Obama Urged by Centrist Dem Leader to Back Public Option with Trigger
EmailA key proponent of a public option with a trigger made his case directly to the president today. My colleague, ABC News' Teddy Davis has more: When President Obama met with the Moderate Dems Working Group on Thursday, the panel's co-chair urged him to bridge divisions within the Democratic Party by structuring a public insurance option as a "fallback" and not as a first resort. "If there is no meaningful competition after a couple of years, we would create competition through a public plan," said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., in an interview with ABC News. "I think that could end up being the compromise because it bridges the differences between those who are for a robust public option and those who are adamantly opposed to a public option." "I raised it with the president," Carper continued, referring to his public option with a trigger proposal. "Olympia Snowe and I are both advocates of this approach," he added, referring to the Republican senator from Maine who so far has been alone among GOP senators in wanting to craft a compromise with Democrats. "I know she has raised it with the president," Carper added. Carper was one of 17 moderate Senate Democrats who met with the president at the White House on Thursday. The meeting came one day after the group met on Capitol Hill with White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. Following Thursday's meeting, Carper spoke with ABC News by cell phone while traveling by train to his home state of Delaware.
During his meeting with the senators, Obama did not draw any lines in the sand on the public option. Instead, he continued to leave the door open to a compromise between the liberal and moderate wings of the Democratic Party by portraying a public option as merely a mechanism for achieving choice and competition. Asked where the votes are on the public option among the 17-member group that he leads, Carper said it was too soon to say. He believes, however, that Democrats will ultimately rally around the idea of creating a public plan as a "fallback" to a set of private insurance plans which would be offered to small businesses and individual consumers through an exchange modeled after the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHBP). Asked what effect Obama's speech had on the health reform effort, Carper said: "I think the speech served to galvanize Democrats."'
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Why wait for insurance companies to make it affordable which probably won’t happen to bring the public option. The public option should still be part of plan A. Why wait and see more Americans have no health care and die cause we are waiting on the insurers to make it affordable when they need the competition now.
Posted by: Manny Zelada | September 11, 2009, 12:04 am 12:04 am
“Why wait and see more Americans have no health care and die cause we are waiting on the insurers to make it affordable when they need the competition now.” – I agree 100%. Why is doing the right thing the last resort?
Posted by: Mark from atlanta | September 11, 2009, 12:23 am 12:23 am
SINGLE PAYER!
SINGLE PAYER UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE. That sentence says it all to me an 50 million uninsured in America and NJ. NOT PUBLIC OPTION, NOT ANYTHING SHORT OF A SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM. Bipartisanship is a DEAD issue, they are obstructionists working for the very people we wish to reform.
I am a professional, Pratt Institute/F.I.T educated 41 year old man, 23 years of experience in one of the most prestigious fields- advertising for fashion, automotive, pharmaceutical; my resume reads like a who’s who of corporate america. I never wanted for a job, I worked where I wanted, got paid what I asked.
Then corporate America turned on me and millions others and outsourced my job with millions others to Asian countries with no labor or environmental laws.
My company fired me (lets call a layoff as it really is), with dozens of others after a corporate takeover in 2006. My unemployment ran out a year later. My health insurance through Cobra at the time was not affordable (450 a month for a single man). I began to freelance for lower pay because companies were doing the same as my last one- fire and rehire for less money and no commitment.
I have been without an income outside of my rapidly dying freelance business, no health care, no 401k (I had to cash it in this winter to pay my bills and survive), no unemployment insurance.
At 41, I should be getting regular screening for preventable diseases that could possibly take my life.
What I and MILLIONS of VOTERS want is a SINGLE PAYER ALL ACCESS UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
Posted by: S Taranto | September 11, 2009, 2:26 am 2:26 am
Health care reform with trigger won’t work. If insurance companies cannot drop the sick and unhealthy from coverage and exclude people with pre-existing conditions, because Obama’s plan prohibits them from doing so, they will actually have to charge higher premiums to maintain profit. The trigger will allow insurance companies a window of opportunity to do so. Republicans will then say the plan does not work because it does not contain health care costs. Of course, without reform health care costs will still rise, like they do right now. A public option, under which people pay 10 to 20% less in premiums than they do now, will take the option of raising premiums from insurance companies. Insurance companies cannot continue to operate if they do not make the same profit.
Posted by: anthony | September 11, 2009, 4:12 am 4:12 am
I agree with Mark. I recently had to cut my insurance not due to Layoff, but due to cost. I am a small business owner who is feeling the recession hit and unfortunately, some things had to go, insurance was one of them. Until Congress begins to feel the pains of the average American, they will never be compassionate, for they are not in our shoes. They are living a fairy tale life while the rest of us are struggling to make it day to day. I called my insurance advisor yesterday to discuss lower cost options, and he came back to me with a higher cost option. This unfortunately is the nature of the beast. Gouge the consumer.
Posted by: Coach D | September 11, 2009, 8:17 am 8:17 am
The ‘trigger’ is a scam and a joke.
Any mandate that I ‘must’ purchase insurance must include a public option ‘now’.
It would be an outrage and an insult to demand that I purchase insurance from the very companies that have brought us the status quo. Coops etc would just be a creative remix of the same.
No mandates without a robust and active political option!
If there must be a ‘trigger’ for the public option, there must be a ‘trigger’ for the mandates as well…
I wanted single payer health care. The public option is already a compromise.
The right gets to keep their private choice and I deserve my public ‘choice’.
Posted by: ldb | September 11, 2009, 9:47 am 9:47 am
The only way to cut costs is to turn health insurance companies and maybe the rest of the healthcare industry into what it should be, a National PUBLIC UTILITY or a single payer system. Healthcare is as basic as Electricity! We need to control the expectations of Wall Street in this industry because it is and always has been a basic right. One way to do this is via a Public Utility or single payer system.
In capitalism,executives WORK for publicly held companies, they DO NOT OWN THEM and this Robber Baron mentality in industry needs to go. If executives at the top were the sole owners of companies in the USA’s version of capitalism, then they would not have put themselves on the line like they have been doing. They wouldn’t have done this because it would be their pocketbooks and their livelyhood effected. When has it been a sound business practice to knowingly screw your customers and investors by running a company into the ground by irresponsible practices; and then give yourselves bonus for poor greed driven performance? How can an executive in the healthcare industry be so egregious as to take a hideously large bonus knowing that that money could have saved one of their customer’s lives? That bonus,and Wall Street’s expectations of the healthcare industry is quite machiavellian! Where is Democracy when we need it?
Posted by: Jeanine | September 11, 2009, 10:00 am 10:00 am
I’m not sure I understand the position of the speakers above. Surely the issue isn’t what’s “right” or “best”, or even “obvious”. At this point, the issue has to be what will get the necessary votes to pass the Senate. Does anyone disagree that there are currently fewer than 50 Senators (let alone 60) who will vote for a plan with an immediate public option? If that’s the case, why debate the merits of the public option? Is it better to be right and lose? That’s the question.
Posted by: George C | September 11, 2009, 10:13 am 10:13 am
Obama lied. Not only about the illegals but how this is getting paid for. Nobody believes that fraud and abuse will be solved and $900B recovered. This is fantasy and now we find out that there is significant fraud and wast happening due to his stimulus bill. The government is a completely incompetent group who are just after power. Time to get government out of our lives completely.
Posted by: brian | September 11, 2009, 10:37 am 10:37 am
The only way I would support a trigger rather than a public option would be if the trigger were combined with strong regulation of what the insurance company could charge. Something like a three year freeze in premiums, following by CPI inflation and 0.5% in the years following might do the trick. If such a trigger were proposed I would support it. Anything increase in premiums above this, would trigger the public option.
Posted by: michael | September 11, 2009, 10:50 am 10:50 am
Why such a rush to placate the Bluedog Democrats? Despite their truculance, the conservative democrats have no choice but to vote for a health plan with public option if given no choice, because it is they who will lose their posts if the health plan fails by their not voting, not the progressive Democrats.
A public option is essential to the Health plan’s success because otherwise mandated insurance will cost too much, a disaster for the nation and Democrats.
Posted by: bcw | September 11, 2009, 10:51 am 10:51 am
I have to agree with George and support the trigger. If the votes aren’t there, they aren’t there and no amount of wishing will get them there.
If we can have an exchange, that will lower costs for an enormous number of people if it works like the federal employee exchange. These are large group rates, not based on age or gender, and cannot deny pre-x. As an example, my premium would decrease by $800. per month for a comparable policy.
Posted by: andreams | September 11, 2009, 10:51 am 10:51 am
In legal-speak, we use the initials NFW when someone proposes something that we find ridiculous. Carper: NFW.
Look, if Obama goes out there and he makes insurance a requirement and he makes it unsubsidized (sorry $3,000 in subsidies for family policies that cost $12,000 is unsubsidized), he has to offer a public option. No other way.
Posted by: teo | September 11, 2009, 11:17 am 11:17 am
Here is how far down the scale we are going with this recommendation:
Single Payer (Progressive Plan)
Public Option
PUBLIC OPTION TRIGGER
Healthcare Exchanges
Status Quo (Republican Plan)
Posted by: Manny | September 11, 2009, 12:05 pm 12:05 pm
Sen. Carper needs to poll his constituents. Nate Silver who has a very good record of predicting election results from polls and demographic information estimates that Delaware is some 60% in favor of public option.
Passing a bad bill simply makes the problem worse. We need the public option to put teeth into the competition.
Posted by: AJBaker | September 11, 2009, 12:08 pm 12:08 pm
Just who are these 17 members of the Moderate Dems Working Group that met with Obama?
Posted by: JADodd | September 12, 2009, 11:15 am 11:15 am
It’s morally wrong to leave 100 million Americans un or underinsured, 1 illness away from financial ruin. And it’s wrong to burden small business with the outrageous insurance costs also — found a cool site; Balkingpoints ; incredible satellite view of earth
Posted by: reg373 | September 12, 2009, 1:11 pm 1:11 pm
We’ve been hanging on by our fingertips since Oct ’01, w/ no insurance, used up 401k, trying to keep our house. Age discrimination!! But, we must act responsibily as a country. I’ve seen social medicine in many countries. You won’t like it! We need to lower costs, force multiple group options, coops, etcstop unneeded procedures/drugs, foster competition, stop frivolous lwsuits, perhaps regulate drug costs.
Posted by: Larry Stanford | September 13, 2009, 4:43 pm 4:43 pm
It’s lunacy, at this stage in our economy to try to fund insurance for uninsured/underinsured. We can’t afford to fund all of the “progressive”‘s dreams, just because “they won”. We, as a country would lose, probably unrecoverably. The only thing that will get us out of this mess is speeding up flow of money, consumer confidence, etc. Compassionate liberalism isn’t going to do that! We need pragmatism, not pie in the sky nice-to-haves!
Posted by: Larry Stanford | September 13, 2009, 4:51 pm 4:51 pm
~ HAS THE TRIGGER OF 501(C3)SILENCED OUR U.S.RELIGIOUS LEADERS ~
****OUR AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS SILENCE IS MORE FRIGHTENING THEN DENIAL OF HEALTH ~ CARE FOR ALL OUR POOR AMERICANS ….
**** THE LOUD LAUGH OF SATAN WAS HEARD IN THE PEOPLES HALLS OF U.S. CONGRESS AND AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS HAVE TURNED THEIR HEADS,CLOSED THEIR EYES AND SHUT THEIR EARS IN FEAR ~
****THIS OLD WORLD ORDER OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT OF OUR POORER AMERICANS NEEDS ENLIGHTENED POLITICAL MINDS AND HEARTS TO VIEW GOD DIFFERENTLY THEN $$$?. NO MATTER WHAT THEIR POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION ???
****WHEN WILL OUR WEALTHY ELITE AMERICANS ABATE THEIR ASSAULT ON POORER AMERICANS WITH THEIR MONETARY CONTROL OF OUR IVORY TOWER U.S. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER ???
****THERE ARE NOT MANY MORE DISTRACTIONS LEFT WHICH ARE AVAILABLE FOR OUR WEALTHY ELITE AMERICANS TO HIDE BEHIND IN NOT TAKING PROPER CARE OF ALL OUR AMERICANS IN A HUMANE FASHION !!!
****RALPH NADER ATTEMPTED TO EDUCATE AMERICAN VOTERS ABOUT U.S. CORPORATE POWER IN AMERICA AND HOW THEY CONTROL OUR CONGRESSIONAL PEOPLE THROUGH THEIR POCKET BOOK (POLITICAL DONATIONS).
* WITHOUT THE DOUGH $$$ THESE U.S. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD DO NOT GET RE~ELECTED TO CONGRESS.*TO STAY IN POLITICAL OFFICE IN AMERICA,ONE HAS TO BARTER YOUR VOTES IN CONGRESS AND REPRESENT POWER INTERESTS IN RETURN FOR THE BUCK$.
****POORER AMERICANS HAVE NEVER HAD THE $$$ LOBBY TO INFLUENCE THIS CORRUPT POLITICAL CONCEPT (of horse trading political votes for political contributions) TO ACHIEVE PROPER HEALTH ~CARE OR LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR ALL OUR MIDDLE ~ CLASS AND WORKING POOR AMERICANS.
****AMERICAN IVORY TOWER U.S.CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD HAVE PASSED FEDERAL LEGISLATION IN WASHINGTON DC TO SPEND 50 BILLION AMERICAN TAX $$$ ON THE INTERNATIONAL FIGHT AGAINST AIDS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS WHILE THEIR OWN AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE BEING TOLD BY THIS SAME U.S.CONGRESS THAT NATIONAL HEALTH CARE AND PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR MIDDLE CLASS AND WORKING POOR CITIZENS IS UNAFFORDABLE.
*** WEALTHY ELITE AMERICANS (WHO ARE ONLY 1% OF OUR USA POPULATION) SADLY ALSO CONTROL HOW OUR U.S.CONGRESS SPENDS THEIR BUDGET TRILLION$ AND HAVE OBVIOUSLY FOUND MORE WORTHY INTERNATIONAL CITIZENS THEN OUR OWN DESPERATE AND NEEDY POOR TO ASSIST !!!
~Poorer Americans Nationwide only get 400 million $$$ per year for legal representation allocated them by CONGRESS~
Middle Class and Working Poor Americans are unable to afford proper legal representation in their Civil, Criminal and Family Courts of law all across America causing tremendous hardships nationwide,but these great minds and callous hearts in our American Congress have found others Worldwide more needy then their own citizens who are being falsely incarcerated,wrongfuly executed,losing their homes or apartments,losing child custody or visitation with their children etc…
****Not being afforded proper legal representation by our U.S. Congress has created a total breakdown of the American judicial system for our poorer Americans because the our U.S. Courts punish all of us little people if we are not assisted with proprer legal counsel.
****It is a known fact that our average Middle Class and Working Poor Americans without proper legal representation in all of our American Courts of law lose their legal cases to the better financed who are able to afford lawyers.
****Lawyers For Poor Americans is now actively in the hunt for International Countries and Leaders Worldwide to help raise 5 Billion Dollar$ for our slighted poorer Americans who have had their own American Congress turn their backs on their desperate needs in not affording them proper legal representation.
****Troy Davis and Mumia Abu ~ Jamal are 2 perfect examples of American citizens who never had proper legal representation or defense investigations afforded them by our U.S. Congressional Leaders Of The Free World in their initial criminal trials in (Georgia and Pennsylvania) who might very well have to pay the ultimate price of possibly being completely innocent and falsely executed in the near future.
****These two poorer Americans are among tens of thousands of legal cases nationwide that never were afforded proper legal representation or proper defense investigations at their initial trials??**We the public really have no idea if these men are innocent or guilty until they both are given fair legal representation at their new future trials.
****Improper murder trials and needless deaths due to the lack of healthcare take place in Third World Countries all the time. *** Why should average Middle~Class and Working Poor Americans in the Wealthiest Country Of The World be treated as if they are living a Third World Life Style ??
****This is the first of many www International pleas by Lawyers For Poor Americans for other leaders and countries to help raise the needed monie$ to correct these blatant injustices that have been inflicted on poorer Americans for the last few decades. Lawyers For Poor Americans has many other written articles that can be viewed with any www search engine by our name or our telephone number.
****Lawyers For Poor Americans is a www lobby group of volunteers that sing out about the decades old neglect,abuse and injustices being inflicted on our poorer Americans that have become Crimes Against Humanity issues for the International World Court to investigate.
****lawyersforpooreramericans@yahoo.com
(424-247-2013)
Posted by: DOUGLASFIELD2 | September 14, 2009, 3:18 pm 3:18 pm
i believe we should vote for no insurance coverage for no senators or congress an their employees until the american people have it let them be canceled an gouged like the rest of us
Posted by: dorothy smith | September 15, 2009, 6:08 pm 6:08 pm