This morning, I read up an excellent article in the New York Times about the so-called co-operatives being pushed by the White House and Senator Conrad as an acceptable alternative. The title reads, "Alternate Plan as Health Option Muddies Debate." Here in Texas, the headline reads differently in The San Antonio Express News, "Idea of health care co-ops may find no middle ground." Here's an excerpt from the story that explains why health care co-ops would not work in this country:
As the debate rages, lawmakers are learning that creating cooperatives — loosely defined as private, nonprofit, consumer-owned providers of health care, much like the co-ops that offer telephone, electric and other utility service in rural areas — will not be easy.
The history of health insurance in the United States is full of largely unsuccessful efforts to introduce new models of insurance that would lower costs. And the health insurance markets of many states suggest that any new entrant would face many difficulties in getting established.
And in this story, it shows that currently under the discussed Senate Finance law, Blue Cross Blue Shield could even qualify as a "co-operative" in Senator Conrad's state. My god. This is precisely what we don't need in providing competition and making premiums affordable when private insurers can simply just call themselves "co-operatives" in order to dominate the insurance market.
Mr. Conrad’s own state demonstrates the uncertainties surrounding cooperatives. Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota dominates the state’s private insurance market, collecting nearly 90 percent of premiums. As a nonprofit owned by its members, the company would hope to qualify as a co-op under federal legislation, said Paul von Ebers, its incoming president and chief executive.
And one of our Democrats in this story sounds like an idiot when he says that a "co-operative" could be competitive against Blue Cross Blue Shield!
“The market here is uncompetitive,” said Mr. Pomeroy, a former state insurance commissioner. “A cooperative could provide an alternative source of insurance and some interesting competition for premium dollars. A co-op could operate at lower costs, in part because it would not need to pay its executives so generously as the local Blue Cross Blue Shield plan.”
Congressman Pomeroy, the Blue Cross Blue Shield in your state is NON-PROFIT and yet it pays its executives very generously. Blue Cross Blue Shield is planning to change its status to a "non-profit co-operative" and it'll still pay its own executives so generously. Regional co-operatives will NOT bring premium prices down when they're still being run by the same people that are now gouging us with unaffordable medical bills!
This what you guys need to print out when you go to these Democratic townhalls to explain why regional co-operatives would NOT work because they would be taken over by insurers like Blue Cross Blue Shield.
- CALL the White House at 202-456-1111 and at 202-456-1414 with the talking points below!
They have to know that you're angry, and that YOU WILL NOT accept health care reform without a strong, robust public option as an essential cost containment in order to make health insurance premiums affordable, otherwise it'd just be a mandated bailout of the murder-by-spreadsheet industry.
Regional co-operatives are unacceptable since they will NOT be competitive in order to bring down your insurance premiums! They will not provide a strong deterrent to the murder-by-spreadsheet industry. It's why Republicans such as Rep. Shelby are now making noise about why regional co-operatives are okay because they know this.
After all, Blue Cross Blue Shield started out as a regional co-operative too. Then it got privatized, taken over by people from private insurers, and premiums started rising with no end in sight. That's not the kind of health care reform we need from regional co-operatives.
- Go to these townhalls to THANK our progressive Democrats for saying that the public option is a necessary cost containment on making health insurance premiums affordable! Thank them for saying that the public option is the line in the sand for them, and show as much support as you can! Bring signs with these messages!
Representative
| PVI | Day | Date | Time | Location | Information |
Jesse Jackson, Jr. | D+36 | Tuesday | August 18 | 6-7pm | Chicago, IL | Details & Signup |
Raul Grijalva | D+6 | Wednesday | August 19 | 10:30-11:30am | Yuma, AZ | Details & Signup |
Robert Wexler | D+15 | Thursday | August 20 | 5:30-8:30pm | Delray Beach, FL | Details & Signup |
Marcia Fudge | D+32 | Thursday | August 20 | 1-3pm | Shaker Heights, OH | Details & Signup |
- Use the FDL Recess Event Tracker Tool to find townhall events near you. And if you know of a townhall event that's not listed on the FDL Recess Event Tracker, please enter in that information.
- Report back to us at FDL about what happened at the event, and upload any videos or photos from that event. Also, if you go, don't forget to ask questions like these of our Democratic officials, and make the best case as you can as to why the public option is a necessary cost containment on insurance premiums, otherwise it'd be a mandated bailout of the murder-by-spreadsheet industry with no end in sight to your rising premiums.
- Read ShadowSD's diary for his excellent defense of the public option, and the rebuttals to the most common conservative talking points. Please bring a copy of his diary with you and your friends when you go to a townhall event.
And please, please, please, thank our Democratic heroes for saying that they won't vote for any bill that doesn't include a strong, robust public option.
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)- 202-225-4811
Corrine Brown (D-FL)- 202-225-0123
Michael Capuano (D-MA)- 202-225-5111
André Carson (D-IN)- 202-225-4011
Judy Chu (D-CA)- 202-225-5467
Yvette Clarke (D-NY)- 202-225-6231
William "Lacy" Clay (D-MO)- 202-225-2406
John Conyers (D-MI)- 202-225-5126
Elijah Cummings (D-MD)- 202-225-4741
Bill Delahunt (D-MA)- 202-225-3111
Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)- 202-225- 4865
Donna Edwards (D-MD)- 202-225-8699
Keith Ellison (D-MN)- 202-225-4755
Sam Farr (D-CA)- 202-225-2861
Chaka Fattah (D-PA)- 202-225-4001
Bob Filner (D-CA)- 202-225-8045
Marcia Fudge (D-OH1)- 202-225-7032
Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)- 202-225-2435
Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)- 202-225-8203
Phil Hare (D-IL)- 202-225-5905
Alcee Hastings (D-FL)- 202-225-1313
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)- 202-225-6335
Mazie Hirono (D-HI)- 202-225-4906
Michael Honda (D-CA)- 202-225-2631
Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)- 202-225-3816
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)- 202-225-8885
Hank Johnson (D-GA)- 202-225-1605
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)- 202-225-4146
Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI)- 202-225-2261
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)- 202-225-5871
Barbara Lee (D-CA)- 202-225-2661
Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX)- 202-225-3816
Eric Massa (D-NY)- 202-225-3161
Jim McDermott (D-WA)- 202-225-3106
James McGovern (D-MA)- 202-225-6101
Gwen Moore (D-WI)- 202-225-4572
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)- 202-225-5635
Grace Napolitano (D-CA)- 202-225-5256
John Olver (D-MA)- 202-225-5335
Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)- 202-225-5751
Donald Payne (D-NJ)- 202-225-3436
Chellie Pingree (D-ME)- 202-225-6116
Laura Richarson (D-CA)- 202-225-7924
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)- 202-225-1766
Linda Sánchez (D-CA)- 202-225-6676
José Serrano (D-NY)- 202-225-4361
Albio Sires (D-NJ)- 202-225-7919
Jackie Speier (D-CA)- 202-225-3531
Pete Stark (D-CA)- 202-225-5065
Bennie Thompson (D-MS)- 202-225-5876
John Tierney (D-MA)- 202-225-8020
Ed Towns (D-NY)- 202-225-5936
Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)- 202-225-2361
Maxine Waters (D-CA)- 202-225-2201
Diane Watson (D-CA)- 202-225-7084
Mel Watt (D-NC)- 202-225-1510
Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)- 202-225-5161
And these are the members who are credibly onboard with the FDL Pledge:
Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO)- 202-225-4535
Pete DeFazio (D-OR)- 202-225-6416
Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)- 202-225- 4865
Donna Edwards (D-MD)- 202-225-8699
Keith Ellison (D-MN)- 202-225-4755
Bob Filner (D-CA)- 202-225-8045
Barney Frank (D-MA)- 202-225-5931
Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)- 202-225-2435
Phil Hare (D-IL)- 202-225-5905
Rush Holt (D-NJ)- 202-225-5801
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)- 202-225-7944
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)- 202-225-5635
Chellie Pingree (D-ME)- 202-225-6116
Maxine Waters (D-CA)- 202-225-2201
Robert Wexler (D-FL)-202-225-3001
Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)- 202-225-5161
John Yarmuth (D-KY)- 202-225-5401
And don't forget to donate to our public option fund at FDL since Nyceve, Jane, I, and others are working hard night and day on this issue for us all!
PLEASE recommend this diary so others can see the phone numbers of these brave heroes and thank them today!