Woolsey to Introduce ‘Robust Public Option’ Bill (This Afternoon)

[Hissyspit]

Source: Raw Story

Woolsey to introduce ‘robust public option’ bill

By Sahil Kapur
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 -- 8:35 am

WASHINGTON – What, did you think the fight for health care reform was over?

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), co-chair of the progressive caucus, is making good on her promise to continue pushing for a public health insurance option after the enactment of sweeping reform legislation.

On Thursday afternoon, the Northern California congresswoman will announce the introduction of a bill offering consumers a choice between private plans and a "robust" public plan in the health insurance exchanges set up by the law.

"The robust public option offers lower-cost competition to private insurance companies," Woolsey told Raw Story. "This will make insurance more affordable for those who do not have it and keep insurance affordable for those who do. We are introducing the public option now so is will be available as a ready-made off set or deficit reducer in this or the next Congress."

Read more: http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0722/woolsey-robust-public-option

[apnu]

1. Good (K&R)

[Snotcicles]

2. 27 minutes and only one reply. nt

[Snotcicles]

4. Go Lynn, I'll be calling my polit-a-critters. nt

[4_TN_TITANS]

90. Like we're holding our breath for this to skate through congress...

I appreciate the gesture, but that's all it will be. The Blue Dogs will piss all over this fiscally responsible proposal (while claiming to be fiscally responsible).

[CTyankee]

100. It's a shot over the bow that we are not giving up. I applaud her.

SOMEBODY has got to keep the dream alive. And it's not just some crazy dream; it's real. Private for profit insurance is insane. This country is crazy. This is an evolutionary step...

[jberryhill]

103. We have a lame duck session coming /nt

[European Socialist]

3. Glad she kept her promise....

But I doubt Dems will push it before the election.

[depakid]

19. Given that it polled 70+ percent support for moths on end...

it would have been on hell of a thing to run on.

[truedelphi]

70. So the moths were for it -

But the butterflies?

<Sorry, couldn't resist!>

[aquamarina]

5. Fingers Crossed

[tinrobot]

6. Just in time for fall elections

I hope they make it a campaign issue to use against the GOP.

[Soylent Brice]

7. K&R

[Odin2005]

8. K&R

[shraby]

9. K&R

[Roland99]

10. Time to see if the Dems in Congress are Dems or Repuke-wannabes

[Hoyt]

11. Sure hope this gets some support. Otherwise earlier health "reform" was a waste.

I hope Democrats -- and a few others -- get behind this. I accepted the political reality of what was passed earlier. But if it is not improved -- as some Democrats promised saying "this is just a start" -- relatively quickly, the earlier legislation was just a waste of effort.

But, my optimism is waning.

[supernova]

12. YEESSSS!! KnR!

:applause:

[thetonka]

13. Gonna depend on the implementation

The worse thing you can do to Health Care is allow Profit or Politics have any influence.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. Good on Woolsey for remembering she's

a Democrat.

[mopinko]

15. i'm glad she said- this or the next congress

this is the time for the silly bills. when someone puts forth a bill that will make good headlines, but will never see the light of day because the session will end and it will die. i've seen many things introduced at this time of year that got my hopes all up just to have them dashed.
but glad she said the next congress. i'm sure her word is good on that.

[Jackpine Radical]

16. Oh, good.

They can pay for it with the revenues generated by sustaining the tax cuts for the rich.


I really do hope for a public option as a stepping stone to a single-payer system. This snark was actually fueled mostly by the treads surrounding this one, especially the stuff about extending Bush's upper-end tax cuts.

[FourScore]

17. I woke up this morning thinking about how badly our country needs a PO.

If only I could believe...

[SarasotaDem]

18. WTG K&R

[Gormy Cuss]

That's a good start.

It would compete with the bloated private insurance plans, but it's better than the weak option under the current plan.

[Enthusiast]

20. K&R 100% support here.

This could even rescue a few Democrats this fall.

[myrna minx]

21. K&R n/t

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

22. It's not the Congress - it's the asinine Senate that prevents anything good from occurring

The Congress did a half way decent job in the first go round - (with the exception of Stupak and Nancy confabbing with the Catholic Bishops, etc).

It's the Senate where every good idea or forward movement or citizen friendly bill goes to die. Then you get corporate hacks like Schumer trying to figure out how to gut a public option until it's a public option in name only. Remember his brilliant "compromise" - the "level playing field" public option? Until we get rid of the coporate flacks like him AND Blue Dogs like Baucus, Conrad, Landrieu, Nelson, etc. that will continue to happen. Oh, and when we have a President and administration that is also not New Democrat, Third Way, etc.

So we have a long wait.

[still_one]

24. It won't happen. You are right /nt

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

53. + 100000000000000000 nt

[laughingliberal]

61. This would be the time for Reid to make good on his promise to Sanders

to bring a bill creating a public option to the floor for a vote under reconciliation.

[PassingFair]

87. A gal can dream though.....

The promise of health care is just a dying wish for many.

Thank goodness for the Progressive Caucus! Keeping up
the pressure.

[still_one]

23. Why is there any reason to believe that Kent Conrad, Baucus, Nelson, Lincoln or others

would support it?

It is nice that there are still some Democrats in Congress working for the people, however, there are enough Democrats including those in the administration who already made deals with the drug companies and pharmaceuticals, that it isn't going to happen, at least not as long as the makeup in Congress is what it is today

[Enthusiast]

39. By doing this it shows them

to be the assholes they are. For all to see.

[joeglow3]

59. Showing them to be assholes to who????

The rest of the country? Sadly, they don't care, as their constituents apparently like assholes.

[Enthusiast]

69. I guess they do. nt

[GOTV]

50. They might not. Still I think it's useful to get them on record ...

...so more people can see what kind of rep they are.

Of course, if Lincoln is going down anyway, she might feel free to vote her conscience which she may not have been able to before.

[still_one]

84. Conrad isn't going to be running next term, and Lincoln most likely will lose /nt

[laughingliberal]

62. Reid promised Sanders he'd get a bill creating a public option to the floor under reconciliation.

Time to pressure him to make good on it.

[jberryhill]

104. Lame duck /nt

[Enrique]

25. there's my avatar!

I was wondering where she went! :thumbsup:

[valerief]

26. This is good, but I'll try not to hope too much. nt

[MurrayDelph]

27. I just e-mailed my Representative

asking him to look for this resolution and support it.

[Bette Noir]

67. Emailing didn't seem fast enough, so I phoned.

A public option would be a lifesaver for those of us who aren't working, and are too young for Medicare, but not healthy enough to buy insurance.

[pattmarty]

28. It'll never come up for a vote. I wish, but it ain't gonna happen.

[BeeBee]

29. I'm proud that she's my representative. n/t

[Edweird]

30. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

I wonder if the WH will have to intervene on behalf of the insurance companies.

[xchrom]

31. Awesome. nt

[EC]

32. Hope it's written as an add-on

and can be passed using reconsiliation...

[on point]

33. Now there's a Dem I could support completely!

[Plucketeer]

34. I'd E-mail my RePuke rep about this, but...

.. suffice it to note that he's running UN-opposed this time around. What's that say about HIS power in this district, and my chances of being heard???

[colsohlibgal]

35. You Go Lynn!

We need to keep pushing for actual health care reform as opposed to that insurance company/pharma wet dream that Obama and the Dem establishment somehow try to dress up as real "reform".

[grahamhgreen]

36. Yeah! Call call call call call!

[DailyGrind51]

37. Now, she is the type of candidate we need this year and in 2012!

[senseandsensibility]

38. k and r

eom

[Jefferson23]

40. Good for you Woolsey! n/t

[NYC_SKP]

41. K & R nt

[defendandprotect]

42. Good for her -- now let's see how many Democrats join her . . .!!

And how the president responds --

[yurbud]

43. I hope she has some secret plan to get it past the corrupt assholes in the Senate

[laughingliberal]

63. One word-reconciliation. Reid promised Sanders. He needs to be pressured to make good on it. nt

[yurbud]

79. is there any record of this promise?

[laughingliberal]

91. Here:

Reid Promises Separate Public Option Vote In Next Few Months

Hoping to assuage progressive Democrats who remain disappointed with the content of the health care reform bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) committed on Friday to holding a separate vote on a public option in the coming months.

In a letter to two of his more progressive colleagues in the Senate -- Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Bernie Sanders of Vermont -- the Nevada Democrat implicitly apologized for his inability to get a government-run insurance plan into the final piece of health care legislation and promised to keep working to get the policy into law.

........

The search now is for a vehicle outside health care reform to get a public plan into law. The same institutional hurdles that killed the provision in the previous go-rounds -- mainly that there aren't 60 supportive senators to break a filibuster -- remain. But aides on the Hill are already looking to future reconciliation vehicles to which they can attach the public plan, which would, in turn, allow for it to pass via an up-or-down vote.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/19/reid-promises-separate-pu_n_506272.html

[saracat]

96. +1000 Thank you LL

[yurbud]

112. if they don't use reconciliation, how would they get it past the blue dog moral filth?

[laughingliberal]

117. They wouldn't. That's why Reid's promise was to get it to the floor under reconciliation.

When the 'fix' to the HCR bill was done under reconciliation, Sanders planned to introduce an amendment creating the PO. Reid did not want to open the door to amendments as the Republicans were threatening to tie the Senate up by offering endless amendments. Reid gained Sanders' cooperation by promising him he would find a way to get a bill creating a public option to the floor under reconciliation in the next few months.

[yurbud]

138. I hope it works

[yurbud]

44. this is what the Dems needed to be doing all along if they wanted to keep & expand their majorities

[avaistheone1]

45. Way to go!

:thumbsup:


:kick:

[GreenTea]

46. Getting a much needed public option through the House was never the problem - But it certainly

was and will continue to be trying to get it through the Senate...Nelson, Lincoln, Liebermann and forty-one slimy republicans will only allow the Dems maybe, 56 votes....even that many is very doubtful....

It should be majority rules 51% but republicans always play a rigged game (and the Dems bend over for them and take it big time)!

[friendly_iconoclast]

47. K&R- time to put up or shut up, Congresscritters! n/t

[Lifelong Protester]

48. Giving this story a K & R

Keep at it, Dems!

[SocialistLez]

49. Nice gesture BUT

most of our Congress is bought and paid for.

I like the "public option" but I'd much rather have single-payer.

[bvar22]

51. So nice to hear someone actually sound like a DEMOCRAT!

K&R


"If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for,
at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."
--- Paul Wellstone

[GOTV]

52. You can introduce bills all day (yes I think it's over)

They passed something. They got their headlines. Now it's on to other priorities.

[grahamhgreen]

64. The progressive caucus needs to lock up congress til this passes.

[GOTV]

72. Looks like Woolsey admits it will not be taken up by THIS congress ...

... and who knows about the next congress

[bluethruandthru]

54. Great News!

Let's hope it gets some press coverage. Even if it goes nowhere, it reminds everyone that the HCR bill was just a small start to a much, much bigger problem.

[Ozymanithrax]

55. I hope this passes...

but in this political climate, and this close to election, I will be surprised to see it pass the house and I doubt it has a chance to go anywhere in the Senate.

The Republicans in the Senate will not let this bill come to a vote.

[laughingliberal]

95. Don't need the Republicans. Reid promised Sanders he would get it to the floor under reconciliation.

Reid Promises Separate Public Option Vote In Next Few Months

Hoping to assuage progressive Democrats who remain disappointed with the content of the health care reform bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) committed on Friday to holding a separate vote on a public option in the coming months.

In a letter to two of his more progressive colleagues in the Senate -- Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Bernie Sanders of Vermont -- the Nevada Democrat implicitly apologized for his inability to get a government-run insurance plan into the final piece of health care legislation and promised to keep working to get the policy into law.

........

The search now is for a vehicle outside health care reform to get a public plan into law. The same institutional hurdles that killed the provision in the previous go-rounds -- mainly that there aren't 60 supportive senators to break a filibuster -- remain. But aides on the Hill are already looking to future reconciliation vehicles to which they can attach the public plan, which would, in turn, allow for it to pass via an up-or-down vote.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/19/reid-promises-...

The Republicans won't be the fall guys if this doesn't happen. That horse left the barn when they passed the 'fix' under reconciliation. The public option was always the perfect part of the bill to do this way.

[DRex]

56. Good. Another step on the road to a decent health care system.

[jobycom]

57. Well alright then. Now we're talking. Get it out there and start the battle.

:applause:

[Uncle Joe]

58. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Hissyspit.

[Vinca]

60. Thank you, Rep. Woolsey!

[Grinchie]

65. I'd rather see them label GMO Ingrediants in the food.

We'd most likely have healthier people as a result after they abandon that crap and start eating healthier food.

This is too little, too late, and she will probably be forced to resign like Sherrod because she's stepping on the Administrations so called "Victory".

[laughingliberal]

99. I don't see that one precludes the other. nt

[Grinchie]

139. Yes, but which one is easier?

They have many years to bicker about this health insurance reform, but the reality is that Americans have been experimenting with GMO toxins in the food supply for 20 years now.

[florida08]

66. do you guys hear that?

teabagger heads are :nuke: Thank you Representative Woolsey..atta girl

[totodeinhere]

68. I'm glad that there is at least one real Democrat left. n/t

[wordpix]

71. good---now sell it by talking about the premium increases we will all be paying with out the PO

[Kingofalldems]

73. K and R

[WheelWalker]

74. Keeping hope alive. While I can't expect

anything substantive to come out of this anytime soon, I see no downside to fanning the embers of reason and hope.

[geardaddy]

75. K & R

and my rep is a co-sponsor. :D

Along with 128 others.

Click here to see if your is or isn't and if they aren't give 'em a call.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d111:1:./temp/~bdjjzF:@@@P|/home/LegislativeData.php?n=BSS;c=111|

[leftcoastie]

76. Glad

she's my congresswoman.

[midnight]

77. K&R And wonderful news.....

[DirkGently]

78. Whoa. Interesting.

Good find.

[Taverner]

80. Awesome!

[Hekate]

81. KnR

[me b zola]

82. K&R

[Oldtimeralso]

83. K & R and proud to help the cause n/t

[Crunchy Frog]

85. Like anything's going to come of that.

Not that I don't appreciate the gesture.

[cate94]

86. K & R

[nvme]

88. Oh how I pray for this one to be true!

[DesertFlower]

89. great news. nt

[orbitalman]

92. K&R

[Optimistic]

93. This should have been part of the Original Bill

[Hydra]

94. *crosses fingers hard*

pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease....

[saracat]

97. Bravo! I hope this doesn't prove to be just symbolic though.

and I hope the WH supports it this time.

[tiptoe]

98. Great! Force deadbeat healthcare plans to reimburse vit D test costs w/o doctor proof of deficiency.

[The Wielding Truth]

101. Lord, I hope this is the start of Universal healthcare in this country!

[Joe Bacon]

102. Help us pass Single Payer in California!

Meanwhile help us in California to pass Single Payer!

http://californiaonecare.org/

[harun]

140. That is more likely to happen than this bill is. Not that they shouldn't

keep the pressure on though and bring this up every single chance they can.

[jwirr]

105. Please, please let this pass. One can hope.

[Divine Discontent]

107. +1

[LWolf]

106. K & R

[ooglymoogly]

108. Passing this bill would make the coming election a

done deal and the President assured another term; And that is why the Dino's Bluedogs and Republicans will make sure it does not pass.

[sabrina 1]

109. Excellent, now let's see who sponsors it.

Good timing too as it is popular with a huge majority of the American people. A great issue for Democrats against Republicans.

[varelse]

110. Good news (nt)

[Stardust]

111. K&R

[rhett o rick]

113. I am guessing she does not have the support of the White House on this. Anyone? Anyone?

Beuller?

[eagertolearn]

114. Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!

[pleah]

115. K&R YES!

[nightrain]

116. knr. good on Woolsey, but I doubt it'll go anywhere. Admin will likely bury it.

[t0dd]

118. House Dems pitch public option as deficit buster; CBO estimates $68B savings

Source: The Hill

Democrats have a new angle as they argue for passage of a public health insurance option that would be open to all Americans: It’s the fiscally responsible thing to do.

Armed with a new score from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office showing their public plan saves $68 billion between 2014 and 2020, liberal Democrats vowed Thursday to fight for their proposal’s passage next year. The CBO also says premiums in the public plan would be 5 percent to 7 percent lower than the premiums offered by private plans in the state health insurance exchanges that are due to begin operating in 2014.

“For those who care about federal deficits, small and large businesses, individuals and families, the healthcare of our country,” Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said at a press event announcing the bill, “the public option is the way to go.”

The bill to create a so-called “robust” public option that would pay doctors and hospitals Medicare rates plus 5 percent was introduced Wednesday evening; it has 128 original co-sponsors, with Reps. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), Pete Stark (D-Calif.) and Schakowsky in the lead.

“I think, today, as we debate the extension of unemployment compensation and are concerned about the deficit ... can you imagine what we could do with $68 billion in terms of creating jobs and paying for schools and our teachers in our own country now?” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/110383-house-dems-pitch-public-option-as-deficit-buster

[bluestateguy]

119. I support this

and Speaker Pelosi owes it to them to let this bill come up for a vote.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

120. Highly recommended...

[Lifelong Protester]

121. +100000

wish I could rec this more! I think this is a great idea...some creative thinking here.

[Indianademocrat91]

122. I really want this to happen

This would be the real reform that the other parts are lacking, until single payer hopefully

[grantcart]

123. I am guessing that the savings would be much more than this

private companies would change their premiums to be more competitive.

[laconicsax]

124. Here's a way they could make it more palatable to Repubs...

Combine it with a $68 billion bloated defense project that'll never work and get canceled in the end. Call it the "Rapid Electronic Aerial Ground Assault Nuke" or REAGAN and you'll have Republicans jizzing their pants at the prospect of supporting it.

Yes, it's a terrible idea, but you know it's true.

[eagertolearn]

125. This is such great news though a single payer system would be the best.

[Pirate Smile]

126. Love it!

I'm just going to forget about the Senate for this thread.

[slay]

127. Yay!

Unfortunately we have too many corrupt people in the senate who will never let this pass. :(

[aquart]

128. At least they haven't lost their sense of humor.

[dkf]

129. Hey Obama is getting a second chance! Yay for house Dems.

[EFerrari]

130. It's good to remember that there are still some real Democrats in Congress. nt

[Oerdin]

131. The have to do something.

The truth is there are a lot of us liberals who are pissed off because the Democratic Party never gives us what we want and instead they take us for granted. The public option is make or break for me so either they deliver it or I won't vote for them, I won't give them money, and I won't volunteer my time to help them. For me it is that simple.

[ericinne]

132. Hmphhh

I'll believe it when I see it. I think we have all heard enough bullshit gestures from those "claiming" to support a public option, then followed up with a bunch of finger pointing on why it never got done. Just fucking once, I wanna see Democrats go on the offensive, not even respond to or acknowledge any right wing digressions, not limited to race baiting, Presidential eligibility, government takeover, excessive spending, oil spills, tea parties, mustard on burgers, choice of cuff links, or any other bullshit follow the leader media blitz sidelining and distracting and just fucking get shit done.

I'm so god damn sick of Democrats playing defense. Someone intercept the god damn ball already and head for the goal, then MAYBE I might start cheering if they get to a 1st & 10 point line. Until then, I won't hold my breath for ANYTHING anybody in Washington claims to want to propose.

[Hekate]

134. Chill, Eeyore. If this isn't "going on the offensive" what the hell is?

[EFerrari]

137. You haven't heard bullshit from this group of people.

They are the real deal.

[Hekate]

133. The House, under Pelosi's leadership, is going great guns for us. It's the Senate we need to hammer

Go, Nancy Pelosi! :toast: :applause:

As for the Senate -- they apparently need calls, letters, and LTTEs galore, because the Senate is where bills go to die.

Hekate

[SlingBlade]

135. K & R

[TBF]

136. Morning kick - if anyone missed this yesterday :) nt