?when you give the store away without committing your opponent to a tangible reciprocity before agreeing to their demands. Democrats have been outplayed and outmaneuvered by Republicans. With a less decisive mandate, Republicans ruled decisively in the past. Republicans did not countenance obstructionism under Bush.