Public Option on Deck for Friday
Democratic Senators Jay Rockefeller and Chuck Schumer said Thursday evening that they plan to turn debate on the Senate Finance Committee toward a government-run public option on Friday. No public option is included in Chairman Max Baucus's current health care reform bill and none is expected one to be added, simply because there are not enough supportive votes on the committee to pass such an amendment. (Health reform bills from the House and Senate HELP committee do include a public option and this is arguably the most contentious issue still to be worked out among Congressional Democrats.)
Baucus's bill includes a plan for state-based, non-profit, non-governmental health insurance cooperatives, first proposed by Democratic Senator Kent Conrad. Co-ops would, like a public option, serve as an alternative to private health coverage but would lack the leverage power of a national public health insurance plan to exert influence over the entire health insurance and delivery markets. Disagreement over the public option was destined to come to a head on the Finance Committee, with Rockefeller citing the lack of a public option as one of the reasons he could not, if given the chance, vote for the original Baucus bill. (The bill was amended over the weekend to incorporate some of the amendments offered by senators on the committee, but still lacks a public option.) Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown captured a great scene during a Thursday evening conference call hosted by Rockefeller and Schumer, in which the senators previewed their plans for Friday:
Here's the scene: Reporters were sitting in the hearing room during a break, listening to a conference call -- on their cellphones, on speakerphone -- with Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Jay Rockefeller about their strategy for passing the public option.
And just as Rockefeller launched a takedown of Sen. Kent Conrad's co-op proposal -- mentioning the senator by name -- Conrad himself walked into the otherwise empty room, his hand tucked into his pants pocket and a sly grin on his face.
He stood in silence over the reporters' cellphones and listened for 30 seconds.
Conrad, the model of Senate restraint, declined an offer to challenge Rockefeller. Actually, he didn't respond to the offer. He walked away, likely biting his tongue.
Baucus has kept the committee working late into the evenings this week and the possibility that he will get through votes on the hundreds of proposed amendments to his bill by the end of the week is increasingly remote. On Thursday, Ranking Republican Chuck Grassley asked Baucus if he expected to keep the committee working Saturday and Sunday.
Grassley: "I got to Iowa every weekend and if I don't have a weekend, obviously I can't go to Iowa."
Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow: "Mr. Chairman, that sounds like a country song."
Baucus: "We're going to work after these votes late into the evening and into tomorrow. Then we'll re-assess where we are."
The exchange was light-hearted, but also underscored Baucus's desire to get through the amendments to his bill in a timely fashion, even if it means working overtime.
(Lastly, don't miss an impressively comprehensive list retrievable documents related to the health care debate, along with places to follow it online, as compiled by Slate's Timothy Noah.)
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Thanks so much for this continuing coverage, Kate Pickert.
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We're eating it up.
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Special gratitude for this link to Timothy Noah. -
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you are doing a wonderful job here Kate. have you guys had the Talk about you being a permanent member here at Swampland yet? Im not the only one who would be delighted
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Is it just me, or do some of the quasi-popup ads on this site render the blog unreadable?
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Yes! I've got that going on right now, I had to shoulder past an Allianz ad and a Minolta ad, whatever the f--k those are.
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Use Firefox. I see no ads.
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Grassley: "I got to Iowa every weekend and if I don't have a weekend, obviously I can't go to Iowa."
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Cry me a f--king river, you goddamned liar.-
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The 'goddamned liar' I'm referring to is Grassley (just to avoid any confusion).
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Thanks, Kate. I wondered earlier if this showdown would finally happen. Do the three of you have sleeping bags, spare clothes, and lots of trail mix to camp out through all of this? Keep up the good work.
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The ads are annoying, I agree.
On the vote, Maddow said last night that the result of the vote would tell us whether or not a public option would be in the final bill. Surely, that's not right? The Senate Finance Committee can vote against it but it can still be in the bill as a result of conference and merging the senate and house bills, right? If that's the case, is it because Maddow is ill-informed (and, indeed, Chuck Schumer corrected her, in an indirect way) or is it because she is trying to sensationalise this? One way or the other, it's really turning me off; progressives always complain about the lack of sophistication of the wingnuts, but perhaps we should be getting more sophisticated ourselves?
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The real question is whether there are a couple of Dems on the committee willing to vote against the bill if it doesn't contain a public option.
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the other big question is why journalists never label the opposition to the public option as "ideological" or "exteme", despite the fact that its an irrational faith in "markets" and an irrational fear of government that drives the opposition, and the fact that the vast majority of Americans favor a public option.
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So how about some truth in reporting today, Kate? How about if you describe as an ideologue every senator who ignores the overwhelming evidence from developed countries about how effective "government run health care" is? How about you label as "a liar" or "delusional" anyone who thinks that private sector "market competition" can effectively reduce prices?
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"The real question is whether there are a couple of Dems on the committee willing to vote against the bill if it doesn't contain a public option."
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One can only hope that this will happen, it is as simple as that. Please write or call your Senator and request that this be so, pluk.
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I'll even help, here is a quick link for you
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http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
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My respect for the moderates Rockefeller and Schumer has increased immensely. I hope they can bring the right wing extremists, like Cantor and Baucus around. I hold no hold for the Republican extremists on the committee, who are simply there to obstruct all progress, on behalf of their benefactors.
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God I wish there was a 5 minute edit feature on this site.
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I love the reporting and the links, Kate. However, is anyone keeping track of what's happened with all the amendments? I'd love to be able to see a chart which shows which have been taken up and what resulted, along with any vote counts. Also a running tally of the number of amendments that have been considered would be very helpful.
It seems like the pace of consideration is quite slow and it would take many weeks to get through all the amendments. Or am I missing something?
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"Republicans in both the House and the Senate have proposed amendments to health care bills requiring any bill be posted online for the public to view at least 72 hours prior to a vote. Democrats defeated the proposal before the Senate Finance Committee." The Washington Times reports:
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Why have the Democrats voted this down? Is it not the "era of transparency"? Do the voters not have the right to see what their specific Representative or Senator are about to vote on and comment?
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I am sure even the esteemed "Progressives" of this site believe that this should be done in Washington. Or, do we simply continue the same old practices in Washington whereby these crooks continue to line their pockets with tax payer money?
."Only one Democrat – Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas – voted for the measure, which would have delayed a vote on the final bill for about two weeks in order to allow the Congressional Budget Office to complete its analysis on the cost and implications of the legislation. Instead, the panel passed an alternative amendment that would require the committee to post the full bill online in “conceptual” rather than legal language, as well as a CBO cost estimate.
The minority party accusing the majority of rushing bills through Congress is nothing new. But Democrats have attracted special attention this year with a series of last-minute votes on bills that exceed more than 1,000 pages".
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http://www.lonelyconservative.com/2009/09/24/senate-democrats-nix-plan-to-post-legislation-online-72-hours-prior-to-vote/
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Isn't this the "CHANGE" we were promised?-
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an entire thread has already been devoted to this topic, rusty...
http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/09/23/democrats-say-go-republicans-say-wait/ -
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And pluk, there are somethings which deserve repeating.
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Thank you Kate and I love the links.
I think that Baucus and Conrad are giving themselves cover, I look for Baucus to vote yes as he needs this for his base at home. Conrad was able to vote for Nelson's bill so Baucus will vote for Public Plan knowing it will not pass.
If the Republicans were smart they would vote yes to help themselves in public opinion.
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Why have the Democrats voted this down? Is it not the "era of transparency.
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We had to destroy the Village in order to save it.
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Rusty may have some concrete ideas on how to reform health care, but the Republicans in Congress have no such involvment or interest. Their scorched earth appoach to the problem suggests that they are utterly uninterested in anything but driving any hope for reform into the ground. Amendments to delay consideration of amendments are just more transparent examples of their destructive agenda. -
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Thanks, Kate. Please let us know as soon as the public option amendment fails. *sigh*
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"We had to destroy the Village in order to save it."
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Yes I agree. The attack by the left on the Constitution does continue, you are right on that Dirks.
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But, that is the beauty of our system of Government. When people wake up, which they have, and realize exactly what Obama and his merry band of thieves are doing to this great country, they speak out. They use the power of the VOTE. Today I even predict, you shall see more moderate Democrats scurry like rats to the sewers in fear of a backlash from Seniors over the huge Medicare cuts the Progressives of the liberal Democrat party are proposing.
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Continuing down your path of destruction will only lead to a complete over-throw of your anti-American, anti-Constitution Party. Democrats will yet again be thrown out of office, just as they were in 1994.
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You have but one year to rape, pillage and attempt to destroy this country. Then things will return to sanity once again, and the actions taken today will be reversed tomorrow.-
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Did you complain this much when the Republicans were ripping of this country with crony capitalism? When the biggest government contracts went to the friends of the White House.
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Today I even predict, you shall see more moderate Democrats scurry like rats to the sewers in fear of a backlash from Seniors over the huge Medicare cuts the Progressives of the liberal Democrat party are proposing.
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the problem isn't that Dems are proposing cuts in Medicare, its that they are using money saved by making Medicare more efficient to fund the subsidies to the private insurance companies. Everyone acknowledges that Medicare needs major changes -- the problem is that the savings from these changes should go toward extending Medicare's solvency, not to subsidies for private health insurance.
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Good try at plugging more Demorcrat and Obama talking points pluk.
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You actually believe it is simply "savings"? That Medicare as most Seniors know it today will be completely GUTTED and their benefits reduced drastically, and their out of pocket expense are drastically increased?
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Is that your "savings"?
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500 BILLION in "savings", pluk? It amazes me to think you actually believe the crap that spews out of Obama's mouth. The rhetorical slime that he spews out of his mouth is simply CUTS TO MEDICARE at the expense of all Seniors and those baby boomers yet to come.
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500 BILLION starting off with over 200 BILLION in cuts to the Medicare Advantage program. The one program that seniors who live in rural areas like mine will see their current insurance completely CUT so Obama can fund his folly called "healthcare reform". These people who before Medicare Advantage had to eat cat food in order to afford their medications or pay for their secondary insurance plan to cover the 20% medicare would not cover under what Obama wants them to go back to the old Medicare A and B.
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On the backs of our seniors, Obama and Baccus plan to "overhaul" Medicare. Simply they say to "cut out abuse and fraud". Simply to make "Medicare more efficient".
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If that is true, why not do it now? Why not forgo all the hype, produce the CBO report which shows that there is less than a few million in fraud, abuse and inefficiency, but the rest of the 499 BILLION will be in the form of cutting medicare benefits for seniors in order to fund healthcare for people younger, and those who are too damn lazy to go out and get a job and work for it.
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499 BILLION in order to continue funding groups such as ACORN. 499 BILLION to continue to fund groups such as the APOLLO PROJECT and AMERICANS FOR PROGRESS headed up by the likes of John Podesta and Van Jones.
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Obama and the Democrats are simply SCREWING the seniors in this country to contnue their march on the destruction of Medicare as we know it today. -
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Let me tell you something rusty I work my ass off and always have! When I was younger and the Dems were in office my insurance at my job was 30 dollars a week for my entire family. Since the republicans took over and striped away all the regulations that keep these insurance companies and others in order, my insurance is now 200 a week that's right 800 a month I'm a teacher and that's a lot of my salary. So when I here people like you say its lazy people who don't want to go out and work for insurance that want health care reform it makes me angry. It might just be that people like me want too see something for the taxes I have paid, do pay, and will always pay!
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You mean THIS Constitution:
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence
and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
To provide and maintain a Navy;
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
The one that John Yoo eviscerated and that Republicans still insist doesn't carry the plain meaning it does concerning Congressional wart Powers.
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Do Not Make Me Laugh.... -
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Congressional wart powers....
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Hmmm. I wonder if that was Freudian......
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Of course I mean War Powers. -
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"Rusty may have some concrete ideas on how to reform health care,"
It is funny. Rusty's ideas for health care reform are pretty much all terrible (i.e. that "tort reform" will have a positive and meaningful effect on keeping costs down and providing better care). It's just that compared to his ideas on pretty much everything else, they do not appear to be the ideas of an unhinged lunatic.
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Not to mention hypocritical. He shifts from whining about attacks on the Constitution to demanding Federally mandated tort reform.
Tort reform is effectively unconstitutional under Arizona's Constitution. To impose this at federal level would be a gigantic reach into an area historically left to the states and would truly be an attack on the federalist elements of our government.
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[...] won't reconvene the markup until Tuesday. Democratic Senators Jay Rockefeller and Chuck Schumer had said last night they intended a public option debate to happen today, but possibly because of the shortness of [...]
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Vote on Pubic Option cancelled today. Committee leaving at noon for long weekend. Public Option will come up Tuesday.
If anyone was listening, did Baucus mumble something about getting votes when he talked about the Public Option? I could not quite catch what he said.
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No public option is included in Chairman Max Baucus's current health care reform bill and none is expected one to be added, simply because there are not enough supportive votes on the committee to pass such an amendment.
Who is not supportive? You should help us out and name names.
From what I can tell, no Democrat on the committee has out and out declared they oppose the public option (and if you look at support circa 2008, a number of these senators like Baucus supported a PO). Rather, they say weaselly things like "the votes aren't there", and "there is not the support for the public option".
When a Kent Conrad says "the votes aren't there", is he saying he is a NO vote, or is he saying he heard a lot of Senators talking about it in the bathroom and that is his opinion? And why can't we ever get journalists to ask follow ups when the weasel statements like this get bandied about? -
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Any individual business wants to eliminate all competition in order to maximize their profits from the guy that runs Kinko's who worries about Copy Connection opening up down the street to AT&T wanting to be the only Phone Company, or Cable wanting to shut out Satellite from operating in your neighborhood or Time eliminating Newsweek.
If you think the insurance companies are going to lower their cost while having a monopoly over the process – well I've got a bridge to sell you …and I think Wall Street should be completely unregulated because I trust strangers with my money…and pollution is good and we should take all of the air bags out of the cars.
Unregulated markets are anarchy not democracy. The free market system is a myth. Vote your own pocket book and don't care what happens to the millionaire strangers trying to pull the strings in Congress for their own benefit, and to eliminate competition. What's good for GM is only good for GM - not the entire market system we all depend on.
A vote against the Public Option is a vote against competition.
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I agree
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[...] Jay Rockefeller and Chuck Schumer said they planned to push the public option during today’s Finance Committee health care markup [...]
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