More bullshit alternatives to a public option from Senators

[ProSense]

Carper quietly devises third option

Sen. Tom Carper bided his time on health care reform.

<...>

Carper wants to allow states to individually decide whether to create a private-insurance competitor such as a government plan and a nonprofit insurance cooperative, or to open up state-based insurance pools for government workers to every resident.

It could appeal to Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who has endorsed a similar trigger approach, while bringing in progressives who may not see a way – at this point – to pass a bill through the Senate with a public option.

<...>

“I think perhaps it could” emerge in the Senate bill that heads to the floor, Conrad said. Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said the idea is under discussion, and “might be” what Reid goes with. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) called the the proposal "intriguing."

“It is very constructive option,” Conrad said.

Carper's plan is one of several alternatives emerging from the fractious debate over the public option. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) filed an amendment giving states the power to work with private insurers on expanding coverage up to 200 percent of poverty, which would cover about 75 percent of the uninsured.

more

The final legislation won’t include a Medicare-like public option that saves the government $50 to $100 billion over 10 years. Nor will the plan negotiates rates with providers and compete on a level playing field with private insurers. In fact, it won’t be a national plan at all.

Instead, the very same Democrats who defeated the national program during mark-up, will likely resurrect a discarded idea floated by the New America Foundation and momentarily embraced by the White House. That compromise will create a network of public options modeled on state employee benefit plans. The proposal could be triggered by Snowe’s amendment if reform did not meet a low affordability measure, but any state-based proposal would lack the market clout to lower overall health care spending, reform health care delivery, or hold private health insurers accountable.

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[bluestateguy]

1. Sounds great for people who live in blue states

One should remember, however, that Medicaid actually allowed the states to choose to participate. Southern states initially balked, but eventually signed up, as did all other states.

[ProSense]

2. It will do nothing to drive competition and bring down cost

but any state-based proposal would lack the market clout to lower overall health care spending, reform health care delivery, or hold private health insurers accountable.

[harun]

3. If they did something like this they should make all states have the public

option but make them opt-out of it with a vote by their legislatures or something. None of them could opt-out of it for long with the pressure people would put on them.

[NYC Democrat]

4. not a fan of this but I do prefer it over Co-ops and the Trigger.

[ProSense]

6. Co-ops don't work. The OP option can't effectively compete and it isn't national or universal

If they settle on the OP option, then they should revise down the cap to $8,000 (Snowe has it at a ridiculous $13,000) and include a one-year trigger for Medicare for all. That's the only incentive and time frame that makes sense.

What they really need to do is pass a public option by reconciliation. One thing that everyone overlooks is that the HELP bill can pass with 51 votes barring a filibuster.

Unless the Democrats sabotage the HELP and House bills, a public option should be in the bill coming out of conference.

[Raine1967]

10. It is a trigger -- FOR co-ops

It sounds like Carper's plan is a trigger, but a trigger that, once pulled, requires each state legislature to then act. If the state legislature acts it must then choose from three basically worthless options, a state-based public option, co-ops, or some kind of managed government partnership with private insurance companies.

If this is the case, then Carper has the dubious distinction of coming up with the worst “alternative” to the public option so far. A trigger for co-ops. This idea is so bad, it makes Conrad's worthless state-based co-ops look robust.


http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/10/01/carper-trigger-idea-goes-from-bad-to-worse/

[Old Codger]

5. No sense in it

Just another way to give insurance cos more money, not a "public" option, a private insurance option attempting a masquerade as something that it isn't....

[freddie mertz]

7. Where is the president on all this?

Crickets chirp.

[ProSense]

8. Right

where he should be.

[freddie mertz]

9. Kerry is a good guy.

And is saying the right things.

No surprise there.

[Feron]

11. Because Jindalcare will work so well...

I wonder what the co-pay on an exorcism is....