I'm wondering how long we'll have to wait for Congress to vote on health reform. Clearly, the stimulus package is the best chance to get something through because 1. the stimulus bill is unstoppable and 2. the health insurers are still organizing their opposition. I'm afraid they're still waiting to see if Daschle will buy them off (or worse, buy them in).
I am glad to see Henry Waxman is out pushing for a single payer insurance option.
He said it was "critically important" to offer a public insurance plan option, like Medicare, to those without insurance. This is anathema to the insurance industry, which believes private insurers cannot fairly compete with a public plan that can unilaterally decide what it pays doctors and does not have to turn a profit.
http://www.boston.com/...
Our best bet is to shock and awe the insurance lobby, who expect a vote by the end of the year, by voting on this by the end of February... as part of the stimulus package.
Everyone knows Medicare is a single payer system, but so is Tricare, the Pentagon's health plan for service families and retirees. Tricare was recently expanded to include reservists who buy into the system. For 2009, it costs $44.71 a month for an individual, $180.17 for families (28% of total premium cost).
Here's where the magic happens, Waxman (or an ally) goes into the stimulus package conference committee and amends two code sections (summary below) to define reservists as well, everybody, and you suddenly have a pretty decent PPO plan available to anyone who wants to join. If you don’t like it, spend your 45 bucks a month on something else. Sure it means increasing the Pentagon budget, but what kind of terrorist is against funding the Department of Defense?
10 US 311 Militia: composition and classes
(a) AMEND The militia of the United States consists of all males and females at least 17 years of age and who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/...
10 US 1076d TRICARE program: TRICARE standard 1 coverage for members of the militia of the United States
(a) REPLACE Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of a reserve component of the armed forces WITH militia of the United States
(b) STRIKE
(c) REPLACE a reserve component WITH the militia Of the United States. STRIKE for six months beyond the date of death of the member.
(d), (e), (f) REPLACE every instance of– a reserve component OR the reserve component WITH the militia of The United States
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/...
And... done. Well the actual code amendment would be longer with strike-throughs of the old language, but you get the idea. Every adult American (and their family) could buy into a reasonably priced, public insurance option before the health insurers have time to roll Tom Daschle.