Pelosi To White House: We’re Standing Firm Behind Public Option

[red states rule]

The wheels are coming off the Hope and Change Express



Pelosi To White House: We’re Standing Firm Behind Public Option

Nancy Pelosi just blasted out this statement signaling that House Dems are standing firm behind the public option, despite the White House’s apparent softening of support for it over the weekend:

“As the President stated in March, ‘The thinking on the public option has been that it gives consumers more choices and it helps keep the private sector honest, because there’s some competition out there.’

“We agree with the President that a public option will keep insurance companies honest and increase competition.

“There is strong support in the House for a public option. In the House, all three of our bills contain a public option as does the bill from the Senate HELP Committee.

“A public option is the best option to lower costs, improve the quality of health care, ensure choice and expand coverage.

“The public option brings real reform to lower costs over the 10 year period of the bill.”

The statement does stop short of explicitly commiting to keeping the public option in the bill in the long run, but Pelosi’s use of Obama’s own language is suggestive, and even mildly confrontational.

As bad as the White House’s comments this weekend look to House progressives, in a sense this gives them an opportunity. House liberals, who perpetually complain that the Blue Dogs’ concerns are doted over by the White House and leadership, have a chance to do as the Blue Dogs do: Lay down their marker and refuse to budge.

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/pelosi-to-white-house-were-standing-firm-behind-public-option/

[red states rule]

I find it interesting Dems and the liberal media are constantly saying Republicans have offered nothing in this process

Well allow me to post some of their bills they have submitted

This is only a partial list - there are way to many to list. Check out the link for all of them


snip


Stop the government-run health plan. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) offered an amendment to improve the Democratic legislation by taking out the section of the bill that would create a government-run health plan to compete with private sector health plans. Reps. Phil Roe (R-TN) and John Kline (R-MN) offered similar amendments in the Education & Labor Committee. The GOP amendments were all killed in committee at the behest of Speaker Pelosi and her chairmen.

- Prevent bureaucrats from making personal medical decisions for patients. Rep. Phil Gingrey, M.D. (R-GA) offered an amendment in the Energy & Commerce Committee to bar federal political appointees and bureaucrats from intervening in patient treatment decisions. The Gingrey amendment would have ensured patients and doctors remain as the sole individuals responsible for making these critical decisions. Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) led Democrats in opposition to the amendment, which was defeated.

- Require all Members of Congress to get their health insurance through the proposed government-run plan. Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV) offered an amendment in the Ways & Means Committee that would have required Members of Congress to enroll immediately in the government-run health plan that would be established under the Democratic bill. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) offered an amendment to put his committee on the record in support of enrolling Members of Congress in the government-run plan as well. While the Wilson amendment was approved by voice vote in the Education & Labor Committee, the Heller amendment was killed in the Ways & Means Committee at the behest of Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Rangel.

- Establish a $1 trillion deficit cap. During Energy & Commerce Committee consideration of the Democrats’ government-run health care plan, Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) offered an amendment to delay “disease prevention” spending for items like municipal jungle gyms and bicycle trails until Washington’s budget deficit dips below $1 trillion. Democrats defeated the amendment, paving the way for more unchecked spending.

- Keep the federal government out of health care decisions. Rep. Wally Herger (R-CA) offered an amendment to prohibit the federal government from conducting so-called comparative effectiveness research, in which the federal government would ultimately help determine which medical treatments are administered to whom in America – otherwise known as government rationing of health care. The Herger amendment was killed at the behest of Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Rangel. Days later, in a July 22 prime-time press conference, President Obama told the nation the health care bill “will keep government out of health care decisions,” despite the fact that the comparative effectiveness language remains in the bill.

- Protect Americans from “hurry up and wait.” Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) offered an amendment that would repeal the government-run health plan if wait times exceed the average wait times in private plans. The Brady amendment was killed at the behest of Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Rangel.

- Stop the job-killing employer mandate. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX) offered an amendment in the Committee on Ways & Means to improve the Democratic legislation by taking out the section of the bill that requires American employers to provide health coverage for all of their employees, and Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) offered similar amendments in the Committee on Education & Labor. Independent analysts agree this Democratic mandate on employers is likely to result in the elimination of millions of American jobs, and it could hardly come at a worse moment for the nation’s economy. The GOP amendments were killed in committee at the behest of Speaker Pelosi.


http://www.floppingaces.net/2009/08/03/cutting-through-the-disinformation-democrats-health-care-bill-rejected-bipartisan-solutions/

[Insein]

Yea well, Other than all that, what have they proposed? That is catergorized as whining to the Democrats. They won. Republicans need to propose a party in their name for being soooo freakin smart for bringing up an awesome Health Care Bill.

[Kathianne]

They're trying to rename it, 'co-ops':

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2009/08/17/co-ops-a-public-option-by-another-name/


Co-ops: A ‘Public Option’ By Another Name

Posted by Michael D. Tanner

Politico reports that the so-called “public option” provision could be dropped from the highly controversial health care bill currently being debated throughout the country:


President Barack Obama and his top aides are signaling that they’re prepared to drop a government insurance option from a final health-reform deal if that’s what’s needed to strike a compromise on Obama’s top legislative priority…. Obama and his aides continue to emphasize having some competitor to private insurers, perhaps nonprofit insurance cooperatives, but they are using stronger language to downplay the importance that it be a government plan.

As I have said before, establishing health insurance co-operatives is a poor alternative to the public option plan. Opponents of a government takeover of the health care system should not be fooled.

Government-run health care is government-run health care no matter what you call it.

The health care “co-op” approach now embraced by the Obama administration will still give the federal government control over one-sixth of the U.S. economy, with a government-appointed board, taxpayer funding, and with bureaucrats setting premiums, benefits, and operating rules.

Plus, it won’t be a true co-op, like rural electrical co-ops or your local health-food store — owned and controlled by its workers and the people who use its services. Under the government plan, the members wouldn’t choose its officers — the president would.

The real issue has never been the “public option” on its own. The issue is whether the government will take over the U.S. health care system, controlling many of our most important, personal, and private decisions. Even without a public option, the bills in Congress would make Americans pay higher taxes and higher premiums, while government bureaucrats determine what insurance benefits they must have and, ultimately, what care they can receive.

Obamacare was a bad idea with an explicit “public option.” It is still a bad idea without one.

[red states rule]

Yea well, Other than all that, what have they proposed? That is catergorized as whining to the Democrats. They won. Republicans need to propose a party in their name for being soooo freakin smart for bringing up an awesome Health Care Bill.

Republicans know that IF the goal is to get health ins for those US citizens who want it - but can't afford it - is to have the private sector create jobs

With jobs comes the health ins coverage

But Dems are not interested in getting health ins for those people. Their rejection of the above ideas proves their goal is for the government to take over the healthcare industry

And now a majority of the voters know that as well

[red states rule]

They're trying to rename it, 'co-ops':

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2009/08/17/co-ops-a-public-option-by-another-name/

Reminds me when Dems say they are not proposing higher taxes, but are proposing "Alternative Revenue Sources"

[red states rule]

Now Howie Dean says the public option will be slipped back in the bill when nobody is looking


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[namvet]

didn't she just call us Nazi's ???? :laugh2:

[Insein]

Now Howie Dean says the public option will be slipped back in the bill when nobody is looking


<div><iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/32445707#32445707" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><p style="font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 425px;">Visit msnbc.com for <a style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com">Breaking News</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">World News</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">News about the Economy</a></p></div>

The sheer Gall! Its one thing for us to speculate that they will do that but for them to have the audacity to say that we will take out the public option to get it passed and then put it back in just to Screw the American people is ridiculous.

[red states rule]

NEW OBAMA HEALTH CARE SYMBOL


http://www.strangepolitics.com/images/content/154314.bmp

[Trigg]

Hardball had a senator (forget his name) on last night who said there was never enough votes to support a public option.

[red states rule]

Hardball had a senator (forget his name) on last night who said there was never enough votes to support a public option.

It was Kent Conrad. He also siad it on Fox News Sunday

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