Back to Healthcare. Where are we? 

The Senate Finance Committee (the Baucus Plan) released the proposed bill on October 19th with official name and everything: America's Healthy Future Act, AHFC, all 1,252 pages.  This will not be the final version because remember there is a version in the House and there is a version in another Senate Committee, HELP.  Reid will have to put together a combined bill.  Baucus still does not support a public option, Reid is saying he likes a public option, but I have no idea how hard he is pushing.  

Well, lets put it this way, Reid is no Pelosi.   

I confess I am not a great play by play person of the political game.  If you want that some people at Firedoglake are doing a great job and Big Tent Democrat at Talk Left .  

In the House, Nancy Pelosi, "the Democratic Leader with balls and guts", is moving on the robust public option, which may be renamed Medicare +5%.  Turns out the darn thing will cost less and get more American people covered, go figure.  Her plan is that this will convince the Blue Dogs, you know the Democarts in name only, since they claim that "fiscal conservatism" is their number one issue.  

There are 52 Blue Dogs and the counting between Nancy and the Democratic Whip, James Clyburn,  is that 12 will vote for the Robust Option.  But, we also have those who oppose the use of public funds because it will pay for abortion.  

You see, we cannot do something without clipping the choices women are entitled to have by our laws.  We have to have caveats and whereases when it comes to women.  Marginalizing their citizenship and their rights at every step.   Put burkas on them, put restrictions, tell them what choices they can or cannot make.  Always, a diminished citizenship.    We defer to the preachers and priests tell us what rights women can have.  I wonder if they will pay for viagra ?  

What is this cost savings in the Robust Option?   Basically, it will reimburse doctors at the Medicare rates, plus 5%.  This option will save the US government about $100 Billion.  Imagine that, negotiating prices will save us money.  

I like it cause it uses an existing system and no need to spend globs of money adding a new system that will take time and create another set of complexities.  

Just in case you think competition and the availability of more Doctors and services reduces prices, check out the Dartmouth Study that basically indicates precisely the opposite.  Also, the availability of more services does not mean better health care.  Counter intuitive?  Yes.  The propaganda of more and more services meaning better health care has worked.   If you do not have the inclination or time to read the study, here is a great episode from This American Life, that lays it out really well.  

Look, this is not my ideal, but it acknowledges two things, prices will not go down without a public option, or some effort at negotiating and lowering costs.  

All the European systems that are praised for managing costs, have two things in common:  price controls,  and regulating the insurance companies.  We need to understand one thing, that the ideas of free market economics does not work when it comes to Healthcare.   

By the way, the House  is moving to repeal the insurance company exemption from the Federal Anti Trust laws.   Good move guys, about time.  

Free Market Economics, as we saw in the economic collapse, has many flaws.  We need to cut the sugar coating and face it.   Greenspanism and Reaganism failed and are continuing to fail.  ^{(By the way, you must watch the Frontline documentary The Warning)}  To have an economy and a society that will serve its citizens and thrive, we must manage aspects of the economy, healthcare is one of those aspects.   How would  privatizing fire and police protection look?   Face it, pure communism and pure capitalism failed.  

My scoring for this week, Nancy gets the "Democrat with Balls and guts award".  The Senate boys and two girls, other than Rockefeller are still not showing any balls, or guts.  

The President, well, I don't know, we don't know.  It's all behind the scenes and lots of hints and gyrations.  When will he come out and stand for an option?  He needs to throw his leadership behind one of the options.   Rahm is out and about and working the various people, but what is he really pushing for, no clue.  

The Republicans as far as I can tell, shot their collective wads over the summer break and now the American people are for the public option. Way to go guys, try some linger longer next time.  A CBS poll has it as high as 62%.   

Why are the Senators being such patsies for the insurers and the big pharmas?  Well, take a  look at how well their friends did with the Medicare Prescription give away, remember the adding prescriptions but prohibiting the negotiating of prices, this is from Pro Publica:  

• "Six years ago, a group of lawmakers and aides crafted Medicare Part D, the prescription drug program for seniors that has produced billions of dollars of profits for pharmaceutical companies.
• Today, at least 25 of those key players are back, but this time they’re lobbyists, trying to persuade their former colleagues to protect the lucrative system during the health care reform negotiations.
• The role of big players like Billy Tauzin — the former Republican representative from Louisiana who is now president of PhRMA, the drug industry’s lobbying group — has been long understood. 
• But a ProPublica analysis shows that the drug industry’s position is also being promoted by other foot soldiers from the Part D legislative process, from committee aides to top Bush administration officials."

 All the gallant late night speeches about free markets and competition , all the rejection  of any reform and  all the "no votes" will be lucrative to the Republicans, Blue Dogs and some of the collaborating Democrats.  

So, keep your eye on the prize and push your Congressmen this week. Particularly you guys with Blue Dogs.    

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I will be taking nominations for Dems with guts and balls,  " Yellow dog coward Blue Dogs" and "Greedy bastid" Republicans looking to line their pockets.