Progressive Block Ups The Stakes?

by: Chris Bowers

Thu Sep 03, 2009 at 18:41


It appears the Progressive Block has raised the stakes (maybe).  The co-chairs of the Progressive Caucus, Lynn Woolsey and Raul Grijalva, just delivered a letter to the White House reiterating that they will not vote for a bill that does not contain a public option. Here is an excerpt:

We continue to support the robust public option that was reported out of the Committees on Ways and Means and Education and Labor and will not vote for a weakened bill on the House Floor or returning from a Conference with the Senate.

Any bill that does not provide, at a minimum, a public option built on the Medicare provider system and with reimbursement based on Medicare rates-not negotiated rates-is unacceptable.(...)

A health reform bill without a robust public option will not achieve the health reform this country so desperately needs. We cannot vote for anything less.

The reason I am not saying this definitely raises the stakes is because the letter was, at first, only signed by Representatives Woolsey and Grijalva.  Since that time, Representatives John Conyers, Hank Johnson, Barbara Lee, and Eric Massa have also signed.  I will update as more signatures come in, but unless it is signed by at least 40 members, then it is not an effective threat to block health care legislation if their demands are not met.

The letter is open, and more Representatives can sign on.  Updates will appear in this space as that happens.

The letter also requests a meeting with President Obama.  If it reaches 40 signatories, I wonder, via Joe Sudbay, if President Obama will grant that meeting.

Update: No matter how many signatories there are so far, Speaker Pelosi once again reiterates that a bill without a public option cannot pass the House:

The latest statement out of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office is unequivocal: "A bill without a strong public option will not pass the House," Pelosi said.
Chris Bowers :: Progressive Block Ups The Stakes?

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Progressive Block Ups The Stakes? | 12 comments
Pelosi has consistently said that (4.00 / 7)
she never gets credit from netroots, but she has consistently said that a bill w/out public option will not pass.

Of course the public option in HB3200 is a bad joke.

PO in HR3200 Bad Joke (0.00 / 0)
Why? Because I don't see it.
[ Parent ]
Best news all day. (4.00 / 1)
Time to give them some more money? The ones who sign, that is.

(Wish I could.)

Heres the link to suppprt the heroes of congress (4.00 / 2)
These are the people who have built the barricade, these are the people who risk being hurt by their party, these are the people who will have to explain why they stopped a bill that was "almost good enough" but put themselves on the line, put their careers on the line for you, for you and your principles, for their principles, for the least of their constituency.

Cough some up, put just 3 sheckles into this kitty, just a hundred dollars, add your voice to the fight, add your voice to the struggle for strength. Make America change tonight.

Change
"We must break up the banks and never again let them get so big that they distort our politics and take down the economy.

[ Parent ]
Where's DeFazio (0.00 / 0)
on this? Has he signed?
. (0.00 / 0)
Since when were Medicare rates nonnegotiable?  That's going a bit too far.
Negotiation (4.00 / 4)
"Negotiation" is a little bit goofy.  Medicare sets the rates it pays, but so do private insurers.  Nobody really "negotiates" (as far as I know) so much as try to find the correct price that keeps most happy and hopes no one drops the plan.  Of course, plenty of hospitals, etc., are required to take Medicare, which I guess makes it less negotiated in a sense, but it still isn't really the correct word.

What is really important is that the private option has the ability to launch itself successfully on day 1.  Tying it to Medicare is one way to do that.  If left on its own it wouldn't have the buying power to set (and/or "negotiate") reasonable rates.

[ Parent ]
The Wonderful Thing About Triggers (0.00 / 0)
Is insurance companies are horrible things.  Count on them to fail.

And us to mock:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

sp

I wish they really would up the Stakes (4.00 / 1)
Why doesn't the progressive block really up the stakes and release a draft bill without the Public Option and Mandates that contains everything people have said they agree on.

No preexisting condition, no dropping, etc all the insurance regulation aspects sans the sugar.

The progressive block doesn't have any incentive to do that (4.00 / 1)
However, I do find that idea appealing:

Include all the regulations that are good for citizens and hard for the insurance industry,

Exclude any giveaways, including a mandate,

"Open up the markets" by removing the anti-trust exemption and breaking up a few of the largest companies.

Then really let them compete!

Of course I would not expect it to really work. If it did, maybe some other country might have tried it. Single payer is the only thing that will ever work well. It is just a question of how much more crap we have to put up with before the insurance industry is finally put to rest.

Insurance is based on on theories that are no longer valid. Actuarial analysis made sense back when mathematicians looked up integrals in tables. Now that all information about practically anything is available on one big network, and we sequenced the genome, insurance has no real function, so they have just reverted to being professional extortionists.  

[ Parent ]
Of course Progressives have an incentive to propose this (0.00 / 0)
Its ok you don't like the public option here is the abyss you are courting.

Actually several countries have systems much like what you propose. And they certainly work much better then what we have.  

[ Parent ]
I am so proud. I am so gratefu, I am so honoured to be supporting, at this time, this group of people. (4.00 / 1)
These people who have drawn a line in the sand, who have said;

"I am staking my career, my honour, my job and the commitment I have  made with the people who have voted for me for this.
I will not sell my honour, I will not sell my vote, I will not pass a Bill that does end the suffering that Americans have endured because of the stranglehold that Health Insurance Companies have on families in my country."

Change
"We must break up the banks and never again let them get so big that they distort our politics and take down the economy.

Progressive Block Ups The Stakes? | 12 comments
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