Health care reform moving forward and fast, finally
Howard Dean told a health care roundtable in Washington D.C. that the Medicare eligibility age should be lowered to 50 so that some people will be reaping benefits of health care reform before the 2010 elections, a U.S. News and World Report story. Dr. Dean, a former governor of Vermont and former head of the Democratic National Committee, also said that he thinks Sen. Charles Schumer’s bill can pass. Schumer’s bill includes a public option but does not tie doctor payments to Medicate rates.
Also, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Senate Finance Committee will vote Tuesday on its health care reform bill, according to a story in the Washington Post.
The Finance Committee’s bill is the only one of several pending health care reform bills that would not add to the federal budget deficit, the Congressional Budget Office announced Wednesday (a McClatchy story that ran in today’s PD is here). From the story:
The Senate Finance Committee’s health care overhaul effort got a boost Wednesday when the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that it would cost $829 billion and reduce the federal deficit by $81 billion over the next 10 years.
That’s good news for the committee and President Barack Obama, since the CBO reported not only that the measure meets their cost and deficit goals but also that 94 percent of eligible Americans could be expected to obtain coverage under it, up from the current 83 percent.
And health care reform got support from former GOP presidential candidate and former Sen. Bob Dole, who said health care reform will pass and warned his fellow Republicans to get behind it, stat. (Tom Daschle’s on board, too, but who cares?) From a New York Times blog:
Bob Dole, the one-time Republican leader in the Senate, and Tom Daschle, the one-time Democratic leader, issued a joint statement today in which they said they supported the Democrats’ attempt to overhaul the health care system.
“The American people have waited decades, and if this moment passes us by, it may be decades more before there is another opportunity,” the two former leaders said in a joint statement.
Jamie Riley is the P-D letters editor and gatekeeper of the letters blog. Before joining the editorial page in May 2005, she was a reporter and page designer. Jamie lives in University City with her husband, Charles, daughter, Elise, and the world's best Jack Russell terrier, Logan, better known as Stinky. 
Dole surely feels remorse over his actions toward the health care reform efforts of the 1990s. See what can be achieved when one doesn’t have an eye toward expediency?
When my affordable, comprehensive family coverage doubles in price because of “reform” who is going to give me the extra money to pay for it? I’ve asked this question many times, and haven’t received a single response from advocates of “reform.” For you advocates who missed it before, here’s the details: I have PPO coverage for my wife, myself, and our two young children, for $700 a month. I have low copays, good prescription coverage, and a large network of providers. If Congress passes a bill with mandatory acceptance, no excluding of pre-existing conditions, community rating, and a cap on age-based premium increases, my premium will at least double. Where will this money come from?
Jamie,
I wish I could understand why you think the government will run a public option smoothly. To start off the debate they created an 1100 page pile of gibberish, this should be a red flag to everyone that the rest will not go well.
I know they do so-so with medicare but to be honest, they don’t pay anywhere near what is asked for. Are they going to continue this same practice with a public option? If so, how will hospitals and doctors sustain themselves financially?
I’ve also heard that a public option will cut down on paperwork. I can’t even begin to tell you how the “US Government” and “less paperwork” do not go together. Is this really supposed to be true?
And last question, how will this reform lower healthcare costs, not insurance costs, but healthcare costs?
The GOP, GW and his voting ‘base’ provided US tax funded full Universal Health Care to the nation of Iraq while claiming the same thing in America is a communist conspiracy as they one and all did opposing Social Security.
Who can forget the endless speeches of the Sainted Reagan warning of the threat of a communist takeover if the elderly in America were given health benefits?
Apparently in the GOP’s Murkistan, Murkins don’t deserve the same as Iraqi’s…since we aren’t hiding secret caches of WMD under a Repub Prez’ speaker podium for him to make his ‘base’ guffaw.
Nick….When a woman addressed Bush with a question concerning her 3 jobs..
Bush reponded: “Hey, wait a minute. You work 3 jobs. That’s terrific. I wish more Americans had your work ethic”.
Pick yourself up by the bootstraps Nick and stop whinning about a lousy $700. Go back to school and get a better paying job. You obviously can’t afford this republican corporate economy and it’s not my fault. Go without health insurance. You can always taked your kids to the emergency rooms.
I suggest you find a stronger work ethic.
It’s not all about you.
“Howard Dean told a health care round table in Washington D.C. that the Medicare eligibility age should be lowered to 50 so that some people will be reaping benefits of health care reform before the 2010 elections,”
Why didn’t he just say the Democratic party needs your vote and they’ll do anything to get it. Vote buying plain and simple. It’s apparent where their priorities lie.
“Congressional Budget Office estimated that it would cost $829″, that’s true in a world where $829billion = $2trillion. What’s the point in arguing these numbers? They’re only as static as the money supply, which is [hyper]inflating.
http://www.cato.org/pressroom.php?display=ncomments&id=287
Kasoff, based upon what actuarial analysis? You frequently yap about how you cannot even see the healthcare reform legislation yet boldly go where no yapper has gone before and complain about an exact number which you say your own costs will go up?
Quit making stuff up! If you guys spent the time working to find real solutions to the healthcare crisis that you do defending a corrupt and deadly statust quo, this problem could’ve been solved when the GOP had control of the US House, the US Senate and W as President!
Get out of the way you sick, silly people and let some 45,000 people who will die this tear because they don’t have health insurance live!
“…cost $829 billion and reduce the federal deficit by $81 billion over the next 10 years.” It must be nice to live in a world so devoid of reality.
Oh, I am sorry. According to another editorial in this same ragsheet, this projection is supposed to be considered as a fact. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Shtaven,
There are times when costs are as important as the benefits and doing what is right. Don’t you find that when you do what is right many times without regard to costs that that action of doing what was good and thoughtful brought about blessings and everything turned out okay? Sometimes such as in the case as this, a decision to do what is good and right must be the path.
Afterall, this country find the dollars for everything else that benefit no one other than big business and political games, don’t we? Its time to do right by our citizens.