Two things in the battletide of health care reform. Notice I'm so non plused I'm not even bothering to capitalize 'Health Care Reform' any longer? Yeah. Me too. Because ultimately I believe the "public option" is narrowing down to equate to "expansion of Medicare/Medicaid" and it WILL happen, if not by majority vote, cloture or any other damn thing then by executive order if need be. Obama wants to grow a huge honking pair, he'd do it that way. Take responsibility for it all and when it is properly run and regulated and profitable, tell ALL the wingnuts to just go fuck themselves. Forever.
But I digress. Here's Wyden insisting there be a public option in the final bill, and here's old 'Independent' Joe putting on the squeeze play. Why the squeeze play? Because the only way it seems able to get through now is if there's an "opt-out" clause on a state by state basis. States rights. Still the possibility exists that the triggers may either be set too high and that having triggers in the first place PLUS insistence upon voiding the private insurers anti-trust exemption could possibly trigger the regionalization of medicine and medical treatment in America. In other words make it more hard to get competent, qualified medical care AND increase the travel cost! Brilliant! We already have that in Alaska so perhaps it won't effect us all that much.
So, yeah -- NO. Yes to the public option. Yes to the expansion of M/M. NO to any sort of trigger. It's part of the Medicare/Medicaid package, we're reforming and expanding the system to cover the uninsured, either you're in or you are out at the state level. Are any states presently NOT enrolled in both? End of story. Eureka. You have found the pot o' gold. You have freed the dragon. Public Option. Now move along.
Eventually and as stated I expect it will all be part of M/M so "no big whup..." THEN yes, reform of M/M is a must and please pass the anti-trust hammer. It's clobberin' time!
-Laz
LA - Skateboarding, Googie, Bernie's, And More
18 hours ago
Laz. I aint buyin it. They will push some crap that will not solve anything just shuffle it all around so those elected can still get the big bucks from the corporations. I dont even want to read about it much anymore. Sometimes expletives dont even fit the magnatude.
ReplyDeleteI doubt very much if any state will really opt out of the public option, no matter how they bluster now. Because there is no reason for workers to stay in a state where they can't get insurance and every reason to go to a state where they can. Very few people are going to urge their state legislators to deprive them of medical care.
ReplyDelete@AHjah... which is why now it's time to turn it all over. Flip mode.
ReplyDelete@Ivyfree, precisely. Which is why MM/MM is the only true 'public option' that I think will survive in the end.
-Laz