Right now, the House and the Senate committees are writing health care reform legislation behind closed doors. For instance, Rep. Henry Waxman is planning to meet with fellow Democratic lawmakers on his House Energy and Commerce Committee on the issue of health care reform today. The meeting is closed, and won't be open to the public today.
Rep. Waxman plans to release health care reform legislation from the House side through a transparent mark-up process by July, a month later than the planned release of health care reform legislation from the Senate side.
Even with the condensed schedule lawmakers have set for drafting comprehensive health reform legislation, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) on Monday said that he plans to hold public hearings on the plans being developed by his and the other two House committees drafting legislation, CQ HealthBeat reports.
At a conference sponsored by Avalere Health, Waxman said that staff from his committee, the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee are working together to create a common "framework" in which each committee could move forward in its own direction. Waxman said that "next month or so, that proposal will be made public," after which he and House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) "intend to hold hearings to get the views of the stakeholder. We intend to follow a transparent mark up process."
Waxman at the conference said he predicts: "one, that the House of Representatives will pass a health reform bill by the end of July; secondly, that before this year is up the Congress will pass a bill; and thirdly, the president will sign it."(Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 5/5).
The Blue Dogs in the House of Representatives are feeling rather slightedin not having been included in the closed-door meetings on the writing up of health care reform legislation. I really don't feel that sorry for them since they released their own health care blueprint which didn't include a public option. Here's some of their whining below:
Forty-five Blue Dogs, led by Rep. Mike Ross (Ark.), on Monday warned that they need to be part of the writing of health care legislation in a sharply worded letter to Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Education and Labor Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.).
The Blue Dogs pronounced themselves "increasingly troubled" at the lack of involvement in the writing of the massive bill and said their limited role is "especially concerning in light of the collaborative approach taken by our Senate colleagues."
Ross said they want to be brought in on the front end, not the back.
"I’ve had a sit-down with Chairman Waxman on health care, but we keep hearing rumors that a bill is being written," he said. "A conversation is nice, but we want to be there when it’s being written."
And surprise, surprise, the lobbyists for the murder-by-spreadsheet industry are cheered by the Blue Dogs' whining in this morning's article in the Roll Call:
Lobbyists called the Blue Dogs’ May 8 letter to three key House chairmen, in which they outlined their desire to take part in the bill drafting process, a "shot across the bow" of the Democratic left, which supports a pricey government-run insurance component that has conservative party members worried about the price tag.
"Blue Dogs as a group want to see a thoughtful, moderate process and don’t want to see a big, massive government plan," one Democratic lobbyist said. "They’re frustrated that there’s drafting going on and, in the end, they’ll have a bill shoved down their throat."
The Democratic lobbyist also said "the voice that the Blue Dogs" bring to the table "will be more friendly" to insurers, drug companies, hospitals and other private-sector interests that pledged on Monday to trim $2 trillion-plus in medical costs during the next decade.
"There is a philosophical, market-based alignment between the Blue Dogs and industry," the lobbyist said.
No shit, Sherlock. We all know that the Blue Dogs are Democrats in name only, and that they're in bed with corporate interests. The Blue Dogs have always been about corporate interests, not the interests of the American people.
And the House members will be meeting with President Obama this morning. They're the ones that will shape the final outcome of health care reform legislation, and that bill MUST include a Medicare-like public option. Here's the list of the House members meeting with Obama at 9:30 a.m. this morning:
Already the members meeting with POTUS have a lot to do, including getting the president an energy bill by the end of the year.
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi
- Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
Ways and Means Committee Chair Charlie Rangel ((202) 225-3625)
Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman ((202) 225-2927)
Education and Labor Committee Chair George Miller ((202) 225-3725)
I've included the phone numbers of the three committee offices for Reps. Rangel, Waxman, and Miller. So, PLEASE CALL and let them KNOW that you want a Medicare-like public option in health care reform! Ask them not to pass a bill out of the House that does NOT include a strong, robust Medicare-like public option.
Also, last month, the four House caucuses came together in an unprecedented effort, representing over 100 members in the House of Representatives, to support the public option in health care reform.
In an unprecedented initiative, the leaders of four prominent groups in the 111th Congress - the Progressive Caucus (CPC), the Black Caucus (CBC), the Hispanic Caucus (CHC), and the Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) - have sent a joint letters to President Obama and the Democratic Leadership of the House and Senate stressing that ‘our support for enacting legislation this year to guarantee affordable health care for all firmly hinges on the inclusion of a robust public health insurance plan like Medicare.'
Together, one hundred seventeen Members of the House and Senate belong to at least one of these four congressional caucuses. Hence, their unity in pushing for inclusion of a public health insurance plan like Medicare as part of comprehensive health care reform legislation is a formidable development in the unfolding policy debate inside and outside of Congress.
We have these House caucuses to balance out the Blue Dog Democrats, but we have to make sure that these House caucuses have our support in blocking any health care reform legislation from the Senate that does NOT include a strong, robust Medicare-like public option, and to pass legislation out of the House side that has a strong, robust Medicare-like public option.
So, please CALL these House caucuses below and thank them for supporting a strong, robust Medicare-like public option. When you call, please ask them not to support legislation that has a watered-down public option or does not have a Medicare-like public option. Ask them to oppose the so-called Schumer public option compromise. We need them to have stronger leverage in the House of Representatives when it comes to the ultimate passage of health care reform, instead of allowing the Blue Dogs to have that leverage.
Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) (202) 225-2631
Hispanic Caucus (CHC) (202) 225-2410
Black Caucus (CBC) (202) 226-0323
Progressive Caucus (CPC) (202) 226-4055
The public option is the line in the sand for me. Is it the line in the sand for you as well?
Then let's fight to have the BEST possible public option, which is a Medicare-like public option, as outlined in the white paper proposal released by the Senate Finance Committee. In that white paper, there were three proposals for the public option:
Approach 1: Medicare-Like Plan
This proposal would establish a "Medicare-like" public health insurance option to be offered through the Exchange. The public option would be administered by a new agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Eligibility rules, markets, and income-related tax credits for the public option would mirror those for all other plans offered through the Exchange. Medicare providers would be required to participate in the public option, and would be paid Medicare rates plus 0-10%. Rating rules would apply to the public option in the same way that they apply to plans offered through the Exchange in the non-group and small group markets. (Rating rules restrict the variation in price of insurance policies according to the risk of the person or group seeking coverage and are explained in the section on non-group market rating rules and risk adjustment.)
Risk adjustment would apply to the public option in the same way that it applies to plans offered through the Exchange in the non-group and small group markets. (Risk adjustment is an adjustment in the payment for an insurance policy which reflects the expected variation in expenditures of sicker or healthier individuals. See the section on non-group market rating rules and risk adjustment.) The public option would incorporate any medical delivery system reforms adopted from the overall reform effort. The public option would not have solvency requirements. The public option would start and accept enrollees on the same date that the Exchange begins.
Approach 2: Third Party Administrator <--this is the so-called Schumer public-option compromise.</p>
Proposal 2 would be similar to Proposal 1 with the following differences. First, instead of being operated by HHS, the public option would be administered through multiple regional third-party administrators (TPAs) who would be required to report to the Secretary. This governance structure will be separate from the agency overseeing competition among other private plan options. Second, the TPAs would be required to establish networks of participating medical providers. Payments for participating providers would be negotiated by the TPAs. Lastly, the public health insurance option would be required to have reserve funds.
Approach 3: State-Run Public Option
Proposal 3 envisions a State-run public option. This option could either be mandatory or optional for States but the details of its administration will be left to the States. One possible option for the States might be to allow individuals to purchase coverage through the State employee plans.
As was written about earlier, we have 21 Democratic senators out of 59 Democratic senators that have come out in support of the public option. Here are the names below:
Sens. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI)(202) 224-6361
Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD)(202) 224-4654
Russ Feingold (D-WI) (202) 224-5323
Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) (202) 224-4524
Claire McCaskill (D-MO) (202) 224-6154
Sherrod Brown (D-OH) (202) 224-2315
John D. (Jay) Rockefeller (D-WV) (202) 224-6472
Dick Durbin (D-IL) (202) 224-2152
Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) (202) 224-6542
Tom Harkin (D-IA) (202) 224-3254
Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) (202) 224-3934
Carl Levin (D-MI) (202) 224-6221
Jack Reed (D-RI) (202) 224-4642
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) (202) 224-4822
Bernie Sanders (I-VT) (202) 224-5141
Bob Casey (D-PA) (202) 224-6324
Jim Webb (D-VA) (202) 224-4024
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) (202) 224-2921
Jeff Merkley (D-OR) (202) 224-3753
Ted Kaufman (D-DE) (202) 224-5042
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) (202) 224-4451
Please CALL these senators listed above and thank them for supporting a strong, robust Medicare-like public option. When you call, please ask them not to support legislation that has a watered-down public option or does not have a Medicare-like public option. Ask them to oppose the so-called Schumer public option compromise. We need them to have stronger leverage in the Senate when it comes to the ultimate passage of health care reform, instead of allowing the Senate Blue Dogs, led by Senator Bayh, to have that leverage.
It's also sad that we only have 21 Democratic senators in the Senate in support of a public option in health care reform. And that these senators below, led by that odious Senator Bayh, might block the inclusion of a Medicare-like public option in favor of the so-called Schumer compromise.
Sens. Mark Udall (Colo.),
Evan Bayh (Ind.),
Michael Bennet (Colo.),
Mark Begich (Alaska),
Tom Carper (Del.),
Kay Hagan (N.C.),
Herb Kohl (Wis.),
Mary Landrieu (La.),
Joe Lieberman (Conn.),
Blanche Lincoln (Ark.),
Ben Nelson (Neb.) ,
Bill Nelson (Fla.),
Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), and
Mark Warner (Va.).
Can you please CALL these senators above and ask them to support a strong, robust Medicare-like public option and to oppose the so-called Schumer compromise? Here's the link which has their office phone numbers, so just scroll down the list and call their offices.
I get tired sometimes when I think about the odds facing us in passing a strong, robust Medicare-like public option, but I know I'll feel even worse if I don't try to stand and FIGHT for the BEST public option possible.
We have until June for the public option in health care reform. That's when the initial legislation gets dropped. That's when the huge mother-of-all-battles begin between us, the lobbyists, and Congress. We'll have to fight the Blue Dogs, the New Democrats, Republicans, and the lobbying ads.
We can do it though. If we all stand together and agree to FIGHT for a Medicare-like public option EVERY DAY, and don't let up on making those calls, we can make the impossible become possible!
Are you with me? If so, then please feel free to recommend this diary, so we can continue to fight for the best public option possible. If you want to fight for single-payer, then PLEASE do so. If you're a single-payer advocate, you'll be helping push the Overton window to the far left where the debate will now have to begin, and we'll get the best possible legislative outcome. We need you guys just as much as you need us. Feel free to call the phone numbers I've provided in support of single-payer.
The only way this is going to work is if we apply pressure. Hell, if we can topple Lieberman in the Democratic primary, elect a black man to the White House, and elect more Democrats to the Senate, we sure as hell can do this by applying pressure the old-fashioned netroots way!
Thank you for taking the time to read this diary, and for joining in the fight for the BEST public option possible!
If you'd like to send me to the 2009 Netroots Nation convention, please click here to add your support for me.