doom for dems?

[amborin]

someone posted this post on Daily Kos.

I think it sums up the pitfalls of the bill, in its current iteration.

If this current version gets passed, it looks like a political nightmare for dems:

"Most of the people who you think are going to get health insurance wont be able to afford the insurance that is offered to them. Even with the subsidy, the premiums are going to be too high. It will simply make more sense to wait until you get sick and go to the emergency room. Only now, on top of that, they're going to get hit with a fine on their tax returns if they avoid coverage. The reason is that there is no competitive pressure on insurance companies to keep prices low to make the subsidy meaningful.

Secondly, the bill is going to end the medicare advantage program, which offers top of the line coverage, and force them into a less generous Medicare program. Now, I'm sure that would be acceptable if their kids and grandkids got affordable coverage in the bargain. With this bill, they wont.

The antitrust provision has been dropped, so there will be no effective regulation of near monopolies in every state.

There is no Wyden amendment to promote general competition across the board.

Worse, the Republican "buy across state lines" provision has been put in, so that all the health insurers could set up shop in Oklahoma and offer the worst, least regulated insurance in a state like Massachusetts without having to comply with Massachusetts regulations. It will lead to a race to the bottom like credit card interest and South Dakota.

The provisions for the lifetime cap have been dropped.

Yes, you wont be banned because of pre-existing conditions, but the cost will be so prohibitive the average middle class person still wont able to afford it. Again, without competition from a public option, or antitrust provision, or the Wyden free choice plan, the insurance company can charge whatever it wants. There is no premium control.

Would this is going to lead to is a mandate to buy junk insurance that will still bankrupt you when you do get very sick. If you don't, youll get a fine. Whereas now you could keep your money in your pocket and get treated at the emergency room.

This bill is bad policy and even worse politics.

The only people who this bill will marginally benefit is high income healthy people like me with really great health insurance. My premiums will probably drop or remain steady. But I'm not the one who needed this bill in the first place. I'm happy with my plan."

from daily kos

[amborin]

1. LOL! the un-rec crew is at work, per usual

but that person's post summarizes the bill pretty well. Imagine how this could be used against dems in '10 and '12. No bill would be better than this one.

[dkf]

2. This sounds awful.

It figures that this is the sausage that comes out of this debacle though.

[inna]

3. all indications are that this is going to be a *horrible* piece of legislation.

Who needs republicans with Dems like these. :(

[still_one]

4. I can only say if it is as you describe it, then any Democrat who votes for this, won't get my vote

It looks more and more like Ed Schultz was right, it is all about Obama passing anything, rather then what is good for the people

I will start seriouly considering third party progressives

[cornermouse]

5. The goal is not to get us health care coverage.

The goal in this bill is to ensure the democratic party gets the insurance corporation's political donations in their pockets, not the republicans. At least that's what it looks like to me.

[Raine]

6. That's what I see

there is nothing here for anyone else. :-(

[Dragonfli]

7. Pretty much everyone that lives month to month will be hurt by this.

Most working people that can't afford the coverage now will have to pay the Democratic "poverty tax".
That is a very large part of the traditional Democratic base(though it seems they don't want us anymore, the Rahms of the party always thought we were too dirty.)

They will have their wish and finally only the clean, tux wearing, limousine liberals will be among their new base. They will have lots of corporate cash and the approval of the republicans they emulate and admire so much.

We will have our poverty tax and a long memory of betrayal and the hopelessness of voting.
The less than politically active of us will stop voting and the ones like me, the suckers that canvass and call and take people to the polls will be trying to build a party for us dirty working people that make up the majority of this country. We will not be allowed to compete with the twin corporate uni-party, but we will try, it is better than giving up to the Roves and the Emanuels that just want to drain us of anything we may have left for the corporate masters.


The DLC won, they have stolen our party and made it the annex to the repugs like they always wanted.
I just realized I wasted 25 years of my life as a ground trooper for the party of FDR, only to see it stolen by false flag Democrats like that smarmy lying fucker Rahm!

[Jamastiene]

8. I wish this was an OP so I could K&R it.

So true. I feel exactly the same way.

[amborin]

9. this is why the current bill is so disasterous

[chill_wind]

10. Rep Capuano tells fellow Dems "You're screwed."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x59127#59359

The Leaders in the Progressive Caucus in the House are not liking this bill:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7233308&mesg_id=7237316

[amborin]

12. thanks for posting those links. at this point, no bill is better for dems

The current version would have to be heavily revised to be tolerable, let alone an improvement.

Working people would be justifiably enraged once they realized its implications.

I just feel sorry for all the millions and millions of people who stood out there on lines during the presidential campaign, believing things would change under Obama. Their disallusionment will be bitter.

[Honeycombe8]

11. This bill is scary in that it is actually HARMFUL to people. I won't be voting in 2010. nt

[Strelnikov_]

13. This bill will be the end of the Democratic party

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=58259&mesg_id=58446

[uponit7771]

14. Cost controls could be passed via reconciliation if Reid would step up