Baucus calls 2nd closed door session on health care. No public, no media, no record.

[madfloridian]

Here is what the press release says:

Rarely Used Closed Doors Slammed Again in U.S. Senate Health Care Reform

Rarely Used Closed Doors Slammed Again in U.S. Senate Health Care Reform

WASHINGTON, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the second time in two weeks, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee today invoked rules -- allowing a closed door committee session barring the public, media and with no Congressional Record -- reserved for unusual circumstances, like national security issues and trade secrets.

..."In the letter to Senator Baucus, Consumer Watchdog wrote:

"Americans should not be locked out of any discussion about health care reform, particularly one that will consider whether everyone should be required to buy health insurance policies without any limits on what insurers can charge. Mandatory purchases of private insurance policies without offering a public alternative to the private market is nothing other than a bailout for HMOs -- whose greed, waste and indifference to our health have created the current mess.

"There's no mention of cost-cutting in the Senate Finance Committee's 'policy options' document being discussed in today's closed meeting -- no regulation of HMO premiums, no limits on how much consumers will have to pay out of their own pocket in co-pays or deductibles."

Here is more about the last "closed door" meeting. No media, no public, no congressional record.

Baucus holds closed door meeting on health care

There were a lot of questions, few answers, and the session got heated.

There are a lot of questions, not a lot of concrete answers,” committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) told reporters after the 8-1/2 hour “walkthrough.” But the senator also said that the purpose of the meeting was to spur conversation, not hammer out a deal.

Even so, senators from both parties described parts of the meeting as being heated, especially regarding the public plan option and another that would require employers that don’t offer insurance to their employees to pay a fee.

There was an “awful lot of conflict,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), the senior Republican on the committee, said.

What’s more, members are facing a looming legislative deadline. Baucus and other members of the committee have said that they want to pass a health reform bill before they break for the month of August. It’s a timeline that mirrors one in the House.

I agree with a man who is no longer in party national leadership, and who is seldom mentioned in the media about health care...though he is trying to lead on an important topic.

"If we can't deliver a real choice to the American people and real reform, I think we lose seats in the midterm election. I think we're going to have a hard time getting the president re-elected," Mr. Dean said on a call with MoveOn.org and Democracy for America members, trying to rally support for public health care. "As long as he sticks with us, and we stick with him, I think we're ultimately going to win this."

"We have a Democratic president, Democratic Senate, Democratic House. There's no reason to trade it away," Mr. Dean said.

We are learning that our health care will be going sky high next year. So high that we may just decide that seeing a doctor is just not worth it.

We worked our butts off to get Democrats in office. Is this all we will get from them? Closed door sessions with no media, no public, no record?

[Triana]

1. Uh-huh - just like Tricky Dick II's "Energy" meetings....

...same thing - it was him and the gas, coal and oil companies - everyone else was shut out. No media, we STILL don't know who was in those meetings.

[ShortnFiery]

18. But this round of American Fascist Rule "feels better" ... except the renditions continue

and the surveillance ... and the military tribunals ... and "the poverty draft" that is forming up an ELITE professional and righteous military ... no hope of repeal of DADT ... Trillions of dollars and more printed for CORPORATE AMERICAN with no strings attached ... Single-Payer Health Insurance is not on the table ... people continue do die because they are not wealthy enough to afford BASIC Health care ... but don't Joe and Barack look good when they slum out with us "little people" at that burger place? :(

[pleah]

2. K&R Why is Baucus allowed to do this?

:shrug:

[L. Coyote]

37. National Security?

So all the CIA guys get re-elected?? :rofl:

[Freddie Stubbs]

50. Because there is no rule prohibiting him from doing so

[stray cat]

3. If a few closed meetings helps them get a good health plan instead of grandstanding

for the media and constituents - more power to them.

[madfloridian]

4. No, you are dead wrong. Now DU is going to defend closed door meetings?

On health care? Which is not a national security topic?

I should have known.

[annabanana]

5. sure... that usually works to The People's advantage.. like

Cheney's secret energy meetings...

[Mythsaje]

6. I'm with Howard Dean on this.

Of course, I've been with him on a lot of things, like calling the Republicans the "party of rich white guys."

He's a straight-shooter.

[DURHAM D]

7. There is no surprise here.

John Kerry and others indicated early that not much was going to happen.

I felt that Hillary was told by Harry Reid in no uncertain terms that the Senate would not be doing much on health care reform and made it clear that her interest (and leadership) would be totally marginalized. I always thought the offer at State was to get her out of the Senate and out of the way. It worked.

[spartan61]

8. Do the American people only count during elections?

The candidates can't tell us enough or listen to us enough when they are running for elections. Once they are elected, our voices aren't needed or listened to. From everything I have heard and read, most Americans want Single Payer Healthcare. Our wishes and voices are locked out of the debate and the insurance companies and big pharma are the people who have Congress' ear.

[hootinholler]

41. It's not clear to me that we count even then. n/t

[roody]

64. Yes.

[Horse with no Name]

9. This is what we get when we ALLOW the big tent to include traitors like

Baucus.
A false majority. A false sense of superiority. A false notion that a Democratic agenda will prevail.
Really it makes no sense to me (although many here will disagree) WHY we encourage republicans to be Democrats and why having the majority is so important if all we do is support the right wing agenda (except for the occasional crumb that is allowed to slip through from time to time).
The majority of Americans are TIRED of the RW agenda.
I would RATHER sit through one more republican majority in order to elect a REAL Democratic majority and leave ass-klings like Baucus and the Nelsons behind to rot in their rightwing filth.

[DURHAM D]

10. Name one Dem Senator that you would put in Baucus's position instead. n/t

[Horse with no Name]

11. I'm not happy with ANY rightwingers in our party

and would prefer REAL Democrats in our party.
Baucus need not apply.

[DURHAM D]

13. You didn't answer the question.

On another note, I would like to know why this was assigned to this particular committee and not a more appropriate committee.

Oh wait, I already know, guaranteed control of the issue by a wholly owned senator of the insurance industry. Look to Harry Reid - he is the biggest problem. He is not our friend.

[Horse with no Name]

15. Reid needs to have been fired for a long time

as far as Baucus?
I sincerely doubt he is the best Democrat to choose from in Montana. He is the filth beneath the cow shit. Even people in Montana know that.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090519/NEWS01/905190301
>>>snip
"Why have they taken single-payer off the plate?" the woman asked to the applause of members of the crowd. "And why is Senator Baucus on the Finance Committee discussing health care when he has received so much money from the pharmaceutical companies? Isn't it a conflict of interest?"

Single-payer health care — in which the federal government provides health insurance for all Americans and pays doctor, hospital and other health care bills, thereby replacing the private insurance industry — is off the table, Baucus said.

According to the group Consumer Watchdog, health insurers and pharmaceutical manufacturers alone contributed $5.5 million to the top 10 recipients in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives during the last two election cycles. Baucus received more campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries than any other sitting Democrat in the House or Senate, receiving $183,750 from health insurance companies and $229,020 from drug companies during that period.

[emsimon33]

40. Jim Webb of Virginia

[LWolf]

66. Bernie Sanders.

Oops. One of the best, but he's not a Democrat.

Maybe it's time to "reach out," "join with," and "be inclusive" of groups beyond republicans and conservatives. This would be a great time to appoint a non-democrat to something.

Sanders.

[bertman]

70. Russ Feingold

[WeDidIt]

12. Same shit that killed health care reform in 1993

It's 1993 all over again.

Fucking idiots.

[DURHAM D]

14. Who are the fucking idiots?

I would say the insurance industry is damn smart.

[DURHAM D]

16. One of the differences from 1993 -

at least back then the White House supported the attempt.

[BR_Parkway]

19. And somehow they don't think that it will be 1994 all over again

[WeDidIt]

26. They are sure gonna lose in 2010

I think '10 will make '94 look like a cake walk the way these assholes have been going.

[tavalon]

42. No, they aren't

but we are.

[WeDidIt]

44. Lookin' more to me like we've already lost

:evilfrown:

[ixion]

17. People gettting paid by the People to do the People's business should not be allowed to meet

without the People having insight as to what was going on at that meeting, in detail.

Just my two cents.

[DURHAM D]

21. I think they are meeting privately to discuss "us".

They will all reassure themselves that "we" don't matter.

They will throw us a bone next week. Perhaps declare a national "Clean Out the Glove Box" awareness day.

[ShortnFiery]

25. They will have to conference as to how to FOOL us "little people" ... Orwellian Speak will be honed.

[EFerrari]

20. What is he afraid of? nt

[ShortnFiery]

22. Not pleasing his corporate masters.

[EFerrari]

28. If he knew how transparent he is, he'd be afraid to leave his home.

[DURHAM D]

23. They are afraid that the peoples message could be resonating in the populous. n/t

[Horse with no Name]

24. Just a question on point or order in these meetings?

Can these traitors table the healthcare issue behind closed doors?

[madfloridian]

29. There is no congressional record, so we don't know what they do.

[northernlights]

27. great way to help the unemployment levels

"and another that would require employers that don’t offer insurance to their employees to pay a fee."

Why should employers be forced to provide health insurance? There was a time when no employers provided health insurance. Then in order to be more competitive, some did as a "perk" in lieu of salary.

Now it's to be a legal requirement?

The degree of stoooopid amazes me. Health insurance bureaucrats who contribute NOTHING to the real economy and do nothing for anybody except themselves get a huge, huge windfall at our expense.

Every other business -- all of them -- goes down. Unemployment will go up. They get a windfall. We get the shaft.

I'm halfway through Med Lab Tech school with a 4.0 in pre-med sciences and 3.9 overall average. Whether or not I decide to finish the 2nd half or walk away from 18 months of grueling work and expense depends, at least in part, on what they decide.

I know the health insurance companies bilk "clients" because I was one of the ones they left to die without even spending 10 lousy bucks on a CBC.

But I also know that they put enormous squeeze on the delivery people -- those who invest years of their lives and many tens of thousands of dollars in training, who work ungodly hours, and who are daily on the front lines of emerging diseases and anti-biotic resistant pathogens.

There's a point where you say it's just not worth it. Better to make minimum wage at a shit job...

[DURHAM D]

31. Yep - I own a small company and pay all health care insurance cost for employees.

I already told a couple of my employees (sort of as a joke) that as of January 1st of 2011 I would no longer be picking up the tab.

I also told them I would give them paid time off to take to the streets in protest or lobby in Washington for single payer.

If every employer announced that we are going to stop paying for health insurance at a point certain in the future - we would have single payer in place in a heartbeat.

[Cleita]

30. I think it's time we pushed to have him removed from that

committee for conflict of interest. Senator Baucus has taken huge amounts of money from the insurance and PhRMA industries. I heard someone say he has taken the most in Congress but haven't verified it yet but it seems plausible. However, he clearly has been bought and can't offer an unbiased study of the issue.

[madfloridian]

47. I'm afraid the power is too entrenched with the conservative Democrats like him

I have felt hope before that we could change things, but now the media doesn't mention the progressive efforts at all.

[Dragonfli]

32. I prefer transparency in government, It would also be nice if policy

were not so blatantly for sale.

"We worked our butts off to get Democrats elected" - in the end we were only used.
They should just put Baucus on the payroll of an insurance lobby since all pretense has been dropped anyway.

[rucky]

33. Howard Dean speaks for me. n/t

[emsimon33]

39. I agree!

[Wednesdays]

34. K&R

:kick:

[slipslidingaway]

35. Third closed door meeting is scheduled for the beginning of June

not one senator objected when Baucus moved for these closed door meetings during the third roundtable discussion.


yay! CLOSED HEARINGS TO FIX HEALTHCARE
no objections

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5638355&mesg_id=5638492

[madfloridian]

36. Did not know that.

And no one objected. :-(

[emsimon33]

38. It is interesting to see the millions that members of the committee

have received from the for-profit "health" care industry. I agree with Howard Dean, if the administration and Democrats sell us out on this issue, not only will the Democrats lose seats in 2010 but Obama will be a one-term president. This is Obama's "read-my-lips" moment. Either he at least fights for and gets a public option into which anyon e can opt to buy or he will meet the fate of Bush the First.

[madfloridian]

43. I think they are well on their way to selling us out. They think we will get over it.

And forget it by 2010. Or 2012.

[emsimon33]

45. I don't think we will this time. This issue was just too important

and will selling us out on credit card interest limits, Gitmo, the fiascoes in Iraq and Afghanistan, Don't Ask Don't Tell, etc., etc., etc. It is just too much and too many disappointments and spits in the eye!

[madfloridian]

46. Baucus...more on his efforts to tax health benefits.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200905202038dowjonesdjonline001055&title=us-democrats-split-on-taxing-employer-based-health-benefits

"WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A senior Democratic senator is facing an uphill battle to convince members of his own party that the U.S. should begin taxing some employer-sponsored health benefits, in order to help cover the uninsured and pay for other expansions to the health care system.

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, wants to take up sweeping health system overhaul legislation next month, and he says a tax on job-based benefits could be part of a plan to pay for a better healthcare system.

A proposal to count some of those benefits as income for tax purposes - one aspect of a wide-ranging set of options put forward by Baucus - drew the most heated discussion in a Wednesday closed door meeting of the Finance panel, according to senators and aides who were present.

Some Democrats and unions are resisting an approach that would tax plan benefits that exceed the standard option available to federal employees. That could wind up taxing as income benefits that cost more than an annual $13,0000 per family, although adjustments could be made for regional differences in the cost of healthcare.

"I am very concerned about the idea of taxing benefits," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who sits on the Finance panel. "I have people that have given up wage increases in exchange for better benefits.""

Well, we know Wyden might be interested.

[madfloridian]

48. Apparently Obama is not even calling for public option anymore.

I don't get the emails anymore, but I followed a link to the website.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/healthcarestories

"President Obama has announced three bedrock requirements for real health care reform. It must:

* Reduce Costs — Rising health care costs are crushing the budgets of governments, businesses, individuals and families and they must be brought under control
* Guarantee Choice — Americans must have the freedom to keep whatever doctor and health care plan they have, or to select a new doctor or health care plan if they choose
* Ensure Quality Care for All — All Americans must have quality and affordable health care"

Sounds like there is no public option mentioned at all.

[madfloridian]

49. Baucus in charge of health care and just about everything else.

http://news.muckety.com/2009/05/21/max-baucus-holds-the-cards-on-healthcare-reform-and-most-everything-else/15961

There is a graph at the site that is interesting.

"By all accounts, Sen. Max Baucus is a quiet, unassuming guy not given to speechifying or hogging the spotlight like most politicians. Nonetheless, the Montana Democrat has emerged as an unlikely kingpin. Virtually all the legislation that President Obama hopes to sign into law this year – from health care reform to new car emissions standards – needs Baucus’ blessing as the chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

..."The Montana centrist is said to have had a ‘come to Jesus moment’ on healthcare reform. He surprised many of his colleagues by releasing an 89-page white paper just eight days after the presidential election that went further than what Obama had proposed - adding a requirement that those not covered by employers’ health plans must purchase their own.

But he has hardly been a reliable Democratic player in the past.

When Democrats were in the minority, Baucus brokered the passage of two of George W. Bush’s signature first-term achievements: his massive 2001 tax cuts and his 2003 pharmaceutical-industry-friendly Medicare prescription-drug bill - earning the nickname “Bad Max” from the American Prospect and “K Street’s favorite Democrat” from the left-leaning Nation."

[Bushknew]

51. Who put Baucus as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee? & can he be removed?

[cascadiance]

52. Let's recall this Baucus bastard! Montanans? You have the right to recall him!

According to this page!! Reply to this post if you think I should create a separate thread on this! I might even wander over there from Oregon to help with the campaign if we can get something serious going! Although there's another post on this page that makes it sound like Montana doesn't have this provision too. We should get someone to verify yes or no, and what the conditions required are for a recall (if there needs to be breaking of the law, etc.). Since Nevada also allows a recall, perhaps we can also take on Harry Reid if he doesn't get Baucus "in line" with working for the people instead of the K-Street.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2096900_recall-us-senator.html

How to Recall a U.S. Senator
By eHow Culture & Society Editor
Rate: (17 Ratings)
Senators have to find a balance between voting their conscience and voting as their constituents would like. If senators vote their conscience too heavily, constituents tend to get angry. When this happens, constituents may ask for a recall of their U.S. Senator.

...

The 18 states allowing for recall are as follows: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

...

[Bushknew]

53. I think you should create a separate page on this cascadiance...

[cascadiance]

54. Already did...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5696547

[femrap]

55. love this new transparency

thing.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

56. Baucus' owners won't allow him to put the people first. He's an insurance salesman

not a congressman.

[Stinky The Clown]

57. Baucus is proving to be as unhelpful as the Nelsons.

Actually .... worse.

[pmorlan1]

58. Simply Outrageous

This is simply outrageous! If anyone gives one dime to the Democratic Party before we find out about what this health care reform plan looks like they are fools. NO MORE DONATIONS UNTIL WE GET A PUBLIC HEALTH CARE OPTION!

[NC_Nurse]

59. This just totally sucks. WTF? If the public option doesn't make it into the final

bill, I will have to give up on the Dems in Congress completely. Can they not see that the public DEMANDS it?
I expected this from Repubs, but this is worse than I ever expected from the Dems. They need to get a clue.

[tooeyeten]

60. Baucus is BOUGHT AND PAID FOR

by insurance companies, no doubt.

:nuke:

[southernyankeebelle]

61. I CALLED BAUCUS OFFICE IN DC TODAY -

I LET THE AIDE KNOW THAT I PRAY THAT A SINGLE PRAYER PLAN WILL BE ON THE TABLE RUN BY GOVERNMENT. HE SAID THAT THERE WILL BE NO SINGLE PRAYER PLAN BUT THERE WILL BE SOME TYPE OF GOVERNMENT INSURANCE PLAN PEOPLE CAN BUY INTO.

[tooeyeten]

62. NO GVT. INSURANCE FOR HIM

he should give up his government paid for insurance.

[salguine]

63. MONTANANS, RECALL THIS ASSHOLE!

[Thothmes]

65. Wasn't this the way that Hilliary Care was hammered out

in the 1990s. Why do dems need closed door sessions to plan for national health care?

[madfloridian]

67. They only need the closed doors to shut the people out.

It was the same with the Clinton health care. The DLC was all over the media then saying Clinton was not being "centrist" enough...they criticized his health care plan.

They are undermining it again. The voices that speak for the people are being shut out.

[diane in sf]

68. shades of Cheney's energy meetings...

[The Hope Mobile]

69. So much for transparency! nt

[Marr]

71. These people are going to get themselves thrown out just like the Republicans did.

I suppose their owners are fine with that, since they also own the other team.

[defendandprotect]

72. Cheney could have done this . . . this is open government????