NYT: The Public Option Resurfaces In Senate Via Colorado

[OhioChick]

March 24, 2010, 12:48 pm

It has not been easy lately for Republicans and Democrats to find common ground. But Senate leaders in both parties are cringing at the possibility of a last-minute wrinkle in the health care debate: an amendment that would add a public option, or government-run insurance plan, to the budget reconciliation bill now being considered on the Senate floor.

Now that President Obama has signed the main health care legislation into law, some liberal advocates are making one last, hard push for a government-run insurance plan. And in a unlikely twist, after a year in which the appetite for a public plan was greater in the House, the Senate may now have the votes for it, while the House may not.

So far, Senate Democrats have not offered any amendments to the reconciliation bill, which includes the final revisions to the health care legislation. Their goal is to prevent any changes whatsoever so that they can approve the bill on a simple majority vote, send it to Mr. Obama for his signature and seal their victory.

Republicans are hoping that they can win approval of an amendment that some Democrats might find irresistible, or at least punch holes in the bill on procedural grounds. Any such change would require that the bill be sent back to the House for another vote, and that could create all sorts of headaches for Democrats.

More: http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/the-public-option-resurfaces/

[frazzled]

1. Harkin says they may try it in a second reconciliation bill (soon)

But it won't happen in this one. They promised the House to pass the reconciliation fixes unamended, and they will do that. I guess the irony is that they could possibly pass it in the Senate now, but not in the House.

On edit: Forgot the link: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/88849-harkin-public-option-backers-eyeing-second-reconciliation-bill

[Uncle Joe]

2. Fiscally conservative Democrats have every reason in the world to approve a strong national

public option, the cost savings to the nation will be greater and the bill/law will be structurally sound.

"Even if 51 Senate Democrats agree to add the public option to the bill, the situation in the House is unsettled. The coalition that approved the legislation on Sunday now includes some fiscally conservative Democrats who opposed the legislation in the fall. And it is unclear, even to liberal supporters of the public option, that they could win the votes."

Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, OhioChick.

[zipplewrath]

3. What's in reconciliation worth missing the PO?

What "fix" is in the reconciliation bill that would be worth not getting the PO. Add the PO to the House's bill in the senate. Send it back to the House. Nancy and Obama could twist arms to get this. They should be able to get the reconciliation bill + PO. Heck, the house passed the PO.

[glinda]

4. Please do it asap.

[yurbud]

5. we have to call Democrats bluff and DEMAND that they do this.

call your senators today:

http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

you can fax them for free at faxzero.com. Older farts still need to see the hard copy.

[Kablooie]

6. But couldn't this crash the whole thing if it didn't go through?

I don't want to see Obama's signing the bill into law become his Mission Accomplished moment.

[rapturedbyrobots]

7. that's GANGSTA

they're calling the dems out.

the republicans KNOW that the dems can't pass the bill with a PO in it, because of the secret deal with hospitals made by the admin. They're using the most popular feature of health care reform against the dems.

now that is GANGSTA

[Bobothedogfacedboy]

8. Why is it that

...this has gotten so little attention?

Last August, the NYT printed a story on this, and I have seen it bubble to the top of the conversational heap a few times in the last two weeks, but it is really significant. And no one has put two and two together by way of explaining what seems to mystify half the liberal group.

I am not keen to undermine Obama's credibility, but the fact is, that deal undermined my confidence in him, and few people seem to recognize what happened. They are still going around wondering why the president didn't support the PO more forcefully. THAT is why.