Demcare: The public option plays hide-and-seek

By Michelle Malkin  •  December 8, 2009 11:17 PM

Hell if I know if the public option is really dead or not. As usual, there’s no concrete language for the public to see. Only public press conferences alluding to vague backroom door agreements. Safe bet: The public option is a Democrat policy toe fungus that may disappear temporarily, but will come back with a vengeance later.

So yes, be on guard. The price of dropping public option now seems to be yet more massive government health care expansions. The only guarantee here is more generational theft to feed the entitlement beast. Cha-ching:

After days of secret talks, Senate Democrats tentatively agreed Tuesday night to drop a full-blown government-run insurance option from sweeping health care legislation, several officials said, a concession to party moderates whose votes are critical to passage of President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority.

In its place, officials said Democrats had tentatively settled on a private insurance arrangement to be supervised by the federal agency that oversees the system through which lawmakers purchase coverage, with the possibility of greater government involvement if needed to ensure consumers of sufficient choices in coverage.

Additionally, the emerging agreement calls for Medicare to be opened to uninsured Americans beginning at age 55, a significant expansion of the large government health care program that currently serves the 65-and-over population.

At a hastily called evening news conference in the Capitol, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., declined to provide details of what he described as a “broad agreement” between liberals and moderates on an issue that has plagued Democrats’ efforts to pass health care legislation from the outset.

With it, he added with a smile, the end is in sight for passage of the legislation that Congress has labored over for months.

The officials who described the details of the closed-door negotiations did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss them publicly. Several officials stressed that so far, Democrats had technically agreed only on submitting proposals to the Congressional Budget Office for their impact on the bill’s cost and other analysis.

And then there’s this:

Reid said reports the government-run “public option” had been dropped were “not true.”

Peek-a-boo!

***

Related: No surprise here. The Senate defeated Ben Nelson’s amendment banning Demcare abortion funding…and he’s backing down on his filibuster threat.

All talk, no maverick action.

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Posted in: Health care

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Comments


  1. #1
    On December 8th, 2009 at 11:19 pm, Dan Lee said:

    I smell a shell game, & I think out Tax Dollars are the Peanut..

  2. #2
    On December 8th, 2009 at 11:19 pm, Dan Lee said:

    *our Tax Dollars

  3. #3
    On December 8th, 2009 at 11:22 pm, coffee said:

    It’s a trap. Their mouths are moving.

  4. #4
    On December 8th, 2009 at 11:26 pm, swede said:

    I like the toe fungus analogy. The disgustingness of it fits the public option well. Neither will ever really go away. Maybe Dingy will stick it in at 3 a.m. the morning of the vote.

  5. #5
    On December 8th, 2009 at 11:42 pm, WarEagle82 said:

    Sure, the “public option” doesn’t have to be in any version of the bill passed by the House or Senate.

    The minute a bill hits a conference committee all previous deals are off. If the “public option” isn’t in the bill when it hits conference it will be there when it gets out and key votes will have been purchased with taxpayer money! Basically, we get the bill for “free health care!”

  6. #6
    On December 9th, 2009 at 12:11 am, ThackerAgency said:

    It’s pathetic. They are going to gauge Medicare to pay for young and healthy people. All the time they are going to say they ‘expanded Medicare’ by adding more people at a younger age that we can’t afford.

    The thing that really makes me absolutely angry (almost revolutionary angry) is their blatant disregard for the Truth. They are so blatantly manipulative. . . purposefully manipulative that I really don’t think they should hold any power.

    They are going to spend money. They don’t care if they have money or not. They are just going to spend money. . . they are going to spend YOUR money and tell you it is for your own good.

    They are fooling themselves if they think for one minute seniors who lose Medicare Advantage and other benefits and access due to this bill are going to be OK with it so long as they ‘expand Medicare’ by adding people at 55.

    If they wanted to accelerate the bankrupt nature of DC, the fastest way to do it would be to lower the age of Medicare. To fix it, the age needs to be raised. But that would assume that the politicians in DC actually thought that they shouldn’t spend more money than they had.

    It’s really making me angry. Reid thinks he is cute. But he’s spending America’s future for no good reason. . . other than spite.

    If they pass this, Obama’s approval numbers will be in the low 20′s by this time next year.

  7. #7
    On December 9th, 2009 at 12:17 am, Buy Danish said:

    Additionally, the emerging agreement calls for Medicare to be opened to uninsured Americans beginning at age 55, a significant expansion of the large government health care program that currently serves the 65-and-over population

    This is a nightmare. Corporations will dump 55+ employees from their plans. There will not be enough doctors to go around and it will further bankrupt Medicare.

    But the insurance companies will be able to offer coverage for pre-existing conditions since eventually only younger, healthier people will be covered under their plans. Woo hoo.

  8. #8
    On December 9th, 2009 at 12:20 am, Hangfire said:

    1. Bad Pennies
    2. Herpes
    3. Relatives
    4. Rectal Itch
    5. Yeast Infections
    6. Nail Fungus
    7. Publisher’s Clearing House Mailers
    8. Jellyfish
    9. Boomerangs
    10. Bad Legislation

    Name the previous category……..

  9. #9
    On December 9th, 2009 at 12:33 am, NestingHawk said:

    I think they’re hiding the public option because they fear for its life, and opponents should take it as encouragement to keep advancing. What is the best way to finish it off?

  10. #10
    On December 9th, 2009 at 12:55 am, ssnark said:

    Our Congress reminds me of the Nouri al-Malaki government in Iraq. Maybe they learned too much from our politicians or maybe our politicians have become too byzantine and become like them.

  11. #11
    On December 9th, 2009 at 1:18 am, Reg.conservative said:

    11:26 pm, swede said
    THat is the point,if it makes it to the conference committee from 12 AM to 5 AM out with everything they want.All they have done is for show.

  12. #12
    On December 9th, 2009 at 1:50 am, ThackerAgency said:

    Recall if you will the nuance between a ‘strong’ public option and a ‘weak’ public option.

    Pay attention here everyone. . . it’s the magic of DC.

    By ‘expanding Medicare’ instead of creating a new program, they have essentially installed the ‘strong public option’.

    What was the difference b/t strong and weak public option? The ‘strong’ option was tied to Medicare reimbursement rates – the ‘weak’ one depended on negotiated rates.

    So see what they are doing? If they get the CBO to score this new idea, the CBO will use the Medicare reimbursements that caused the ‘strong public option’ to bust the budget.

    Satan would not be as deceitful as Reid and Pelosi.

    Now we deal again with doctors and hospitals going out of business because reimbursement rates are too low. Rural communities won’t have access to doctors and hospitals because they can’t afford the lower Medicare rates.

    The ‘new’ idea of expanded Medicare brings back all the issues that caused the ‘strong public option’ to go down the memory hole.

    Again, I’d like to think these politicians are good people. But I’m beginning to think I just wasn’t watching close enough before. There is a place in hell for Pelosi and Reid. . . and they are determined to take America with them.

  13. #13
    On December 9th, 2009 at 1:51 am, YTZGal said:

    What’s the deal with the rumor that Congress may ram through this bill without a Conference?

    Can they do this? How is this possible?

  14. #14
    On December 9th, 2009 at 6:26 am, rplatt said:

    Don’t believe anything Harry says or does. There can be no compromise and the public option isn’t dead until somebody drives a stake completely through its heart. Be vigilant . . . Harry will lie, cheat, obfuscate and connive until he finds an opening for that socialist healthcare manifesto. The majority of this government simply can’t be trusted.

  15. #15
    On December 9th, 2009 at 7:37 am, backwoods conservative said:

    If they say the public option is dead, then it’s dead. We have the word of the most honest, open, and ethical Congress ever.

    megasarc off/

  16. #16
    On December 9th, 2009 at 7:38 am, TC said:

    Remember:
    The issue is never the issue.
    The issue is control.

  17. #17
    On December 9th, 2009 at 8:31 am, cicerokid said:

    hide-and-seek

    More like “hide the salami”. And Reid knows it, that’s why he’s smiling. The fool knows what he is doing is wrong. The pinnacle of arrogance.

  18. #18
    On December 9th, 2009 at 8:32 am, NJRepublican said:

    I fear enough of America will not wake up to this nightmare until it is imposed on them.

  19. #19
    On December 9th, 2009 at 8:45 am, swede said:

    YTZGal said:
    What’s the deal with the rumor that Congress may ram through this bill without a Conference?

    Can they do this? How is this possible?

    Reconciliation. The “nuclear option” is still in the deck. It would be the end of Dingy Harry, but he is already 12 points behind in Nevada, and still sinking. He may figure since he will crash and burn anyway, why not go down in a blaze of glory?

  20. #20
    On December 9th, 2009 at 8:59 am, Truesoldier said:

    From what I have seen the idea is that the government wont have a physical insurance company (so to speak)they will leeave that to private insurers, but they will still have the regulatory ability to tell the insurance companies what can and cannot be covered. This looks like an attempt to give cover to Politicians that want to say they defeated the public option, get the insurance industry onboard (or at least a few that will be the beneficiaries of this plan), while still having the public option in place just without calling it a public option.

  21. #21
    On December 9th, 2009 at 9:05 am, xler8bmw said:

    On December 9th, 2009 at 8:45 am, swede said:

    True but, they can’t legally do that either because “reconcilliation” is only designed for existing budget issues not additional new budgets.

    I know the word “legally” means nothing to them but, that as you probably know is what “reconcilliation” is designed to do.

  22. #22
    On December 9th, 2009 at 9:14 am, cicerokid said:

    On December 9th, 2009 at 8:59 am, Truesoldier said:

    “You can run your insurance company any way I want to.”

  23. #23
    On December 9th, 2009 at 9:33 am, tarpon said:

    A helpful thing to remember — Dermocrats ie about everything

  24. #24
    On December 9th, 2009 at 9:38 am, TigerLady said:

    Trust your instincts. They’re lying.

  25. #25
    On December 9th, 2009 at 9:46 am, happyscrapper said:

    If the “moderate” democrats are taken in by this dog and pony show and actually vote for it, they are bigger morons than I thought. I can’t believe this can possibly be consititutional! And what is with Olympia Snow? Why would she go against every single person in her party? Oh yeah, she is a turncoat of the worst kind. If the GOP endorses her for re-election, they will put the final nail in their coffin.

    There is NO WAY Obama will allow them to remove the public option. It WILL be in the bill one way or the other. It is the main reason he wants this bill in the first place…CONTROL.

    I know people are angry with Republicans as well as the dems, but just remember, they have NO power and are being totally shut out of any debate whatsoever. You can just imagine their frustration in all this.

    How is all that promised transparency working out??? These people have NO morals, NO conscience, and they are the most corrupt in the history of politics. This country is run by the mafia and if health care reform is not passed, there will be a lot of horse heads showing up in the beds of those who “betray” this president. He is a marxist progressive who means business. Mess with him at your own peril.

  26. #26
    On December 9th, 2009 at 9:46 am, cheapseat said:

    the game is that the senate drops the gubmint option to secure a filibuster 60 votes. the bill goes to conference. the house has it, and the senate conferees agree to the option. the bill comes back to the senate for a 50 vote pass/fail. cover for dems and still the bill passes as planned. we lose.

  27. #27
    On December 9th, 2009 at 10:50 am, SpeakEasy said:

    Have any of them had the intestinal fortitude to address why allowing insurance companies to cross state lines has not been included? Such a simple thing would solve most of this with no cost to the taxpayer. (sigh)

  28. #28
    On December 9th, 2009 at 11:22 am, YTZGal said:

    Swede & Xlr8: Thanks for the answers. I still don’t “get” how they think they’ll get away with this.

    I agree — if they get a vote on Cloture, whatever bill they want is the one they pass out of conference with a simple majority. We’re doomed unless we can prevent them from marshaling the votes for Cloture.

  29. #29
    On December 9th, 2009 at 11:41 am, rocketman said:

    ***
    I think we–taxpayers and people on Medicare–are going to lose this one. The “reconciliation” process will force this C**P SANDWICH down our throats soon. The only thing a “blue dog” democRAT is good for is peeing on your leg when he / she thinks you are not looking! Ditto for RINO’s.
    ***
    Our turn comes in the 2010 and 2012 elections. Teaparty our “representatives” at every chance. And work to vote them out of office and into funemployment in these elections.
    ***
    John Bibb
    ***

  30. #30
    On December 9th, 2009 at 1:51 pm, TK-421 said:

    But will a 2010 election be enough and can it resend a bill thats crossed the Presidents desk? And even then IF liberals have even enough seats left to stall nothing will be done to undo all of this. Well thats how I see it at least.

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