Will The Democrats Blow This Opportunity For Genuine Health Care Reform?

Which clown is most likely to really harm American families?

I'm very worried that the Democrats are going to blow their opportunity to pass real health care reform. Needless to say, derailing reform is the #1 priority for the Insurance companies and their congressional shills. I would be surprised if there's more than three Republicans who haven't been bought off. Worse, though, is that so many Democrats have been as well. It's why Blue America is creating a series of TV ads to launch against anti-reform Democrats-- starting with Arkansas corporate pawn Blanche Lincoln (please consider donating). A rule passed earlier in the year puts the health care budget into an unfilibusterable category. Obama needs only 51 votes. Lieberman's fealty to the Medical-Industrial Complex ($2,391,719) and Big Insurance ($1,036,302) and Nelson's identical anti-working family positions (in return for the generosity he's experienced from the Medical-Industrial Complex-- $1,000,366-- and the Insurance Industry-- $1,196,799) don't spell the end of the dream for people who want to see universal health care in this country. But if other DLC corporate Dems, like Mary Landrieu, Evan Bayh, Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln, not to mention GOP renegade-- and flight risk-- Arlen Specter, are all allowed to defect, a once in a generation opportunity for changing the health care system is virtually dead.

Today one of the only Tribunes of the People in the heinous House of Lords, Sherrod Brown, co-sponsored legislation, along with Jay Rockefeller, that would establish a public health insurance plan that provides an affordable and accountable health insurance option. Their press release:

“Congress must include a real public plan option if we want to see truly transformative health care reform this year,” said Rockefeller. “I created the Consumers Health Care Act so we can give the American people the complete coverage they need at an affordable rate. As we move forward with health care reform in the Senate Finance Committee and beyond, I will continue to fight for a public plan option. It is time to end our days of private health insurance charging too much for too little, at the expense of the American people.”

“A strong public health insurance option will help reduce health care costs and improve the quality of health insurance plans,” said Brown, who authored a resolution cosponsored by 28 senators calling for a public health insurance option to be included in health reform. “A public health insurance option will keep insurance companies honest and set a gold standard for medical care. I’m proud to work with Sen. Rockefeller on this legislation which will protect consumer choice, improve patient care, and lower health costs.”

President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and many consumer-advocate and health care organizations have come out in support of a public plan option in health reform. Over 60 percent of Americans also want to see a public plan option on the table (source: Kaiser Family Foundation, June, 2009).

The Consumers Health Care Act has been endorsed by many groups including Health Care for American Now (HCAN), the Children’s Defense Fund, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Overview of the Consumers Health Care Act

• Offer a “Consumer Choice Health Plan” as an option alongside private insurance. By bringing a competitive public plan option to the table, private insurance companies will be driven to provide Americans with better value for their health care at a better price, in contrast to the current private insurance framework, which is focused on avoiding risk and increasing their profits.

• Establish America’s Health Insurance Trust as a “good housekeeping seal of approval” to give consumers a voice in health insurance oversight. This nonprofit, consumer-driven organization will evaluate and give ratings to all health insurance products offered through the national health insurance exchange-- based on factors such as affordability, adequacy, transparency, consumer satisfaction, provider satisfaction, and quality.

Our Blue America action in Arkansas is aimed at holding one particularly corrupt senator-- maybe two) accountable. But it should also serve as a message over the bow to any Democrat who wants to sell out their own constituents for the flow of cash from the Insurance Industry. Max Baucus and Arlen Specter can expect to see the same blanket TV ads in their states as well. Senators-- who actually do behave as though they hold peerages in an American House of Lords, haven't bee feeling any real pressure from the public; it's how they can get away with their distortions and weaseling postures.

Chris Bowers at OpenLeft has launched an online campaign to make every senator declare in plain English where he or she is in the debate. (Russ Feingold has already responded-- very publicly and positively.) New Gallup polling shows that Americans distrust Republicans in Congress even more than they distrust the health insurance industry! But, as Jane Hamsher pointed out today, conservative Democrats like Kay Hagan are working hard to catch up with the Republicans.

According to a source with direct knowledge of what is happening on the HELP Committee, the problem is that two Democrats-- Kay Hagan and Jeff Bingaman-- are refusing to sign on.

"We can't bring it up because we'd actually lose the vote," said the source. "They'd vote with the Republicans."

Bingaman and Hagan are in favor of watering down a public plan into Kent Conrad's co-op plan, which is supported by insurance lobbyists. "It gives them the appearance of supporting a public option without getting them in trouble with the insurance companies," said the source.

We're working on holding them accountable. Please help us do that.