Maria Cantwell manages To Get A Decent Health Insurance Amendment Passed Despite Blanche Lincoln

Sen. Cantwell goes for a more natural look than Blanche's cover up bit

The spectacle of a batch of pompous multimillionaires, who fancy themselves an American House of Lords, debating health care reform for working families tired of being preyed on by ravenous Insurance companies, is starting to wear a little thin on the country's collective consciousness. Yesterday Maria Cantwell threw the dog-- that would be us-- a bone.

In terms of bones, it's not a bad bone-- but it's a far cry from what we were looking for. All the Republicans-- and the worst Senate Finance Committee quasi-Dem, Blanche Lincoln-- voted against Cantwell's bone... even that being too generous for their corporate masters. It passed 12-11 and would "allow states to steer funds from the government from the healthcare measure to set up plans for those whose income puts them between 133% and 200% of the poverty line. The state plans would then contract with private insurers to provide the coverage." Like I said, a far cry from the public option most Americans say they want-- although John Boehner claims he's never met anyone (presumably on the golf links or his tanning salon) who favors a public option... and I doubt his circle is looking for single-payer.



The lobbyists representing Aetna, Humana, and the 2 criminal organizations, Cigna and United Health Care doesn't like Cantwell's plan-- which explains why Lincoln-- did I mention Blue America cable TV ads are up everywhere in Arkansas starting Monday again?-- joined the Republicans in opposing it.

States wouldn't be required to set up the plans. If they did, the amendment encourages them to offer "care coordination"-- or greater collaboration among health care providers-- as part of an effort to lower costs. Cantwell suggested that the states would have significant bargaining power with their own plans, pointing to an example in her home state, known as the Basic Health Plan.

"This is a way to help the whole nation move towards those kinds of efficiencies," Cantwell said.

Those that would eligible for coverage in a state plan - which Cantwell estimated would be up to 75% of the adult population currently lacking insurance - don't qualify for Medicaid in most states.

Cantwell's amendment could possibly be a backdoor way of getting most uninsured people into Medicare, not a public option-- and not single-payer-- but a lot closer to either than what's been offered by Baucus/Grassley. It actually smells pretty good to me the more I look at it.