Howard Dean: “Kill The Senate Bill”
In a blow to the bill grinding through the Senate, Howard Dean bluntly called for the bill to be killed in a pre-recorded interview set to air later this afternoon, denouncing it as “the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate,” the reporter who conducted the interview tells me.
Dean said the removal of the Medicare buy-in made the bill not worth supporting, and urged Dem leaders to start over with the process of reconciliation in the interview, which is set to air at 5:50 PM today on Vermont Public Radio, political reporter Bob Kinzel confirms to me.
The gauntlet from Dean — whose voice on health care is well respsected among liberals — will energize those on the left who are mobilizing against the bill, and make it tougher for liberals to embrace the emerging proposal. In an excerpt Kinzel gave me, Dean says:
“This is essentially the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate. Honestly the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill, go back to the House, start the reconciliation process, where you only need 51 votes and it would be a much simpler bill.”
Kinzel added that Dean essentially said that if Democratic leaders cave into Joe Lieberman right now they’ll be left with a bill that’s not worth supporting.
Dean had previously endorsed the Medicare buy-in compromise without a public option, saying that the key question should be whether the bill contains enough “real reform” to be worthy of progressives’ support. Dean has apparently concluded that the “real reform” has been removed at Lieberman’s behest — which won’t make it easier for liberals to swallow the emerging compromise.
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/healt ... nate-bill/
Full interview:
http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/86681/
Dean Says "Kill the Bill"
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Psychicwolf
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Dean Says "Kill the Bill"
Dance to heal the earth. Not just when you're dancing, but always. Live the dance, whenever you move, in all you do, dance to heal the earth.
Re: Dean Says "Kill the Bill"
Totally agree with Dean on this !Psychicwolf wrote: Dean says:
“This is essentially the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate. Honestly the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill, go back to the House, start the reconciliation process, where you only need 51 votes and it would be a much simpler bill.”
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Psychicwolf
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Re: Re: Dean Says "Kill the Bill"
SETIsLady wrote: Totally agree with Dean on this !
Me too!
The Repubs got Bush's tax cuts through on reconciliation, and the HCR bill is also budgetary so it would qualify for the reconciliation process. Now to find a REAL progressive Dem Senator with the 'nads to go against the Party and the Prez (who wants ANY HCR bill signed before the State of the Union:rolleyes: ).
Dance to heal the earth. Not just when you're dancing, but always. Live the dance, whenever you move, in all you do, dance to heal the earth.
There will be no bi-partisan anything with this President and the Republicans, so its time to just forget about it IMO. I sent a pretty nasty email off to the DNC this morning and told them to get a frickin spine, we are out here making phone calls, signing petitions and everything else to get this done, now they need to get on the stick, and do their part. Lieberman is opposing this just to oppose it as he supported it 3 months ago. He should lose his chairmanship seats and send him over to the Republicans thats where he belongs and fits better. He was opposing this bill when he openly admitted he hadn't even read it.
I agree with Dean as well. I was on board with the medicare buy-in, because that would have put in place a permanent single payer option for anyone 55 and above, which I thought was awesome.
But this...this is nuts. I hope I can get up the gumption to write all the appropriate letters to the Obama administration, Claire, etc., but I am exhausted at the moment.
But this...this is nuts. I hope I can get up the gumption to write all the appropriate letters to the Obama administration, Claire, etc., but I am exhausted at the moment.
Anchors Aweigh!
Lieberman: Liberal Enthusiasm Convinced Me To Oppose Medicare Buy-In
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/1 ... 92887.html
And there you have it !
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/1 ... 92887.html
And there you have it !
I also think this is nuts. They're losing a bunch of supporters over this latest round of circus tricks. Lieberman can kiss mah grits. 
I know he's "needed" for the supposed "60-vote filibuster-proof majority," but this is crazy. I'd rather see them go "nuclear," and just do away with the filibuster altogether, than have to constantly jump through hoops like this. At least threaten to go nuclear! Or make them actually DO it! Go ahead, make them filibuster it and see what that gets them (nowhere real slow for everybody, and an even angrier public -- but note who would be at fault on that one... so let them go ahead). Nothing can get done when they feel they must appease this grumbler or that griper day in and day out just to keep that 60-vote total intact. It's giving way too much power to a few. Enough already.
I know he's "needed" for the supposed "60-vote filibuster-proof majority," but this is crazy. I'd rather see them go "nuclear," and just do away with the filibuster altogether, than have to constantly jump through hoops like this. At least threaten to go nuclear! Or make them actually DO it! Go ahead, make them filibuster it and see what that gets them (nowhere real slow for everybody, and an even angrier public -- but note who would be at fault on that one... so let them go ahead). Nothing can get done when they feel they must appease this grumbler or that griper day in and day out just to keep that 60-vote total intact. It's giving way too much power to a few. Enough already.
Anchors Aweigh!SETIsLady wrote: Lieberman: Liberal Enthusiasm Convinced Me To Oppose Medicare Buy-In
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/1 ... 92887.html
And there you have it !
That's some sick stuff. What a piece of work he is. C'mon Connecticut! You can do better than this!
Anchors Aweigh!<table style='font:11px arial; color:#333; background-color:#f5f5f5' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='360' height='353'><tbody><tr style='background-color:#e5e5e5' valign='middle'><td style='padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;'><a target='_blank' style='color:#333; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;' href='http://www.colbertnation.com'>The Colbert Report</a></td><td style='padding:2px 5px 0px 5px; text-align:right; font-weight:bold;'>Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c</td></tr><tr style='height:14px;' valign='middle'><td style='padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;' colspan='2'<a target='_blank' style='color:#333; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colber ... ellow'>For He's a Jowly Good Fellow<a></td></tr><tr style='height:14px; background-color:#353535' valign='middle'><td colspan='2' style='padding:2px 5px 0px 5px; width:360px; overflow:hidden; text-align:right'><a target='_blank' style='color:#96deff; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/'>[url]htt ... nation.com[/url]</a></td></tr><tr valign='middle'><td style='padding:0px;' colspan='2'><embed style='display:block' src='http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms: ... com:258564' width='360' height='301' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='window' allowFullscreen='true' flashvars='autoPlay=false' allowscriptaccess='always' allownetworking='all' bgcolor='#000000'></embed></td></tr><tr style='height:18px;' valign='middle'><td style='padding:0px;' colspan='2'><table style='margin:0px; text-align:center' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='100%' height='100%'><tr valign='middle'><td style='padding:3px; width:33%;'><a target='_blank' style='font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;' href='http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertrep ... s'>Colbert Report Full Episodes</a></td><td style='padding:3px; width:33%;'><a target='_blank' style='font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;' href='http://www.indecisionforever.com'>Political Humor</a></td><td style='padding:3px; width:33%;'><a target='_blank' style='font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colber ... ating'>U.S. Speedskating</a></td></tr></table></td></tr></tbody></table>
Last edited by SETIsLady on 12-16-2009 10:38 AM, edited 1 time in total.
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Cherry Kelly
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...and the senate replacement for Obama - won't vote for it if it DOESN'T have the public option....
Then there are other Dems who are also pulling back.
GOOD - Throw it out and Start Over!
Get rid of all the pork and restrict the BILL to JUST Health Care.
How about cleaning up the frauds that exist in current health insurance?
Raise the level for Medicaid - to get those who are "in between" or "in the crack" so they get medical care they need?
Why not force all insurers to include eye and dental - without huge raises?
Why not open up more competition across State lines for Health Insurance?
This bill has way too much non-health care written - added on - scrap it and Start over!
Then there are other Dems who are also pulling back.
GOOD - Throw it out and Start Over!
Get rid of all the pork and restrict the BILL to JUST Health Care.
How about cleaning up the frauds that exist in current health insurance?
Raise the level for Medicaid - to get those who are "in between" or "in the crack" so they get medical care they need?
Why not force all insurers to include eye and dental - without huge raises?
Why not open up more competition across State lines for Health Insurance?
This bill has way too much non-health care written - added on - scrap it and Start over!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 06_pf.html
Health-care bill wouldn't bring real reform
By Howard Dean
Thursday, December 17, 2009; A33
If I were a senator, I would not vote for the current health-care bill. Any measure that expands private insurers' monopoly over health care and transfers millions of taxpayer dollars to private corporations is not real health-care reform. Real reform would insert competition into insurance markets, force insurers to cut unnecessary administrative expenses and spend health-care dollars caring for people. Real reform would significantly lower costs, improve the delivery of health care and give all Americans a meaningful choice of coverage. The current Senate bill accomplishes none of these.
Real health-care reform is supposed to eliminate discrimination based on preexisting conditions. But the legislation allows insurance companies to charge older Americans up to three times as much as younger Americans, pricing them out of coverage. The bill was supposed to give Americans choices about what kind of system they wanted to enroll in. Instead, it fines Americans if they do not sign up with an insurance company, which may take up to 30 percent of your premium dollars and spend it on CEO salaries -- in the range of $20 million a year -- and on return on equity for the company's shareholders. Few Americans will see any benefit until 2014, by which time premiums are likely to have doubled. In short, the winners in this bill are insurance companies; the American taxpayer is about to be fleeced with a bailout in a situation that dwarfs even what happened at AIG.
From the very beginning of this debate, progressives have argued that a public option or a Medicare buy-in would restore competition and hold the private health insurance industry accountable. Progressives understood that a public plan would give Americans real choices about what kind of system they wanted to be in and how they wanted to spend their money. Yet Washington has decided, once again, that the American people cannot be trusted to choose for themselves. Your money goes to insurers, whether or not you want it to.
To be clear, I'm not giving up on health-care reform. The legislation does have some good points, such as expanding Medicaid and permanently increasing the federal government's contribution to it. It invests critical dollars in public health, wellness and prevention programs; extends the life of the Medicare trust fund; and allows young Americans to stay on their parents' health-care plans until they turn 27. Small businesses struggling with rising health-care costs will receive a tax credit, and primary-care physicians will see increases in their Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates.
Improvements can still be made in the Senate, and I hope that Senate Democrats will work on this bill as it moves to conference. If lawmakers are interested in ensuring that government affordability credits are spent on health-care benefits rather than insurers' salaries, they need to require state-based exchanges, which act as prudent purchasers and select only the most efficient insurers. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) offered this amendment during the Finance Committee markup, and Democrats should include it in the final legislation. A stripped-down version of the current bill that included these provisions would be worth passing.
In Washington, when major bills near final passage, an inside-the-Beltway mentality takes hold. Any bill becomes a victory. Clear thinking is thrown out the window for political calculus. In the heat of battle, decisions are being made that set an irreversible course for how future health reform is done. The result is legislation that has been crafted to get votes, not to reform health care.
I have worked for health-care reform all my political life. In my home state of Vermont, we have accomplished universal health care for children younger than 18 and real insurance reform -- which not only bans discrimination against preexisting conditions but also prevents insurers from charging outrageous sums for policies as a way of keeping out high-risk people. I know health reform when I see it, and there isn't much left in the Senate bill. I reluctantly conclude that, as it stands, this bill would do more harm than good to the future of America.
--
The writer is a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and was governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2002.
Health-care bill wouldn't bring real reform
By Howard Dean
Thursday, December 17, 2009; A33
If I were a senator, I would not vote for the current health-care bill. Any measure that expands private insurers' monopoly over health care and transfers millions of taxpayer dollars to private corporations is not real health-care reform. Real reform would insert competition into insurance markets, force insurers to cut unnecessary administrative expenses and spend health-care dollars caring for people. Real reform would significantly lower costs, improve the delivery of health care and give all Americans a meaningful choice of coverage. The current Senate bill accomplishes none of these.
Real health-care reform is supposed to eliminate discrimination based on preexisting conditions. But the legislation allows insurance companies to charge older Americans up to three times as much as younger Americans, pricing them out of coverage. The bill was supposed to give Americans choices about what kind of system they wanted to enroll in. Instead, it fines Americans if they do not sign up with an insurance company, which may take up to 30 percent of your premium dollars and spend it on CEO salaries -- in the range of $20 million a year -- and on return on equity for the company's shareholders. Few Americans will see any benefit until 2014, by which time premiums are likely to have doubled. In short, the winners in this bill are insurance companies; the American taxpayer is about to be fleeced with a bailout in a situation that dwarfs even what happened at AIG.
From the very beginning of this debate, progressives have argued that a public option or a Medicare buy-in would restore competition and hold the private health insurance industry accountable. Progressives understood that a public plan would give Americans real choices about what kind of system they wanted to be in and how they wanted to spend their money. Yet Washington has decided, once again, that the American people cannot be trusted to choose for themselves. Your money goes to insurers, whether or not you want it to.
To be clear, I'm not giving up on health-care reform. The legislation does have some good points, such as expanding Medicaid and permanently increasing the federal government's contribution to it. It invests critical dollars in public health, wellness and prevention programs; extends the life of the Medicare trust fund; and allows young Americans to stay on their parents' health-care plans until they turn 27. Small businesses struggling with rising health-care costs will receive a tax credit, and primary-care physicians will see increases in their Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates.
Improvements can still be made in the Senate, and I hope that Senate Democrats will work on this bill as it moves to conference. If lawmakers are interested in ensuring that government affordability credits are spent on health-care benefits rather than insurers' salaries, they need to require state-based exchanges, which act as prudent purchasers and select only the most efficient insurers. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) offered this amendment during the Finance Committee markup, and Democrats should include it in the final legislation. A stripped-down version of the current bill that included these provisions would be worth passing.
In Washington, when major bills near final passage, an inside-the-Beltway mentality takes hold. Any bill becomes a victory. Clear thinking is thrown out the window for political calculus. In the heat of battle, decisions are being made that set an irreversible course for how future health reform is done. The result is legislation that has been crafted to get votes, not to reform health care.
I have worked for health-care reform all my political life. In my home state of Vermont, we have accomplished universal health care for children younger than 18 and real insurance reform -- which not only bans discrimination against preexisting conditions but also prevents insurers from charging outrageous sums for policies as a way of keeping out high-risk people. I know health reform when I see it, and there isn't much left in the Senate bill. I reluctantly conclude that, as it stands, this bill would do more harm than good to the future of America.
--
The writer is a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and was governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2002.
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Cherry Kelly
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