Max Baucus says we need to keep our powder dry.

madfloridian

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Mon May-11-09 02:11 PM
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Max Baucus says we need to keep our powder dry.

Yes, he really did say that about health care. He said everyone needs to keep their powder dry.

We control the Senate, the House, and the White House. Good margins, most in years, good chance to bring change.

And Baucus actually has the nerve to say that we need to keep our powder dry.

Public debate over 'public option' for healthcare

The Obama administration and its allies are now scrambling to contain a full-throated ideological debate that some fear could threaten the most ambitious healthcare campaign in nearly a generation.

"Everybody needs to keep their powder dry," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said in an interview. "We have a huge opportunity to accomplish very significant health reform. . . . Let's not have any sparks that could light a fire."

Let's not have any sparks that could light a fire?

Why is this man in charge of doing our new health care system if he is so terrified of a few sparks and so afraid we won't keep our powder dry.

I am surprised he actually used the words about dry powder. We have long mocked those in our party who kept voting with the right in order to keep their powder dry. The war in Iraq, the bankruptcy bill, the wiretapping bill...keeping our powder dry all that time.

The article continues with more about the views of Baucus.

Baucus, who plans to introduce sweeping healthcare legislation next month, said he had recommended starting with less controversial elements of healthcare reform. "We don't have to deal with the public insurance option on the first day," he said.

Baucus, Obama and others see a new government program as crucial to covering the approximately 46 million people in the United States who have no insurance. They also argue that a public alternative would pressure private insurers to control costs and improve quality.

The article mentions Move On, the conservative groups, several others...but it does not mention Howard Dean's effort with DFA and Move On to push the public option. Not a word. It does not even mention his name. Disappearing someone by ignoring.

Baucus and the others are just terrified of the insurance companies, too afraid to set up that government run public option. Today's press conference and yesterday's phone conference verified that. Nyceve covers the phone conference at Daily Kos today.

You know the old phrase "they think we are stupid?" Well, this sounds like they really do think that.

Bellows: "I have two questions. The first is following up on Michael Fletcher's and Eliza Marcus' questions: is the President still insistent that a public health plan will be among the options offered to people, or is that a bargaining chip in any way? And the second question, following up on Andrew Beatty's: is it correct that the cost per capita will still increase, just not as much as it previously was projected to?

Senior Administration Official #1: "On the second question, the answer to that is yes. Again, what we're talking about here is reducing the growth rate, so yes, health care costs, you should anticipate health care costs will continue to rise, but achieving a slowdown in the rate at which they increase is a, would be a huge accomplishment in terms of freeing up resources for other priorities and in terms of relieving pressure on the federal budget."

The official continued with a justification for accepting continued healthcare cost increases: "One of the reasons that you should expect health care costs to continue to increase is not only that the population is aging, which puts some upward pressure on health spending, but also that as incomes rise over time, it is natural that people want to spend part of their additional income on health care...."

Bellows: "The second question?"

Senior Administration Official #2: "On the public plan, this event with the President tomorrow is not about the public plan, we've had no discussion with this group about he public plan, in fact, if I look at the list of trade associations that are part of this, there are different views about it, but the President likes the public plan, it's part of his campaign plan (sic: campaign platform?)"

Well, I must be stupid because that makes little sense to me.

But the kicker is in the NYT article from yesterday which says they have no way of being sure the insurance companies keep their word to cut costs.

Doctors, hospitals, drug makers and insurance companies will join President Obama on Monday in announcing their commitment to a sharp reduction in the growth of national health spending, White House officials said Sunday.

At this point, administration officials said, they do not have a way to enforce the commitment, other than by publicizing the performance of health care providers to hold them accountable.

It's simple. If you make a government-run public option available, it will enforce the accountability of the private sector.

I notice the media keeps making it sound like Max Baucus is supportive of a public option. In fact, he really only thinks of it as a way to get the insurance companies to behave. Not by passing it, but simply by threatening it.

Baucus responds to Howard Dean plea for a public option....probably not needed.

Let’s see what we come up with. I think we can accomplish the objective (Dean) wants without (a public plan). We can, we’re going to have to work on it. But we may have to have it, (Dean) may be right. Just don’t know yet.

Talk about wishy washy?

More about that option from Baucus:

Dean believes that the public plan would improve system efficiency and quality, but Baucus is more interested in using the program as a political tool to bring insurers to the table and keep single payer advocates at the table. The public, however, supports the public option. According to a poll by Lake Research, “73% of voters want everyone to have a choice of private health insurance or a public health insurance plan while only 15% want everyone to have private insurance.”

Problem is that Baucus is in charge, and he gets to do what he wants to do. They simply tell those who call about a public option or single payer that there is not enough interest.

That is their secret weapon...to pretend we are not calling to pretend we are not there.

And we fall for it every single time.