Health-Care Dialogue Alarms Obama's Allies

[HopeOverFear]

Washington Post

Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 21, 2009

As Congress returns to begin an intense debate over reshaping the nation's $2.2 trillion health-care system, prominent left-leaning organizations and liberal House members are issuing a warning to their Democratic allies: Don't cave on us.

The early skirmishing -- essentially amounting to friendly fire -- is perhaps the clearest indication yet of the uphill battle President Obama faces in delivering on his promise to make affordable, high-quality care available to every American.

Disputes over whether to create a new government-sponsored insurance program to compete with private companies shine a light on the intraparty fissures that may prove more problematic than any partisan brawl.

More than 70 House Democrats recently warned party leaders that they will not support a broad health reform bill that does not offer consumers a government-sponsored policy, and two unions withdrew from a high-profile health coalition because it would not endorse a public plan.

"It's way too early" to abandon what it considers a central plank in health reform, said Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union. He said the organization pulled out of the bipartisan Health Reform Dialogue because it feared its friends in the coalition were sacrificing core principles too soon. "You don't make compromises with your allies."

[FrenchieCat]

1. Tuesday's pile on?

It's all being done to make sure the Public option debate is heard......

It's gonna be Kennedy's bill at the end, and don't think otherwise.....

Kennedy spokesman Anthony Coley said the senator "believes that Americans should have the option of buying a public insurance plan if they believe that's the best choice for their families."

[LooseWilly]

2. Good for the SEIU...

This whole health insurance thing confuses me. It's like the HMOs didn't learn the lesson of the automakers or the home loan providers... if you keep raising prices on a customer base whose income isn't keeping up, sooner or later you run out of customers...

The auto industry can no longer afford to pay for health insurance. Individuals can no longer afford to pay for health insurance. Small businesses can no longer afford to pay for health insurance. Corporations no longer want to pay for health insurance for any but their their above-middle-managers.

Who the hell do the HMOs think they're going to be getting all their money from, exactly? The something like 2% of Americans that make $250K/year or more?... do they really think they can raise prices enough to squeeze enough profits out of that group to keep running the way they are?

Who the hell are the Democrats caving to?... and what the fuck are the HMOs thinking not trying to get in on the new administrative services that will be required, rather than trying to obstruct yet again?

Fucking stupid greedheads...