June 12, 2009 (World News Trust) -- Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) may yet turn out to be a "good guy" -- the addition of "national" to the "health care insurance cooperatives" may well make them almost effective. The details as to who runs the "national" and under what rules makes all the difference.
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) -- noting that negotiations are discussing a proposal by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) to establish member-run health co-operatives, rather than a government-run public plan, to compete with private insurers -- has conceded that he's "still for a public option," but added, "I'm not sure I represent a majority in the Senate on that idea."
Meanwhile Baucus, chairman of the Finance Committee, wants to compromise with the GOP so as to have as many as 70 votes. But Baucus said Thursday he was "inclined toward" jettisoning the proposed government insurance program, in favor of a new proposal to create national, state and regional health care insurance cooperatives. He also said the co-op idea has to achieve goals similar to the public option, such as being national in scope, having adequate capital, offering the public a wide choice of affordable insurance and making sure it isn't eventually absorbed by the private insurance industry.
Also Bob Somerby, former op-ed writer in the Baltimore Sun, notes that Douglas Elmendorf, head of the CBO, must cost out any health reform. The Washington Post (Lori Montgomery) fails to note the irony/absurdity of "We spend twice what Canada does -- and we can’t afford what they have!" -- even as she describes paying more public money so as to reduce the private money going into health via the insurers, and thus reducing the total cost of the system.
"MONTGOMERY (6/11/09): Now Elmendorf, 47, faces the toughest task of his brief tenure: attaching a price to a monumental overhaul of the nation's health-care system, which holds out the promise of delivering care to millions of uninsured Americans, cutting costs for an overburdened federal government and sealing the political legacy of a popular new president.
"The stakes are enormous. The nonpartisan budget office was created by Congress to serve as Washington's official scorekeeper, offering independent estimates of the cost of legislation. If the CBO says a health plan will break the bank, lawmakers generally will assume it's true."
Bob is spot on with his comment "Too funny! We pay twice as much as Canada does. But getting a system as good as theirs may “break the bank” -- may cost enormously more!"
Meanwhile, Rahm Emanuel is said to be good friend of Snowe and is said to be talking about a Trigger that has a public plan at the very beginning, which automatically becomes a strong public plan after the trigger -- and before is only a weak constrained by all the insurance company rules variation -- perhaps even a non-profit.
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William Chirolas brings 40 years of real-world business experience in local, state, national, and international tax, pensions, and finance to the world of blogging. A graduate of MIT, he calls the Boston area home, except when visiting kids and grandkids.