Kucinich's Brave Health Vote Vs. Obama's Failed Promise

[IndianaGreen]

Published on Sunday, November 8, 2009 by the Huffington Post

Kucinich's Brave Health Vote Vs. Obama's Failed Promise
by Lee Stranahan

Personally, I supported President Obama in the primaries and the election but do not support him on this corporate giveaway built on broken campaign promises. I voted for the Barack Obama who opposed the individual mandate, who said the negotiations would be televised on C-SPAN and who campaigned against backroom deals with PhARMA.

Conservatives have expressed outrage for months about the way the health care bill was handled. Their anti-government anger is misplaced because the lets the insurances and drug companies who really helped drive this bill off the hook. But I understand their sense that this bill was passed despite the people.

Progressives should be every bit as upset that President Obama lied to us to get his historic health bill. The citizens of this country did not have a seat at the table. Proponents of the Single Payer didn't have a seat at the table. Under the guise of health care reform, we watched as the insurance industry got a bill passed that entrenches and enriches them.

Don't let anyone fool you that this bill is a good start. It's got a poison pill "Public Option" that is designed to fail. As the brilliant RJ Eskow wrote recently about the House bill's public option,

The plan will have low enrollment and little power to negotiate, causing the CBO to state as fact what I've long considered possible: That the public option could become a dumping ground where private plans jettison sicker people, while lacking the efficiencies of scale or negotiating power to get better rates or administer itself more economically.

As a result, says the CBO, a public plan's premiums might be higher than private insurance. While the CBO's word isn't gospel, it's entirely possible that they're underestimating the cost of any "public option" we're likely to see this year. The likeliest political outcome, once the House and Senate bills are combined, is a non-robust "public option" with a state-by-state opt out. The CBO didn't consider the opt-out when it came up with its shocking (to some) estimate.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/11/08-4

[stray cat]

1. When Dennis can get a bill passed with his progressive agenda let us know

He has a secure congressional seat with a gerry rigged electorate just like many represenatives

[IndianaGreen]

2. It is our fault for voting for politicians that support the corporations against the people

The remedy is rather simple: support only those candidates that will support our issues.

[Aramchek]

6. your devotion to Dennis has blinded you to his failings

[IndianaGreen]

8. My devotion is to universal health care, because unlike many of you

I believe health care is a fundamental human right.

[Aramchek]

11. you don't have a clue what many of us believe. and Universal Healthcare will be achieved.

even if we have to drag you kicking and screaming all the way there.

[IndianaGreen]

13. 12 million Americans will remain without health care under this bill

and then there is this:

The biggest flaw lies in the House's failure to produce a robust public option -- that is, one that fully employs the administrative efficiencies and negotiating power of Medicare/Medicaid. A robust plan demonstrates and delivers the advantages of a public system, while bearing the disadvantages of such a system as well. (And there are disadvantages: For example, doctors could disenroll from the plan in large numbers if pricing is too aggressive.)

A robust public plan that's made available to all Americans on "a level playing field" could allow people to compare and contrast the advantages of public vs. private insurance, then make their own decisions. The House plan doesn't do that. As a result, my long-standing fear seems likely to come true. The plan will have low enrollment and little power to negotiate, causing the CBO to state as fact what I've long considered possible: That the public option could become a dumping ground where private plans jettison sicker people, while lacking the efficiencies of scale or negotiating power to get better rates or administer itself more economically.

As a result, says the CBO, a public plan's premiums might be higher than private insurance. While the CBO's word isn't gospel, it's entirely possible that they're underestimating the cost of any "public option" we're likely to see this year. The likeliest political outcome, once the House and Senate bills are combined, is a non-robust "public option" with a state-by-state opt out. The CBO didn't consider the opt-out when it came up with its shocking (to some) estimate.

So how small would the public option plan be in the end? The CBO projects an eventual 6 million enrollees. Compare that to UnitedHealth, which had 32,702,000 members in 2008. Or Wellpoint, with 30,622,000. Or Aetna, with 16,318,000.(1) The public option would barely make it into the list of top 10 US health insurers. And the opt-out provision could cut enrollment by another 20%(2) or more.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/time-to-kill-the-pseudo-p_b_342370.html&cp

[Aramchek]

17. no matter how many times you cut and paste that, you will still be wrong in your opposition

[Sebastian Doyle]

31. Mandatory corporatism might be beneficial for your personal bank account, shill

But it does NOT = "universal health care"

[John Q. Citizen]

10. He got an amendmant passed that the White House demanded be removed.

Dennis is a very strong campaigner. He's also extremely receptive and responsive to and well loved by his union/ working class constituency.

If only our party had more like him we could do great things.

Instead we have people like Tom Daschle, Insurance company pimp. Tax evader. Close confidant of the President.

It's our corporate slimeballs that are holding us back.

[emulatorloo]

3. Is this a HuffPo piece or commondreams piece?

[phleshdef]

4. Yea, voting against banning gender discrimination, pre-existing condition discrimination and banning

anti-trust exemptions is the epitomy of bravery.

[IndianaGreen]

7. There are no anti-trust bans in the bill

and the exchanges, which are a piss poor substitute for the promised public option, will cost more than regular insurance and will become a dumping ground for risky patients.

[phleshdef]

9. Thats a lie. The blanket anti-trust bans are there, I read it myself.

The Kucinich health care plan: Let people die as long as you keep your "more liberal than thou"-ness in check.

[IndianaGreen]

12. There is a stench of DLC corporatism in the air

[phleshdef]

18. Ooo, you used the words DLC AND Corporatism together...

...makes you feel like a real big god damn liberal doesn't it? Why don't work in the words "bold reform" and single payer in there just to seal the deal and show me how progressive you really are? Ya know because using a bunch of bad cliches that don't really mean shit is how it gets done right?

[John Q. Citizen]

14. Got a link? I think you are mistaken i think that bill is in the juduciary. It's been introduced

for the last few years, but never went any where.

Got a link?

[phleshdef]

16. Heres a damn link since you are too lazy to use google apparently.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125763748641536301.html

[John Q. Citizen]

23. Thanks for the link. I knew there had been talk about it but I didn't know it actually made it in.

[Aramchek]

5. Kucinich is just as brave as the Repukes he joined forces with

[John Q. Citizen]

20. Far braver my friend, than them or you for that matter.

Or me.

While you remain anonymous (as I do) and snipe from your hidey hole, Dennis Kucinich takes a stand for the people and actually signs his name to it.

You and I could take a lesson in bravery from that man.

[Aramchek]

22. and he fucked up. Bravery would be admitting that he was wrong.

[John Q. Citizen]

28. He wasn't wrong. He was right. One day you will see that.

Hillary saw that he was right to vote against the IWR. Both Obama and Hillary saw that he was right to oppose NAFTA, and said as much in Ohio during the campaign.

Dennis was right to vote against a bad bill. Yes it has a couple of good things in it, but it also has a lot of very bad things in it.

And the bad things will do far more harm in the long run than the good things would do in the short run. It was a brave vote. And one day you will see that., I'm sure.

[vaberella]

15. First thing that came to mind when I saw your post was, "Go to Hell!"

Joining forces with the party who would leave millions more uninsured, raise the deficit and let people die is far more worthy than giving people a lot of nice reformation like gender bias, and giving many people like myself a chance at the PO. My ovaries thank Kucinich for his vote against them.

[BklnDem75]

19. That Kucinich...

He's such a Maverick!

[Hutzpa]

21. I like the way the title is worded

you have to give it to some of these journalist.

:wow:

[tabatha]

24. Dennis could not get elected President,. End of story.

[John Q. Citizen]

30. You are correct. Dennis won't lie like the ones who get elected seem to have to do.

i guess that's what i like about Dennis. He's too honest to be elected President.

[Generator]

25. A public option that costs more than private insurance

And that's the CBO estimate. Now explain to me why Obama and all of congress aren't a total sham. Orwellian fucks. They obviously learned well from the previous administration.

Clear skies and freedom! Rah.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. Barack Obama is a better human being than Dennis Kucinich.

On all levels.

[John Q. Citizen]

29. That's one of the sillier things I've seen anybody say. Are you an insurance agent?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

32. No.

If I worked for the insurance companies, I'd be supporting people against HCR.

Like Kucinich.

[John Q. Citizen]

33. Daschle works for the insurance companies and he was Obama's Co-Chair in the campaign. So I

think you are a little confused about what's happening.

[LWolf]

27. I've never been fooled. nt

[Vidar]

34. No, You/re making too much sense. That's not allowed here today. Recommended.