"Ten Things to Watch in the Health-Care Reform Conference"

[Clio the Leo]

(Because of the article's length, I cant easily post the highlights here, but it's well worth the read...

"Ten Things to Watch in the Health-Care Reform Conference"

If you only watch television news, you might think that the conferees tasked with merging the House and Senate bills really only need to work out the public option and the abortion provisions. The truth, though, is that those matters are pretty much settled. There will be no public option, and the Senate's incredibly restrictive language on abortion will probably win out over the appallingly restrictive House version.

There are oodles of provisions in both bills, but here is a quick guide to what else we should watch out for as the conference committee does its work. How these questions are settled will help determine just how good this reform will end up being:

<snip>

The almost-public option: The Senate bill included a provision under which the federal Office of Personnel Management would oversee at least one national, nonprofit plan offered in the exchange. Details are sketchy, but if the plan is strengthened and comes to fruition, it could offer people part of what they wanted from a public option: the ability to select an insurer who does not exist to make profits. Since the House will be making a significant sacrifice by shelving the public option, look for it to demand a real alternative to for-profit insurance companies.

<snip>

This is just a part of what remains to be decided. Every decision the conferees face will give them the opportunity to make reform better, faster, fairer, and more long-lasting. Let's hope they do their jobs well.


http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=ten_things_to_watch_in_the_health_care_reform_conference

Could this be what Clyburn was referring to?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=433&topic_id=98632

Is this what caused Dean to quell the rhetoric?

[Beetwasher]

1. Right, A Non-Profit Option Through OPM Would Be A Significant Achievement

If everyone had access to a non-profit option for insurance, that could be at least the start of effective cost control.

[Armstead]

2. Blue Cross is (was) supposed to be that

Didn't work out real well in the long run

[Beetwasher]

5. Depends On How Much Power Is Invested In The OPM To Regulate

Look, FEMA is a great program, and under Clinton it worked brilliantly, under Bush, Katrina.

That's just the way it goes. OPM under Obama, especially since it will start up under him, will have HIS imprint and I believe will be effective.

You may disagree, but that's because you don't trust Obama, and that's your perogative.

[ProSense]

11. Wrong.

Blue Cross is a private co-op.

[phleshdef]

3. If its non-profit and government regulated, I don't see how thats any different from a PO.

[harun]

6. It is a bit different but could be very good.

[Peacetrain]

4. Stealth Public Option..

:) love that thought

[FormerDittoHead]

7. NOW's the time to "wait until the final version comes out"...

I think the time has shifted from the time the blind supporters of the bill ask critics to wait until the final bill comes out to the point where the critics should ask the supporters to take their own advice.

I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out this "non-profit" was a non-profit company which administered a pool of insurance offerings from private companies, or some-such double-speak.

>federal Office of Personnel Management would oversee

So it's not gov't RUN.

The point is a 'non-profit' corporation is still a corporation (like a foundation). It's NOT "government run" I'm just not one of those people who think that profit is the problem, rather concentrated control & ownership, along with controlled markets.

My BS detector is up, WAY up.

[Beetwasher]

12. You're Wrong, The Bill Specifically Calls For A Non-Profit Insurance Option In Every Exchange

Not one that administers a "pool" but one of the options IN the pool. The OPM (the gov't) is the administrator of the pool.

And you're also wrong about profit not being the problem. It's precisely the problem. The reason recission exists is to increase the bottom line. The reason coverage denials happen is to increase the bottom line. Period. Non-profit corporations are in the business of providing service and since the bottom line is not profit, but service, it can be an effective cost control and competitive force. There is absolutely nothing wrong w/ Non-Profit corporations. The word "corporation" is not necessarily an anathema.

[mzmolly]

8. An excellent, informative read.

K and R. :kick:

[flpoljunkie]

9. Medicare Commission seems essential to control costs and end unnecessary, duplicative treatment.

Too bad the Senate made their version essentially 'toothless' according to Time's Karen Tumulty. President Obama needs to lead on this and get a Medicare Commission with real teeth.

[SpartanDem]

10. If I could get one thing from the house bill

it would be a national exchange IMO the exchanges have always been the most important part of the bill as the public option was so limited from the start.