So, they've come up with a public option without calling it a public option. They are opening up the ages for uninsured Americans to enroll in Medicare at the age of 55. Now, to some, this seems like a good idea, but let's face it, Medicare is part of the problem. Not to mention that it means a smaller number of workers is paying for a larger number of dependents. Certainly that won't make the system worse or raise taxes.
Then you have to love this paragraph:
Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., called it "an unvarnished, complete victory for people like me who have been arguing for a single-payer system."
If that doesn't scare you enough:
Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., described the agreement as a significant step in the struggle to round up the votes needed to pass the broader overhaul legislation. The House has already passed its version, and Democrats are driving for a Senate vote before Christmas.
That would leave only a final compromise between the houses before legislation could go to Obama for his signature.
Joe Lieberman, one of the last holdouts based on the subject of a public option, looks like he could go for the bill now.
It adds more regulation on industry:
Insurance companies would be required to spend 90 percent of their income from premiums on providing benefits.
And of course, they are still trying to keep the costs secret:
Many officials declined to discuss details, heeding an admonition that if they did, the Congressional Budget office would feel compelled to release preliminary cost estimates that lawmakers prefer to receive secretly.
So much for openness and honesty. There was word from one which confirms what we've been thinking:
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, told reporters premiums would total about $7,600 annually until federal subsidies became available in 2014. That translated into more than $600 a month, far higher than the $96.40 paid by beneficiaries age 65 and up.
And now, someone else is confirming what I've been saying for a while - Medicare is the problem:
The Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center sent notices to lawmakers criticizing the emerging plan. Expanding Medicare to individuals 55 to 64 years old, it said, "would ultimately hurt patients by accelerating the financial ruin of hospitals and doctors across the country."
My dad told me recently that the president of the hospital where he works sent a letter to Obama saying that if the health bill passed, they would have to close down (they are the largest employer in the city, by a long shot now that the GM plant is closing). So, let's add to unemployment and the number of uninsured and just keep this in a constant state of regression and ruin for the country.
Really, read the whole story.
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