AP Sources: Obama likes national health exchange

[babylonsister]

AP Sources: Obama likes national health exchange

By ERICA WERNER
Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama has indicated support for a national clearinghouse where consumers could shop for health coverage and an end to the decades-old antitrust exemption enjoyed by insurance companies, Democratic officials said Tuesday.

In signaling his preferences, Obama is siding with House Democrats over their Senate counterparts on issues crucial to negotiations on his health care overhaul.

House Democrats are pressing for both provisions to be included in the final measure, now that their proposal for a government-run insurance option appears dead due to opposition from key Senate moderates. Obama has sided with the Senate to support a new tax on high-value insurance plans opposed in the House.

Obama met with House Democratic leaders last week as they sought support from the president on other priorities. He is now indicating support for creation of a national exchange rather than the state-based structure in the Senate bill, and for revoking the antitrust exemption, which the Senate bill does not do, the officials said.

more...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HEALTH_CARE_OVERHAUL?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[levander]

1. About time something went right in negotiations...

This state by state thing just reduces competition. It's about time they did something right in these negotiations.

[Cha]

2. Thank you babylonsister~

[Enrique]

5. anonymous sources

in general, I'm critical of Obama and I think he's been too easy on the insurers. If I wanted to be a mindless slave to my view of Obama, I could just yell "anonymous sources! worthless story!" because this story doesn't fit that view perfectly.

But who wants to be a mindless slave to any view of Obama, positive or negative? So I'll just say, good for Obama. Anonymous sources aren't perfect, but the AP is generally reliable and I trust this story. I think that Huffington Post and Talking Points Memo are also reliable and did some good reporting on health care using anonymous sources, many of which didn't make Obama look so great, but which turned out to be accurate.

[levander]

14. Anonymous sources are sometimes intentional leaks...

The administration and others in Washington want to get some kind of feel for the country's reaction before they actually get behind the microphone and put their face on the story.

Sometimes it is a head fake, just to manipulate us.

But, most of the time, it's just something they want to do and they're doing a check on the public before they make an announcement.

If you read "behind the scenes" books on politics, it's a pretty common trick.

[thereismore]

3. Hallelujah! nt

[RoccoR5955]

4. He's also now for taxing the middle class.

As demonstrated by his endorsement of the tax on "Cadillac Plans." Plans that many of us, still in unions fought for, in lieu of raises in pay.

[phleshdef]

7. Thoroughly debunked lie and continuing to repeat it doesn't make it anymore true.

[RoccoR5955]

13. Where is it debunked? I was part of my union's negotiating team,

and we opted for better health insurance benefits, in lieu of salary raises.
Don't tell me it's debunked.

[levander]

15. We really need some kind of "fact archive" on DU...

It's been posted time and time again where the excise tax on Cadillac plans don't effect union health care plans immediately. But, within like 4 years, due to our typical rate of inflation on medical services, a lot of union health insurance plans will be effected by the tax. And, past 4 years, even more and more so.

That's my biggest problem with the bills being discusses now. Our medical costs are already astronomical as compared to other countries and they're going up faster than other countries. This bill not only doesn't do anything to lower our costs, but it makes our costs go up faster.

If they had implemented some kinds of cost controls, then you could argue that the excise tax on Cadillac plans don't effect Unions. But, the excise tax as the bill is now, it does.

[DrToast]

17. Well, Unions helped kill Wyden-Bennet, so I have little sympathy

[TheKentuckian]

20. I understand totally but I've yet to see how a policy that puts a thumb on the scales

for benefit reduction is in any of our interests. People need comprehensive plans, especially those with the least money. Those folks can't afford big deductibles and high co-pays, I don't get the fascination with retaining the regressive nature to access to health care.

[boppers]

21. Taxing insurance companies = Taxing middle class.

This sleight of hand brought to you by Wall Street, where profits, and taxes, all trickle down, just like in the Reagan fairy tales.

[Clio the Leo]

6. I must be confused ..... is this not the "same plan members of Congress have" ...

.... thing that he's been saying all along? Is this a shift for him? (serious question)

[grantcart]

16. It is very confusing

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/grantcart/256


The link above includes the Senate language that puts the OPM in charge of the state exchanges.

It also details how the OPM has absolute control and that the state exchanges must have multi state plans.

It is hard to see from the article what would be the difference between the two plans might be except that the House plan would have even more multi state plans.

[bvar22]

8. These two items are very big.

I'm glad to hear Obama "likes" them.
The question is, Is he willing to take a leadership role in fighting for them.

If he does, I'm willing to stand with him.

K&R

[boppers]

22. Define "fighting".

I've seen complaints that any issue Obama lost on was because he didn't "fight hard enough"... which is cute, for Hollywood movies, but not grounded in reality.

[bvar22]

24. Do you really need a definition?

*One way would be to take the Bully Pulpit and draw a line in the sand threatening a VETO of a bill that does NOT contain these items.

*Another way wold be to call out those who oppose them and promise to deny them PORK for their states.

*Another way would be to deny them support from the DNC next campaign season.

ALL of those are "fighting".
There are many other ways to fight also.
Obama HAS already used them against the Progressive Caucus when they did not want to support Obama's request for supplemental WAR funds.

-

[phleshdef]

26. Thank you. These people need to be called out for throwing that word around but...

...having no idea what they actually mean by it.

[Vidar]

9. I'm sure that's what he says. His actions may tell another story.

[phleshdef]

10. I'm sure thats what you posted but your actions will probably tell another story.

[freddie mertz]

11. Finally, on one thing!

It was becoming a litany of badness.

[ibegurpard]

12. Keep pushing him

maybe the message is getting through
we will NOT settle for the crap that came out of the Senate.

[shadesofgray]

18. Obama claimed he was for OP, too...then he said he never said that. So, I have

learned the hard way to not trust anything he says that sounds good.

[phleshdef]

25. He didn't say he never said that, he said he didn't campaign on it.

Which basically means it wasn't a campaign promise. It was still a stupid thing for him to say, but if you analyze the facts, he actually didn't make it a end-all be all campaign demand. He always used language that left it open to flexibility.

[TheKentuckian]

19. Jesus in Heaven! Maybe some good news of moving towards something to build on

Killing the anti-trust exemption and national exchanges are crucial to having a real foundation. Both can potentially wring out more savings than the scammy Max Tax-benefit squeeze play ever will too.

There's probably plenty of timebombs left in the amendments pointlessly accepted from the Confederates but this is the first promising word in a while.

[sojourner]

23. good to know- not getting much press