This morning, President Obama will deliver a major speech in front of the American Medical Association (AMA) in Chicago, defending the need for a public option in health care reform:
In an address to the group's annual meeting in Chicago, Obama will pitch the public insurance plan as a necessary competitor to private insurers, and a tool to ensure choice and lower costs for consumers.
Given its historic resistance to major reform efforts, the AMA would be a tough crowd under normal circumstances. But in pushing the public plan, Obama is looking to persuade a constituency already distrustful of the government's role in health care that a government insurance program won't be as objectionable as they imagine.
"The president will be clear about what a public option does and doesn't mean for patients, physicians, and our broader health care system," according to an outline of the speech provided Sunday by the administration.
As I've said before, the devil is in the details. Remember, the AMA came out against the so-called most liberal version of the public option, which is a strong, robust Medicare-like public option.
Last week, the AMA came out against the most liberal form of a public plan - one that would pay Medicare rates and require doctors to participate. The AMA considers Medicare a broken system, and would oppose efforts to expand it. But the group said it remains open to an insurance option that was not run by the government.
A strong, robust Medicare-like public option that pays above Medicare rates and requires doctors to participate is what I support, and what the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the House of Representatives supportsas well. I've included their principles for a strong, robust Medicare-like public option below:
The Congressional Progressive Caucus calls for a robust public option that must be:
• Unconditional. Enact concurrently with other significant expansions of coverage and must not be conditioned on private industry actions.
• Actually Public. Consist of one entity, operated by the federal government, which sets policies and bears the risk for paying medical claims to keep administrative costs low and provide a higher standard of care.
• Available to All. Be available to all individuals and employers across the nation without limitation
• Choice of Doctors. Allow patients to have access to their choice of doctors and other providers that meet defined participation standards, similar to the traditional Medicare model, promote the medical home model, and eliminate lifetime caps on benefits.
• Paid for Wellness, not Sickness. Have the ability to structure the provider rates to promote quality care, primary care, prevention, chronic care management, and good public health.
• Built on Proven Model of Medicare. Utilize the existing infrastructure of successful public programs like Medicare in order to maintain transparency and consumer protections for administering processes including payment systems, claims and appeals.
• Can negotiate payments. Establish or negotiate rates with pharmaceutical companies, durable medical equipment providers, and other providers to achieve the lowest prices for consumers.
• Equally Supported. Receive a level of subsidy and support that is no less than that received by private plans.
• Real Competition. Ensure premiums must be priced at the lowest levels possible, not tied to the rates of private insurance plans.
Now, President Obama may not support these sort of principles. He may support a public option that is aligned along with the Schumer so-called compromise, which I am against, as a "compromise" between moderate Senate Democrats, the AMA, and the liberal Senate Democrats.
Tell Senator [Name] that you DO NOT want the 7-year trigger for the public option and take it off the table, and that you want him to support an affordable strong, robust Medicare-like public option. We NEED a strong, robust Medicare-like public option NOW OPEN TO ALL AMERICANS AND AFFORDABLE, not more of the SAME broken system that's given us unaffordable premiums, little private insurance coverage, and rising co-pays. Also, DON'T TAX OUR EMPLOYER HEALTH BENEFITS. Instead, follow the proposal by President Obama to tax the wealthy above $250,000, eliminate the overpayments in Medicare Advantage, and put tax capital gains to help fund health care reform. TELL YOUR SENATOR NO ON THE SCHUMER COMPROMISE AND NO ON THE CONRAD CO-OP COMPROMISE.
CALL the White House at: 202-456-1111 and E-MAIL them as well!
Please CALL Senator Max Baucus at (202) 224-2651
Please CALL Senator Olympia Snowe at (202) 224-5344
Please CALL Senator Charles Schumer at 202-224-6542
Please CALL Senator Edward Kennedy at (202) 224-4543
Please CALL Senator John Rockefeller at (202) 224-6472
Please CALL Senator Ron Wyden at (202) 224-5244
Please CALL Senator Kent Conrad at (202) 224-2043
Please CALL Senator Jeff Bingaman at (202) 224-5521
Please CALL Senator John Kerry at (202) 224-2742
Please CALL Senator Blanche Lincoln at 202-224-4843
Please CALL Senator Debbie Stabenow at (202) 224-4822
Please CALL Senator Maria Cantwell at 202-224-3441
Please CALL Senator Bill Nelson at 202-224-5274
Please CALL Senator Robert Menendez at 202-224-4744
Please CALL Senator Thomas Carper at (202) 224-2441
Also, can you please CALL these THREE chairmen in the House of Representatives, especially Rep. Waxman who's leading the charge on health care reform below?
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)
TOLL FREE NUMBERS FOR THE SENATE, HOUSE, AND WHITE HOUSE:
Capitol Hill 800-828-0498
1-800-828-0498
1-866-338-1015
1-866-220-0044
1-877-851-6437
And remember, don't trust whatever Senator Baucus says about a public option in health care reform and we should always verify until we trust.
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 that is AFFORDABLE AND OPEN TO ALL AMERICANS.
A Medicare-like public option is the line in the sand for me. Is it the line in the sand for you as well?
If so, then CALL, and please help keep this on the rec list so others can see the phone numbers, call today, and help fight against the swiftboating of a strong, robust Medicare-like public option in health care reform.
And if President Obama says something about the public option in front of the AMA that isn't what we've been fighting for, it's time to let the White House know with our phone calls exactly why he's wrong. Remember, whatever the President says about a strong, robust Medicare-like public option is important in the debate over the public option in health care reform.
UPDATE: I've just been told by KagroX over twitter that the HELP Committee draft language (Senator Kennedy's committee) contains three options for the public option: A federal insurance health plan administered by the government, the Conrad co-op proposal (which is very bad), and or drop the public option out of the picture altogether.
Option A: A public health insurance plan operated by the Federal government with a payment schedule that is set in statute and is based on Medicare.
Option B: A federal health insurance plan that is operated under contract from HHS but would play by the same rules as commercial health insurance carriers. The federal government would contract with an entity to administer the plan as well as provide start-up costs (e.g., 6 month reserve). The plan would be required:
(2) charge premiums at a level to cover costs of paying claims, making quality improvements, and administering the plan and (3) re-pay initial start-up costs. Every state gateway must offer the federal public plan. In addition, States would be permitted to operate their own public plan if the plan meets requirements established by the Secretary.
Option C: Drop public plan option. [That's it. That's the whole thing.]
Screw the two other options! I'm in favor of Option A in the HELP Committee draft, which is basically a strong, robust Medicare-like public option. No other details are forthcoming though.