Kerry Was On to Something and the Big Three Automakers Get It

[kerrygoddess]

Kerry Was On to Something and the Big Three Automakers Get It
November 24th, 2006 @ 12:47 am

Last week when the Big Three automakers paid a call on George W Bush they wanted to talk about the woes of the auto industry. “Among their complaints,” Scott Lehigh notes in the Boston Globe, “The heavy healthcare costs they shoulder are hindering their ability to compete.” Their idea for a solution didn’t interest Bush much, but Lehigh suggests, “Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid should sit up and take notice.” Indeed they should…

And what did they suggest by way of a solution? Something John Kerry proposed during his presidential campaign: a reinsurance arrangement to pay for chronic or catastrophic healthcare costs, thereby effectively taking those cases out of private health-insurance plans.

“One possibility they discussed conceptually was a pool to address the disproportionate costs associated with those who have chronic or serious illnesses,” says Greg Martin, Washington spokesman for GM.

Not that anyone mentioned Kerry’s name in the West Wing confab; that would have been impolitic indeed.

But certainly the Massachusetts senator is the one that nostrum is most associated with.

In his 2004 campaign, Kerry called for having the federal government pay three-quarters of the additional expenses for patients whose healthcare costs exceed $50,000 a year, provided savings from that cost relief helped reduce employee health-insurance premiums.

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4825

[TayTay]

1. I read this in the Boston Globe this morning

Good article. (There was also a letter to the editor in their from Barney Frank explaining that if Sen. Kerry doesn't run again for the Senate, Cong Frank will not pull papers to run for the office. He is very happy now as a powerful committee chair in the House.)

[rox63]

2. Just saw this thread about it

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2628533

I was suprised that Frank won't run for Senate, because I know he was eyeing the seat in 2004. But there are plenty of other MA congresscritters ready to jump into the Senate race frenzy.

[karynnj]

3. That is a great endorsement of Kerry's idea

This would be a great time to push something like this. Relieveing all companies that pay insurance of this risk would likely help more than their share of the tax cut for the wealthy anyway - in addition to being the right thing to do.

[TayTay]

4. I think this is why there is a push to get him to opt out of '08

Sen. Kerry was right on Iraq and he was right to push for a withdrawal of Iraq back in the spring. The logic he employed then is really starting to be employed by others, incluidng the military.

He was right about health care too. If a close version of this plan does go through the Congress, Sen. Kerry has a right to take some of the glory for this. It is a potent argument for him to run again. No wonder so many seek to marginalize him.

I have already seen others try and poach Kerry's ideas on the environment, as laid out in that speech at Faneuil Hall in late June. They want his ideas and they want him to fade away so they can take the credit as well.

Fat chance.

[karynnj]

5. Gee you mean just because he's consistently

had the best ideas over the last 3 years on Iraq, the war on terror, health care and the environment (the 4 biggest issues) in a sane country he should have a chance. Add to it that he is one of the few people in politics for 3 decades who is not corrupt and has never been caught in a lie.

It may be the country gets what it deserves if it wants to vote on smile, charm and hair (all of which Kerry really has).