Emboldened by polls suggesting that a majority of Americans favor inclusion of a public option, Senator Reid has “forced” a public option into the Senate combined bill.  He has tried to take the “sting” out by including a so called opt out for the states.  He knows full well that this is a straw dog.  A fully federally funded program of this magnitude – it will impact 1/6th of the US economy – cannot be opted out of by any state, certainly not for long.  Knowing this, he and the new version of Silent Cal, Silent Barrack (at least when it comes to committing on the health care reform debate, as we all know the President does love to talk), have put together the opt out to give the appearance of fairness.  Sadly, this is classic Washington DC politics at its worst.  It remains unclear and subject to speculation as to why the Congress and President will simply not endorse regulatory reform and oversight of the health insurance industry as the most economical and logical method to solve most of the real health reform issues at hand.  Clearly, a broader agenda must be in mind, one that will in the end have the federal government controlling, or at the very least determining, the direction of health care in the United States.  Real Health Reform does not need slight of hand and political tactics, just leadership and courage . . . obi jo

straw dog – http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=straw%20dog

SILENT CAL COOLIDGE – http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/presidents_and_first_ladies/25803

While the headline news from Harry Reid was about the public option, which is firm and in stone, on several other fronts, the deal has not completely been made. A Senate leadership aide close to the negotiations emailed me that on issues of affordability and coverage subsidies, among others, Reid is sending 2-3 versions to the CBO, and then will choose the option which covers the most people and saves the most money for the federal government. So we’ll have to wait a while longer for a public bill. I’m working on some of the other details of the most defined measure in the bill thus far, that public option with an opt-out.

Senate Health Care Bill Still Unsettled On A Host Of Issues – http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/26/senate-health-care-bill-still-unsettled-on-a-host-of-issues/

In a dramatic sign of Democrats’ growing confidence that they have the votes to pass a far-reaching health care overhaul, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday that the bill he sends to the Senate floor next month will include a nationwide “public option” plan.  The provision would allow the federal government to create a medical insurance plan to be offered to Americans who do not get coverage at work as an aternative to private policies — with the proviso that individual states could opt out. “While the public option is not a silver bullet, I believe it’s an important way to ensure competition and to level the playing field for patients with the insurance industry,” Reid told reporters at the Capitol.
“Under this concept, states will be able to determine whether the public option works well for them and will have the ability to opt out, if they so choose.”

Reid includes `opt-out’ public option in latest health-care bill – http://dailyme.com/story/2009102600004422/reid-includes-opt-out-public-option-latest.html

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