Gang of Six Nears Closure; Dems Use “Means” vs. “Ends” Talking Point
EmailABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: Bipartisan negotiators – the so-called “Gang of 6″ senators seeking middle ground on health reform – met again this morning in one of their final sessions together before a deadline imposed by Democrats for a specific bill hits next week. Even as President Obama works to keep moderate Democrats skittish about health reform on board with the idea of sweeping health care reform, the Gang of 6 bipartisan negotiators has continued to work. They have met behind closed doors for months seeking middle ground on health care reform. Lead negotiator and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus has pledged to present a bill next week and vote on it in committee the week after. Baucus said he hopes to know whether any of the three Republican negotiators will support his proposal Monday or Tuesday. “It’s understood that we have to start making some decisions because the rubber is starting to meet the road here,” Baucus said. What Baucus does not yet know is the cost of his plan. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office is still crunching numbers and guessing at the implications of his plan. But Baucus pledged, as did President Obama, that whatever passes, will not add to the deficit in ten years time. Baucus, a proponent of the public option who has abandoned it in favor of a proposal for a series of non-profit co-ops that he thinks will garner more votes in the Senate, said he is on the same page as Obama and all Democrats in Congress, even though the president advocated for a strong public plan in his address to Congress this week. “To keep the insurance industry’s feet to the fire and insurance market reforms – that’s his goal,” Baucus said. “He’s much more focused on the goal rather than the means and I think I can speak for most members of the Congress in saying that Democrats, and also those Republicans who are supporting health care reform that’s their goal too. They care less about the means. They care more about accomplishing that goal and getting more competition.” This idea of ends versus means is obviously becoming a Democratic talking point. Moderate Democrat Evan Bayh, who has not supported a public health insurance option, said much the same thing in a paper statement after he and 16 other moderate Democrats met Thursday evening with Obama. Other issues still being discussed by the gang, according to Sen. Kent Conrad, D-ND, include a measure having to do with curbing medical malpractice lawsuits, guaranteeing that federal dollars are not used for abortions by those receiving federally subsidized insurance and how to expand Medicaid programs for the poor without bankrupting states, who share Medicaid costs with the federal government. Conrad said the gang has made progress on efforts to keep undocumented immigrants from receiving medical benefits subsidized by the federal government under any reform bill. “There’s a high degree of confidence that we have an outline to keep anyone who is here illegally from benefiting from any of these initiatives,” said Conrad. He did not elaborate on that outline, other than to say that it would include the vetting of social security numbers for those receiving subsidized benefits. Conrad ceded, however, that there would be nothing to prevent illegal immigrants from buying insurance on the Health Insurance Exchange. "They would not be getting any government assistance,” he said. “What we are trying to prevent is anybody who is here illegally from getting any federal benefit. You cannot prevent somebody from preventing an insurance policy, but it would not be one that is federally assisted,” he said. None of the Republican negotiators appeared before reporters after the meeting.
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Rick Santorum's Full Speech at CPAC 2012
Baucus understands Obama’s speech was a game-changer and that action needs to be taken immediately to capitalize on public support and put the GOP in a very tight corner.
Posted by: matt | September 11, 2009, 2:20 pm 2:20 pm
Just pray for the president, because he has a lot on his shoulders.. And those shoulders are broad enough to hold that load too…
Posted by: Obamaall theway | September 11, 2009, 3:02 pm 3:02 pm
My most humble and sincere prayers go up to Father God that he will favor you Mr. President.
Posted by: Obamaall theway | September 11, 2009, 3:03 pm 3:03 pm
LOL, matt, your usual nonsense….
the “Professor” made a case alright…the case for fundamental math !!!!
By the way, what “public support”…What polls are showing any significant change?
Posted by: Mike_C | September 11, 2009, 3:07 pm 3:07 pm
Senator Snowe appears to be the only one that may make a real difference. I hope that while the debate remains focused on insurance that she is able to get Obama to start talking about delivery system reform. The CEO of the organization I work for spoke with her and Senator Collins yesterday to try to get that message across.
Posted by: AmyinMaine | September 11, 2009, 3:31 pm 3:31 pm
Why are the Democrats so intent on undermining and ultimately destroying Medicare, Social Security and Private Health Care Insurance that millions of people like and are so dependent on?
The Democrats’ Trillion dollar Health Care Reform Plan will raise an already unsustainable deficit even higher. To say otherwise is not being honest. Higher deficits will further undermine Medicare and Social Security making their coming bankruptcy even more imminent. Once the baby boomers turn 65 there will be a 30% increase in Medicare enrollment. Thus, a 500 billion dollar cut to the Medicare budget will drive another stake into Medicare’s heart.
Moreover, according to the Democrats, due to all the fraud and waste in Medicare, 500 billion can be cut from Medicare without any cuts to services. Which makes a sane person ask why the government has neglected for so many years to rid the system of all this waste and fraud? Answer, because the reality is the inevitable outcome of a 500 billion dollar cut to Medicare are severe cuts to services for Seniors, with little if any abatement to waste and fraud and the Seniors know it. Ditto for the similar government run public option which will be subject to similar drastic cuts at the whim of the President and Congress.
So now that the Democrats have succeeded in gutting the heart out of Medicare and Social Security their knife now goes to the private insurance companies. Never mind 80% of he people are very happy with their private insurance plans.
So in order to sell their plan of a government take over of health care to the people, politicians must lie by telling the people they can keep their private insurance if they like them. The truth is, private insurance cannot compete with a government run tax paid for public option that can regulate private insurance out of business and under cut their prices. As a result, Companies will drop millions of people off of their private insurance plans and force their employees on the public option and the politicians know it.
The regrettable truth is government has proven time and time again that they are an incompetent manager of the peoples money and never keep any of their promises. Despite these facts, the greed for more power and more and more of the peoples money persists and grows like a cancer in their pursuit of a government take over of health care.
In conclusion, the representatives that vote for the Democrats’ Health Care Reform Bill will be voted out of office. This is a given as more and more people see the truth and realize that the ultimate outcome of Health Care Reform will be, higher deficits, higher taxes and fees and the ultimate destruction of Medicare, Social Security and Private Insurance which the majority of people like and are dependent on.
Posted by: james | September 11, 2009, 4:56 pm 4:56 pm
Very well said James. If the President has a true interest in making our country better, he needs to clean up EVERYTHING ELSE before they try Healthcare. I had the same question on the fraud. Is he implying that he is not going to clean it up UNLESS healthcare is passed?
Posted by: wheresmymoney | September 11, 2009, 6:09 pm 6:09 pm
Thanks James, To expound further on your thoughts:
“The regrettable truth is government has proven time and time again that they are an incompetent manager of the peoples money and never keep any of their promises.” Think about it, by racking up record breaking deficits, the Dems are undermining the very existence of Social Security and Medicare which government promised they would keep afloat at all costs.
If government is so cavalier about making enormous cuts to Medicare, which will result in severe cuts to services for Seniors, think what will happen to a Single Payer government run system when the money runs out?
Answer: Bureaucrats, union workers and corporate special interest groups will be first in line to get what ever money there is. The rest of us will be pounding sand waiting for that heart surgery we need to save our lives. No wonder there is so much talk about “death panels.”
Posted by: Mary | September 11, 2009, 7:24 pm 7:24 pm