Corporatist Dems and Repubs Secretly Plotting Against Large Public Option in Health Care Reform

They like to call themselves "Blue Dogs," "centrists" and "moderates" but what those terms really describe are, for the most part, Congressional members who have been co-opted by large donors and the pressure of large and well-funded corporate lobbying squads. Those on the House side are meeting right now, in secret, to undermine the immediate, large and effective public option that is pivotal to any health care reform bill that's worth the paper it's written on. Given that Obama et al. have kept single-payer health care off the table, a large public option plan is the only way to force down costs in our health care system so that we can afford to cover everyone and still provide quality care.

A large and properly constructed public option would be able to negotiate better prices for services and pharmaceuticals by using its numbers and clout to push down these often out-of-line costs. Because the public plan would compete with the private sector insurers, the health insurance "industry" would be forced to cut out at least some of the excessive perks, administrative salaries, investor profit margins and such that jack up the costs of health care for the people enrolled in the plans. Without the pressure of a large public plan, do you really think the for-profits will work against their own financial interests and focus on cost cutting? What they will almost certainly do is cut and pluck services even worse than the private insurer-HMO bunch has done so far.

Remember, we were originally sold on the necessity of HMOs by assurances that they would hold down costs and eliminate frivolous tests, etc. Have they done that? No -- health care costs have continued to skyrocket while waiting times have increased, the time we get to spend with our doctors has fallen and more and more decisions about care are made by insurance company tyrants with only one focus -- to increase profits.

Secret Deals
The Hill reports today that back-room deals are being engineered by those representing the interests of their big dollar donors and the hoards of lobbyists who have converged on Capitol Hill:

The talks have been so secretive and politically sensitive that some members interviewed by The Hill refused to name other legislators involved in the bipartisan effort.

Members of the centrist GOP “Tuesday Group,” the New Democrat Coalition and the 52-member Blue Dog Coalition have been discussing both the policies and politics of moving their middle-of-the-road ideas in a body of Congress usually dominated by liberal or conservative ideology.

I don't know about you, but I haven't noticed any Congressional proceedings dominated by liberal ideologies of late. Like for decades. What I have seen is what is supposed to be the peoples' business conducted according to the demands of the craven lobbying crowd, and this meeting of the "centrist" minds appears to be more of the same.

Blue Dogs are leery of the so-called public option in the healthcare reform bill that is expected to hit the House floor this summer.

Gee, I wonder why. This bunch is pushing instead for the absurdly inadequate "co-op option" that's virtually guaranteed to fail as a mechanism to compete with the private sector and push down costs. Um, we already have health care "co-ops." After all, Blue Cross Blue Shield is essentially a non-profit co-op, believe it or not. Has it been effective in any way in improving quality and keeping costs in line?

I think it's clear that this union of "centrists" on both sides of the aisle was created by fears that a genuine health care reform plan might pass. Can't have that. What else would bring together the recipients of health care industry largesse on both sides of the aisle at this point in time?

The Hill also claims:

Senate Democrats have publicly embraced the so-called co-op option, which calls for the formation of privately operated nonprofit health-insurance groups to administer a new healthcare system.

Bingaman Touts Expert-Biz Leader Consensus
It sure sounds like at least one Dem who sits on two of the critical Senate committees has drunk the Kool-Aid, and he just happens to be our own Senator Jeff Bingaman. Check out what Bingaman, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee headed by Max Baucus (who has received bundles of hush money -- er, I mean campaign donations -- from health insurance industry bigwigs) has been up to lately according to an article in the Albuquerque Journal this morning:

Sen. Jeff Bingaman on Tuesday outlined four areas of consensus among health care experts and business leaders that he said could serve as a framework for U.S. health care reform.

... Bingaman said representatives from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Aetna insurance company, the American Medical Association, the National Federation of Independent Businesses and others agreed at a Senate hearing last week on four basic elements for reform.

Note that the "consensus" came without the input of any consumers of health care or patient rights groups -- just health care experts (i.e. lobbyists) and business leaders (i.e the for-profit sector). I guess that's good enough for Bingaman and other "compromisers" for the private good. Not surprisingly, the "consensus" touted by Bingaman doesn't include a strong public option. It merely says "insurance companies have to become more inclusive in their coverage," that "all Americans should be required to have coverage," that the mandate should be backed up with some sort of penalty and that "small businesses need help in providing coverage."

Watching out for the interests of the "industry" -- yes. Providing a system that will work to keep private-sector profit gougers in check? Not so much.

ACT NOW: Once again, I urge you to contact your Senators and Representatives and tell them, in no uncertain terms, that real health care reform MUST have a large and robust public option. Anything else is just nibbling at the edges. You might remind the Reps that they must run for re-election next year -- and that you'll remember what they do on this issue.

Click here and enter your zip code in the box on the left-hand side of the page to get contact info for your members of Congress.