Comments on: Details of the Senate Finance “Compromise” Healthcare Bill Released

By: Eldon Barca

Eldon Barca — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 20:42:20 +0000

Looks like you have a strong background on this. Thanks for your insight on this area….

By: Travel Guide

Travel Guide — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:53:48 +0000

I trust you would not have reservations if I put up a part of this site on my univeristy blog?

By: Ryan

Ryan — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:40:20 +0000

Flo, the Baucus bill is certainly imperfect, but we both know that Howard Dean is just posturing here. Would he really argue that this bill is worse than privatizing medicare, as republicans have proposed in bills past? Would he really argue that its worse than SGR, a law that politicians have voted to forestall every year since its inception because everyone acknowledges its terrible? He is a leader in the democratic party (or was recently at least), he wants a public option, as do I, and its reasonable for him to come out strongly against the baucus bill to improve the chances that legislation with a public plan will gain momentum. But if it truly came down to this or nothing what would he say? What would you say?

The status quo is absolutely unsustainable and estimates are if this effort fails it will be a minimum of 10 years before we have another chance. That's too long for me. The Baucus Bill is in many ways a gift to insurance companies its true, but it changes some fundamental cost curves that will at least forestall the collapse of our system.

By: Flo

Flo — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:20:35 +0000

I cannot support a plan without a public option. If fact I stand with Howard Dean on this “The Baucus bill is the worst piece of healthcare legislation I’ve seen in 30 years, in fact, it’s a $60 billion giveaway to the health insurance industry every year,” he said. “It was written by healthcare lobbyists, so that’s not a surprise. It’s an outrage.”

By: Mary

Mary — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 03:37:24 +0000

Obama and Congress should put themselves behind Obama’s statements. The Federal Employees Health Care program is a GOLD program, but by eliminating waste, and more efficiency, and decreasing to a basic plan, they can save the taxpayers 10 billion. That way they will not need to cut Medicare, since the Seniors only have a basic plan as it is. Congress and obama need to apply their numbers to the Federal Health Care program and then everyone wins, right? We can use those yearly savings to insure the uninsured.

By: Darryl Pettersen

Darryl Pettersen — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:40:22 +0000

Ryan, thanks for your links to the summary of the bill and the CBO analysis. A reasoned reader of the summary and the CBO report will have to be impressed with the extensive effort put forth to craft such a brilliant compromise. I am ashamed of my fellow Republicans for their apparent unwillingness to step in and try to improve this valiant effort. Our financial ship of state is leaking profusely and is headed down fast. This proposal has the very real possibility of helping to plug many of those leaks and hopefully save the ship and its struggling passengers. Your summary was right on. Good work!!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:23:57 +0000

Richard, but what do we do when the public option cannot be passed? In the senate they simply do not have the votes. I really think that just as the right overemphasized the threat of the public plan, the left has overemphasized its value. A well constructed co-op can give us many of the same advantages. See ( All About Healthcare Co-ops).

Now unfortunately Sen Baucus's co-ops as they stand now are not as strong as I would like. But the mark-up process is still yet to come and the bill has to be combined with the house legislation. If the final product has a strong national or regional co-op then I don't think we have any reason to despair. If we end up with state co-ops at least we have something to build on that's leaps and bounds above what we currently have.

And don't forget the new regulations on insurance companies, restructuring of medicare compensation to increase primary care physicians, and the numerous other reforms contained in this bill that people have been fighting for for a long, long time.

I'm not willing to sacrifice the good on the alter of perfection for this. I'd rather have this than nothing. If the situation changes such that a plan with a public option becomes passable in the senate, that might be a different story.

By: Richard Brady

Richard Brady — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:32:18 +0000

Sen. Baucus ought to be ashamed of himself . His bill is not a compromise. It’s a betrayal.
Without a public option as a basic starting point there isn’t any health care reform.

By: Details of the Senate Finance “Compromise” Healthcare Bill Released « Top Health Insurance Companies

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:22:45 +0000

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By: PatriotGames

PatriotGames — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:17:57 +0000

Yeah I guess the insurance companies have won. Will we every gather enough strength to fight that lobby? Our government is bought and sold by corporate america. And the republicans have been fighting hard to keep it that way.

By: Larry Carr

Larry Carr — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:07:12 +0000

Health insurance companies now know their money was well spent on Sen. Baucus