President Obama puts Heritage Foundation on the defensive.

[ProSense]

Heritage fires back at Obama

From NBC's Mark Murray

In his interview with NBC's Matt Lauer on "TODAY," President Obama used the conservative Heritage Foundation as an example of how the health-care law has incorporated GOP and conservative ideas.

(W)hen you actually look at the bill itself, it incorporates all sorts of Republican ideas. I mean, a lot of commentators have said, you know, this is sort of similar to the bill that Mitt Romney, the Republican governor and now presidential candidate, passed in Massachusetts. A lot of the ideas in terms of the exchange, just being able to pool and improve the purchasing power of individuals in the insurance market. That originated from the Heritage Foundation.

Not surprisingly, Heritage Foundation President Ed Feulner has fired back at the president in a blog post. While he doesn't exactly refute that the health exchanges are based on the conservative think tank's market-based ideas, Feulner contends that they go too far in regulations and federal standards.

But the President knows full well—or he ought to learn before he speaks—that the exchanges we and most others support are very different from those in his package. True exchanges are simply a market mechanism to enable families to choose their health insurance. President Obama’s exchanges, by contrast, are a vehicle to introduce sweeping regulation and federal standardization on health insurance.

[grantcart]

1. Lol OPM exchanges for the FEHB have been performing as a 'pure' market mechanism

for federal employees for decades and now they will be open to us.

Lying without any shame at all, a remarkable performance.

[katandmoon]

3. Federal employees aren't mandated to have health insurance.

[grantcart]

7. Could you be any more irrelevent

The quote had to do with the HE saying that the exchanges were not going to be true markets.

OPM has tens of millions of man years handling FEHB.

No its not mandated but 98% of the federal employees take it (and the ones that don't have spouses with free health care).

Once Americans realize what it is they will choose it in huge numbers.

And that terrible mandate $ 95 per year starting in 7 years - oh my that is vicious.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

8. I am a federal employee and what we have is indeed a public option. What members of Congress have is

a public option. We have the ability to choose a private or public health insurance plan. Two years ago, I had Cigna PPO, but when they wouldn't pay for a standard physical examination, charging me more for basic procedures even though I'm very healthy and physically active, I fought the insurance company for months, but I lost. Ended up paying nearly $1,000 out of pocket. That may not sound like much compared to those who literally owe tens of thousands, but it's about the principle of it.

During open season last year, I left Cigna--without penalty--and went to Blue Cross Blue Shield for Federal Employees. So far, it's been really good to me. If I want, I don't have to have any insurance at all. It's an option.

What's so infuriating to me is that members of Congress have done all they can to deny Americans what they, most federal employees, and I have: A PUBLIC OPTION!!

It is so very disgusting!!

[katandmoon]

10. Plenty of private sector businesses offer their employees a variety of plans to choose from.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

12. I'm aware of that, but we were discussing what the *government* offers its employees.

For some reason, people are believing--here and elsewhere--that government employees have been forced to accept certain kinds of plan; or, that they are required to accept a government plan. It's not true. We don't have to have insurance at all if we choose not to. I was addressing the misperception that some folks have regarding what is offered.

Hope this helps to clear things up.

[grantcart]

14. again you are msitaken

Blue Cross is not a public option it is a non profit option.

The exchanges are required by law to offer atleast one non profit option in exactly the same way you get your FEHB:

), the Director shall
22 ensure that at least one contract is entered into with
23 a non-profit entity.
24 ‘‘(4) ADMINISTRATION.—The Director shall im25
plement this subsection in a manner similar to the
56
BAI09R08 S.L.C.
1 manner in which the Director implements the con
2 tracting provisions with respect to carriers under the
3 Federal employees health benefit program



A public option would allow you to take part in medicare or some other option that is run like a government system.

What this bill does is to allow the American people to buy what you get, both private and non profit options.

It also allows the possibility for states to start public options.


Its discussed here in more detail but the language is below:

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

Here is the text from the manager's ammendment



(q) Part IV of subtitle D of title I of this Act is
19 amended by adding at the end the following:
20 ‘‘SEC. 1334. MULTI-STATE PLANS.
21 ‘‘(a) OVERSIGHT BY THE OFFICE OF PERSONNEL
22 MANAGEMENT.—
23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— The Director of the Office
24 of Personnel Management (referred to in this section
25 as the ‘Director’) shall enter into contracts with

snip

7 (at) least 2 multi-State qualified health plans through
8 each Exchange in each State. Such plans shall pro9
vide individual, or in the case of small employers,
10 group coverage.
11 ‘‘(2) TERMS.—Each contract entered into
12 under paragraph (1) shall be for a uniform term of
13 at least 1 year, but may be made automatically re
14 newable from term to term in the absence of notice
15 of termination by either party. In entering into such
16 contracts, the Director shall ensure that health bene
17 fits coverage is provided in accordance with the
18 types of coverage provided for under section
19 2701(a)(1)(A)(i) of the Public Health Service Act.
20 ‘‘(3) NON-PROFIT ENTITIES.—In entering into
21 contracts under paragraph (1), the Director shall
22 ensure that at least one contract is entered into with
23 a non-profit entity.
24 ‘‘(4) ADMINISTRATION.—The Director shall im25
plement this subsection in a manner similar to the
56
BAI09R08 S.L.C.
1 manner in which the Director implements the con
2 tracting provisions with respect to carriers under the
3 Federal employees health benefit program under
4 chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code, including
5 (through negotiating with each multi-state plan)—
6 ‘‘(A) a medical loss ratio;
7 ‘‘(B) a profit margin;
8 ‘‘(C) the premiums to be charged; and
9 ‘‘(D) such other terms and conditions of
10 coverage as are in the interests of enrollees in
11 such plans.
12 ‘‘(5) AUTHORITY TO PROTECT CONSUMERS.—
13 The Director may prohibit the offering of any multi-
14 State health plan that does not meet the terms and
15 conditions defined by the Director with respect to
16 the elements described in subparagraphs (A)

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

18. I sent you a private message.

I actually don't think you understand what the public option is.

What we have as federal employees may not have ALL the elements and provisions that were put in the respective House and Senate public option bills, but the concepts are very much the same.

These private companies that have contract agreements with the government--Blue Cross, Blue Shield and Cigna, for instance--agree to provide coverage and benefits at a discounted cost. The premium payments that come out of our checks every two weeks or so does not all go to the government. That money goes to these insurance companies.

I'm telling you from very bad experiences, that these companies are for-profit. They are not non-profit.

When I battled with Cigna, for instance, I didn't go through the government. I had to pay Cigna directly. If it is true that the plan is non-profit, then why did I have to fight directly with that company? That doesn't make sense.

What happened--and it's the same concept as the public option--is that I was able to leave Cigna the following year during open season--WITHOUT PENALITY, and go somewhere else. That is the public option.

These private companies participate in an exchange pool. They agree with certain government regulations to keep their premiums relatively affordable and they have a fair amount of discretion as to the types of procedures/services they'll provide and/or cover. And they can still raise premiums--and they have this year. And they can also determine the costs associated with various procedures. The fact that they were attempting to charge me for a standard physical, despite the fact that I am very healthy, not overweight, and very physically active, says to me that if they truly were "non-profit," they wouldn't be charging for basic yearly examinations, this AFTER I had already paid my deductible, a co-pay, and whatnot. They are not entirely non-profit.

The provisions that you are describing above is very similar to how a public option exchange works. Very similar! The concepts are very similar; hence, why you will hear the president say that Americans should be able to receive the same kind of health plan that he and members of Congress receive. He's referring to a public option and suggesting that while it may not be *exactly* the same, the concept is very, very similar.

[grantcart]

19. Your incorrect and its easily provable.

We all yelled for a public option.

It was taken out.

What was quoted was in the bill that doesn't have a public option.


To be clear there are three options

1) Private for profit companies - in FEHB and in the bill
2) Private not for profit companies - in FEHB and in the bill and quoted above.
3) Public government run public options (ala medicare) not in FEHB also no in the bill.

And even more specific is the language above that instructs the DG of OPM to establish a not for profit exactly like they did for FEHB.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[grantcart]

15. what bullshit

the Senate plan instructs OPM to offer the same type of plans as FEHB. Upthread I cite the exact language in the bill.

I happen to know this because I am a certified benefits counselor for Federal Employees and make a living giving retirement seminars for federal employees so I know their benefits better than they know their benefits.

Here is the language of the law:

), the Director shall
22 ensure that at least one contract is entered into with
23 a non-profit entity.
24 ‘‘(4) ADMINISTRATION.—The Director shall im25
plement this subsection in a manner similar to the
56
BAI09R08 S.L.C.
1 manner in which the Director implements the con
2 tracting provisions with respect to carriers under the
3 Federal employees health benefit program


The only bullshit here is the uninformed crude response that you made.

[Chulanowa]

2. Oh, the horror! The agony!

"President Obama’s exchanges, by contrast, are a vehicle to introduce sweeping regulation and federal standardization on health insurance."

I'm shitting myself in fear!

:rofl:

[donco6]

4. In other words, the exchanges actually have safeguards for "little people"

How disgusting! :sarcasm:

[Cha]

5. Oh, the snark from heritage..I can

just see them in their ivory tower looking down and sniffing their own farts.x(

[ClarkUSA]

6. Love the way the Prez kills Romney's 2012 chances & Heritage Foundation's creds in one fell swoop.

Payback's a bitch. He must've been grinning to himself all day. :D

[HughMoran]

9. WTF?

He makes unsupported statements, then whines about corporations taking one-time charges - like we're supposed to feel bad for these multi-billion dollar corporations? What a moron.

[Phx_Dem]

13. I love it! Romneycare, Heritage Foundation, and now Drill baby Drill.

He's stealing all of their thunder and talking points before the November election!

:rofl:

[TheKentuckian]

21. If you find it all so exhilarating then why didn't you register Republican?

Why would a Democrat be excited to implement a bunch of crappy ideas?

[flpoljunkie]

16. Yeah, we wouldn't want any federal standards for 'across state lines' the R's so love to promote!

The Republicans well understand selling insurance across state lines would be a race to the bottom--as happened with credit cards.

[tedk_355]

17. F the Foundation

[harun]

20. It seems like the damn Heritage Foundation is on every other time I turn on CSPAN .

Someone needs to remind these politicians that nobody elected the Heritage Foundation and ideas should come from their constituents.