I am watching Howard Dean on MSNBC and I totally agree with this point he made:

[Hepburn]

He was talking about a public option ~~ paraphrase of what he said: Reforming health care without this would merely be giving money to the insurance companies. Why bother at all unless there is a public option.

Yes, IMO, he is right on. I do believe the RWs are hoping to destroy this option so that the entire issue of health care reform goes away and they can keep sucking at the tit of the insurance companies.

JMHO

[Orsino]

1. What did he mean by "public option." n/t

[Hepburn]

2. I did not catch all of what he said on this....

...so I hate to misinform.

Hope someone else caught more of this than I did ~~ I have painters here doing the outside of the house today so I am a bit distracted.

:hi:...sorry!

[zipplewrath]

4. Fairly robuts

In other interviews he has represented a fairly robust public option. He isn't fond of "co-opts" or state level run plans. He'd really like single payer.

[Hepburn]

6. That is what I gathered on other comments from Dean....

...but I did not catch all of what he said today ~~ but I did catch and it did really hit me about what any "reform" would amount to without a good public option.

[stray cat]

3. should we skip regulation of insurance companies then?

They should remain able to drop you if you get sick, there should be no cap on how much you have to spend out of pocket, you can be denied coverage, they can charge you an enormous amount over others if you have a pre-existing condition?

[derby378]

9. Regulate them, by all means...

...but remember that these insurance companies will continue to find ways to increase their bottom line, even if your health and well-being suffers in the process. That's why you'll still need the public option - to keep them on their toes, if not honest.

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. Without a strong public option to keep them honest, they will just

find loopholes which will allow them to continue to deny coverage. We have to be able to tell the private insurers that if they don't play ball, we can take our ball and go home. With no public option, or with a castrated public option, they still have us over a barrel and no amount of 'regulation' will fix that.

Besides, when (surprise, surprise) the regulation - lacking a strong public option - FAILS to bring down cost they will blame the costs on the new regulation itself, because, as everybody knows, regulation on an industry RAISES costs. Never mind that the premiums will continue to rise, while the CEOs take home multi-million dollar paychecks - it will be the regulation that will be blamed.

[malaise]

5. Good point

Are you listening to this asshole Grover?

[Hepburn]

7. Miss that ....

...outside with the painters.

:hi:

[Gin]

8. why not Medicare for all or at least lowering the age to get Medicare?

g

[Hepburn]

11. Medicare works for me....

...IMO, health care should NOT operate on a profit basis. It is amazing to me that most cannot see the conflict inherent in that situation.

:hi:

[IcyPeas]

12. What Lou Dobbs said about Howard Dean

on his radio show:

"I thought we had gotten rid of this left-wing pest for a while," Dobbs said. "But I guess he is just resurgent. He is a blood-sucking leftist. You have got to put a stake through his heart to stop this guy. So you have to give him credit for resilience even if he is a lefty."

what the heck?

[Hepburn]

13. What the fuck!?!?!?!

:wow:

[IcyPeas]

14. I know, that's how I reacted

like, by all means you may disagree with Howard Dean, but to want to drive a stake through his heart? Why this hate? What did he do to deserve THAT?

[Gin]

15. Lou Dobbs has jumped the shark...he is pandering to the lowest

common denominator to get ratings... Lou is sinking fast!