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The return of the public option?

Submitted by cg.eye on Wed, 01/16/2013 - 5:49pm
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The Department of Don't Say You Weren't Warned

Anyone familiar with this -- and why it's coming up now, when Medicare and SSI are still in jeopardy?

House Democrats on Tuesday introduced the “Public Option Deficit Reduction Act,” which would provide consumers the choice to opt into a government-run health insurance plan in the Obamacare exchanges.

The bill, which almost certainly cannot pass in the Republican-controlled House, is a mostly symbolic effort meant to keep the public option alive as a policy prescription. It is sponsored by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), who is on the Energy & Commerce health subcommittee, along with Energy & Commerce Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA) and 43 other lawmakers.

So, if it's merely symbolic, why not freak everyone out, before the inaugural, and insist on full socialized coverage? Why not negotiate meaningfully, instead of knuckling under before anyone really fights for something better?

It's so kabuki, that if they're touting it now, there must be something better bubbling up that they're trying to suppress.... or, they're diverting attention from gutting Medicare/SSI, and pretending this toothless public option is improving the safety net, when it's admitted it will never get past anyone meaningful. Feh.

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DCblogger's picture
Submitted by DCblogger on

It's so kabuki, that if they're touting it now, there must be something better bubbling up that they're trying to suppress.... or, they're diverting attention from gutting Medicare/SSI, and pretending this toothless public option is improving the safety net, when it's admitted it will never get past anyone meaningful.

one of the other, I cannot figure out which

Cujo359's picture
Submitted by Cujo359 on

To me, it's a tell that they never call it something like "Medicare for those who want it". I was more than a little suspicious of that at the time - it seemed like a no-brainer of a slogan to me. In retrospect, it should have been clear they weren't that into the idea.