Health Care Reform: The Democrats Twelfth Night, What You Will

As the Senate starts duking it out over health care reform, progressives are now trying to sell us the trigger. That's a further delay (further because it's already delayed under current pending legislation) in implementation of the public option until things get so bad that...well, who knows because we have no idea how this trigger is going to get written. Most feel that once a trigger is put in place, there will be no public option at all.

So, lets review. Where have we come from and where are we going?

First, there was H.R. 676, single payer Medicare for Everyone, Medicare E if you will, and progressives said if they ever controlled the White House and both houses of Congress, they push for it.

Second, Barack Obama becomes our President and Democrats control both Houses of Congress. Party time (except for me because I was in the Rolling Meadows courthouse trying to get uncounted votes counted).

Third, the Tenth is overrun by OFA, MoveOn and HCAN telling us, "No, you cannot discuss single payer Medicare E. Why? Because if you mention it, we won't be able to get all those Chamber of Commerce folks who we know will come rallying to the cause of the public option."

Fourth, there you have it, the Hacker public option. It's sort of like an extension of Medicare, but voluntary. It pays on Medicare rates and administration is tied to Medicare administration.

Fifth, the Senate HELP Committee bill comes out. No public option. They add it later. It looks pretty much like the House version, but is state and regional, not national. At this point, the House version is not tied to Medicare, but Pelosi promises it will be.

Sixth, spring springs and the Senate Finance Committee begins to meet. When the bill comes out there is no public option. Max Baucus, who has taken about $1.5 million from health-related companies and their employees, devises a system where people will be paying a lot for some really bad insurance that covers very little. Doctors advocating single payer, Medicare for All, are arrested trying to bring their voice to committee deliberations. In response, HCAN comes up with 4 pillars of a "robust public option". That quickly turns to 1 pillar, one not even on the original list, as Pelosi promises to tie the payment rate to Medicare.

Seventh, the House bill comes out with a public option, but it's not so much like Hacker's. It's separately and privately administered and the pay rate is negotiated. Pillar count = 0, the building collapses, but HCAN continues to press it's new buzzphrases, the "strong public option" and the "robust public option". I keep getting this strange picture in my head of Mighty Mouse.

Eighth, Pelosi reneges on tying the payment rates to Medicare, and HCAN diverts from "robust" to "strong", but never explains the difference.

Nineth, the House bill passes, but not before progressives give up on an issue that is supposed to be near and dear to the progressive heart, choice. It's no choice for poor women and given the economy, that's a lot of women. Pillar count = -1.

Tenth, the Senate adds the opt-out. We're supposed to be happy because they were really going to add an opt-in. My feeling on this is that they did it on purpose. It would make health care reform a wedge issue in every state. Democrats probably believe it's a wedge issue they can win as opposed to all of the other wedge issues on which they lose. The Senate also decides to tax high-coverage insurance plans know as "cadillac plans" to pay for the subsidies that go along with the mandates. Progressive pundits and most bloggers tryp to make it look like the wealthy will be paying for reform and forget to mention that cadillac plans are not just for the wealthy. They're the plans required under union contracts. Workers gave up wages for these insurance plans. Pillar count = -3, but that doesn't stop HCAN from running that radio commercial that touts the "strong public option" as late as today.

Eleventh, now the opt-out becomes the sales pitch for the trigger. A trigger coupled with a strong Mighty Mouse public option (no matter what that means, nothing to look at here, move along) is supposed to be the better choice next to the opt-out.

Twelfth, some are even arguing we should drop the public option completely in exchange for speeding up the expanded coverage. They forget to mention that coverage expansion does not provide coverage to those that need, but cannot afford it. It comes from mandates, legal requirements that force people to purchase insurance that they didn't purchase in the firstplace because they couldn't afford it. If they were truthful about what it was, they'd just call it a health care tax.

It's taken us 12 steps to get to where we are as the Senate takes up debate. Is it the 12 step program? No, that would have cured Democrats from their addiction to caving in. Is it the 12 days of Christmas? Maybe, it's sure a gift to the insurance industry. However, I really think it's Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, What You Will. It's a comedy of errors and insanity based on a con game and the whims of those wealthy enough to do as they please.