Feb 25th Healthcare Showdown

[dabrockster]

Looks like WH house is now threatening Reconciliation on HC now if GOP tries to filibuster..

My only thought is that Obama is going to hang his hat on this even if it will put him as a "One-term President".. Or this is a large bluff that will have major ramification to the Dems...

Not the smartest posturing move imo..


Link:

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/white-house-if-gop-filibusters-well-pass-health-reform-via-reconciliation/

[Color Me Badd Fan]

A public forum is a great idea. Why didn't Obama think of it 9 months ago?

Exactly. Obama is only doing it now because the "shove it down their throats" approach turned out to be unpopular. Now he's trying to get the GOP's fingerprints on an unpopular initiative and [shockingly] the GOP isn't falling for it. The GOP is going to kick the democrats' asses in the fall anyway so why do they need to cater to a president who's cratering in the polls?

[mUUser]

Shockingly, yes. Yes, I do.

[statman]

I like this move. I've been wanting more of this kind of thing from President Obama (as opposed to just getting it from candidate Obama).

You mean dog and pony shows that have no intent other than to embarrass republicans? Or things that blatantly go against the will of the American People that will be undone after the Republicans take the house in November?

[RobinFinderson]

You mean dog and pony shows that have no intent other than to embarrass republicans? Or things that blatantly go against the will of the American People that will be undone after the Republicans take the house in November?

Do the Republicans have any answers besides tort reform? Obama has signaled to the R's that he is willing to work with tort reform as a negotiation point, but the R's won't budge an inch. The reason the show could potentially embarrass republicans is because they are being invited to present their best ideas to the nation, but they don't have any ideas.

[statman]

Do the Republicans have any answers besides tort reform? Obama has signaled to the R's that he is willing to work with tort reform as a negotiation point, but the R's won't budge an inch. The reason the show could potentially embarrass republicans is because they are being invited to present their best ideas to the nation, but they don't have any ideas.

It's an attempt to embarrass Republicans because the whole thing they're supposedly "debating" is already 100% decided. The CBO already has it (and says there aren't enough details for them to put a price tag on it other than "more expensive than either the House or Senate bill"). Like I said, it's a dog and pony show to make the Republicans look like "the Party of No" on CNBC.

As to solutions - 1) tort reform, 2) interstate insurance, 3) portable insurance, 4) removal of tax deduction for employers, but inclusion of tax deduction for employees & self-employed, 5) full disclosure of medical costs to patients - similar to the disclosure information that fair credit & lending laws require for loans. 6) no pre-existing conditions. 7) provides funding to educate more doctors in primary care medicine 8) etc...

There are PLENTY of republican ideas out there - market based ideas that don't require huge new spending. You just have to be open-minded enough to hear them...

[All-American]

A seat in front of the camera is not the same as a spot at the table.

[RobinFinderson]

It's an attempt to embarrass Republicans because the whole thing they're supposedly "debating" is already 100% decided. The CBO already has it (and says there aren't enough details for them to put a price tag on it other than "more expensive than either the House or Senate bill"). Like I said, it's a dog and pony show to make the Republicans look like "the Party of No" on CNBC.

As to solutions - 1) tort reform, 2) interstate insurance, 3) portable insurance, 4) removal of tax deduction for employers, but inclusion of tax deduction for employees & self-employed, 5) full disclosure of medical costs to patients - similar to the disclosure information that fair credit & lending laws require for loans. 6) no pre-existing conditions. 7) provides funding to educate more doctors in primary care medicine 8) etc...

There are PLENTY of republican ideas out there - market based ideas that don't require huge new spending. You just have to be open-minded enough to hear them...

How many of these are negotiable? How many of them would get costs under control? How many of these will make health care affordable to the millions of newly unemployed?

I don't think any of these are terrible ideas (and some of them aren't really Republican ideas, like getting rid of limitations due to pre-existing conditions). But is the Republican party willing to meet half way?

[statman]

How many of these are negotiable? How many of them would get costs under control? How many of these will make health care affordable to the millions of newly unemployed?

I don't think any of these are terrible ideas (and some of them aren't really Republican ideas, like getting rid of limitations due to pre-existing conditions). But is the Republican party willing to meet half way?

Democrats are not really interested in actually providing health care - there are much simpler ways to do that than what they've proposed. They want to create and control a large new entitlement program and the related bureaucracy. Bureaucrats vote Democrat, as do most people who are dependent on government for their survival...

[il Padrino Ute]

Democrats are not really interested in actually providing health care - there are much simpler ways to do that than what they've proposed. They want to create and control a large new entitlement program and the related bureaucracy. Bureaucrats vote Democrat, as do most people who are dependent on government for their survival...

[RobinFinderson]

Democrats are not really interested in actually providing health care - there are much simpler ways to do that than what they've proposed. They want to create and control a large new entitlement program and the related bureaucracy. Bureaucrats vote Democrat, as do most people who are dependent on government for their survival...

That is a baseless non-answer...

... followed by a typical ilPad response.

[statman]

That is a baseless non-answer...



... followed by a typical ilPad response.

I gave you 7 simpler, cheaper and more effective suggestions than what the Dems of either house submitted in strict compliance with the edicts of their special interest masters. If they wanted to actually provide health care, they could've started with any one of them...

[RobinFinderson]

I gave you 7 simpler, cheaper and more effective suggestions than what the Dems of either house submitted in strict compliance with the edicts of their special interest masters. If they wanted to actually provide health care, they could've started with any one of them...

You gave me 7 suggestions. I don't know that they are cheaper or more effective. But they are interesting, and Obama has made gestures to the Republicans that he is willing to negotiate with Republicans on these issues in order to get a health care bill. The 'healthcare showdown' will be the opportunity for the R's to explain why these 7 suggestions will solve the health care crisis for cheap, and why they are unwilling to negotiate these items into the bill.

But you still didn't answer my question, which was this -- How will these seven prevent health care costs from outpacing inflation (and eventually threatening to bankrupt the nation) and how many of these will make health care affordable to the millions of newly unemployed?

How can you get rid of barriers for those with pre-existing conditions without spiking prices for everyone, or making insurance unaffordable for the people with the pre-existing conditions? And if they are uninsured, how do get to the point where we have a cheaper way of dealing with the uninsured somewhere other than the nation's emergency rooms (at a steep premium)?

Dems are willing to negotiate with the republicans on their issues, but they also need to write a bill that addresses these problems that are central to the health care crisis. The Republicans have no conservative solution for these problems, and when asked what they would do to address them, they will pull a Statman and avoid the question (and IPU will applaud like a windup monkey).

[dabrockster]

Do the Republicans have any answers besides tort reform? Obama has signaled to the R's that he is willing to work with tort reform as a negotiation point, but the R's won't budge an inch. The reason the show could potentially embarrass republicans is because they are being invited to present their best ideas to the nation, but they don't have any ideas.

If Obama was truly wanting to see what the R's would bring to the table he would not have come out with the rhetoric that his staff did yesterday. It undermines the whole meeting and pretty much destroys any chance to work together..

His plan is no different then what the American people disliked like and essentially showed in voting for an R in Mass.

[dabrockster]

It's an attempt to embarrass Republicans because the whole thing they're supposedly "debating" is already 100% decided. The CBO already has it (and says there aren't enough details for them to put a price tag on it other than "more expensive than either the House or Senate bill"). Like I said, it's a dog and pony show to make the Republicans look like "the Party of No" on CNBC.

As to solutions - 1) tort reform, 2) interstate insurance, 3) portable insurance, 4) removal of tax deduction for employers, but inclusion of tax deduction for employees & self-employed, 5) full disclosure of medical costs to patients - similar to the disclosure information that fair credit & lending laws require for loans. 6) no pre-existing conditions. 7) provides funding to educate more doctors in primary care medicine 8) etc...

There are PLENTY of republican ideas out there - market based ideas that don't require huge new spending. You just have to be open-minded enough to hear them...

Allowing cross state insurance plans...