Healthcare Wanted (part 2)

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  With a public option (universal health care) being so popular (anywhere from 60-80% for it) why are we not seeing our elected representatives moving on this?
  
  Supposedly there are not enough votes in the senate for it.
  
  “ ‘I don’t know that he has the votes right now,’ Feinstein said today on CNN’s "State of the Union" program” From CNN
  
  Call and e-mail your representatives and tell them we support Universal healthcare. Let them know we want a public option.
  
  Here’s the numbers:
  
  White House
  Tel: 202-456-1111,
  E-Mail: http://www.whitehouse.gov/...

• Senate HELP:
  help_comments@help.senate.gov
  Senator Edward Kennedy at (202) 224-4543
  Senator Dodd at (202) 224-2823 Fax: (202) 224-1083
  Tom Harkin (IA): (202) 224-3254
  Barbara Mikulski (MD): (202) 224-4654
  Jeff Bingaman (NM): (202) 224-5521
  Patty Murray (WA: (202) 224-2621
  Jack Reed (RI): (202) 224-4642
  Bernard Sanders (I) (VT): (202) 224-5141
  Sherrod Brown (OH): (202) 224-2315
  Robert Casey, Jr. (PA): (202) 224-6324
  Kay Hagan (NC): (202) 224-6342
  Jeff Merkley (OR): (202) 224-3753
  Senate Finance:
  Max Baucus at (202) 224-2651
  Olympia Snowe at (202) 224-5344
  Charles Schumer at 202-224-6542
  John Rockefeller at (202) 224-6472
  Ron Wyden at (202) 224-5244
  Kent Conrad at (202) 224-2043
  John Kerry at (202) 224-2742
  Blanche Lincoln at 202-224-4843
  Debbie Stabenow at (202) 224-4822
  Maria Cantwell at 202-224-3441
  Bill Nelson at 202-224-5274
  Robert Menendez at 202-224-4744
  Thomas Carper at (202) 224-2441

• House Ways and Means Committee
  Tel: 202-225-3625 Fax: 202-225-2610
  Charles B. Rangel, Chairman Ways and Means NY-15th 202-225-4365
  Pete Stark, Chairman Subcommittee on Health CA-13th 202-225-5065
  Lloyd Doggett, TX-25th 202-225-4865
  Mike Thompson, CA-1st 202-225-3311
  Xavier Becerra, CA-31st 202- 225-6235
  Earl Pomeroy, ND-At Large 202-225-2611
  Ron Kind, WI-3rd 202-225-5506
  Earl Blumenauer, OR-3rd 202-225-4811
  Bill Pascrell Jr. NJ-8th 202-225-5751
  Shelley Berkley, NV-1st 202-225-5965

• House Energy and Commerce Committee
  Committee Telephone: 202-225-2927
  And the Subcommittee on Health
  Henry A. Waxman (Chairman) CA-30th 202-225-3976
  Frank Pallone, Jr., Chairman, Health Subcommittee) NJ-6th 202-225-4671
  John D. Dingell, Chairman Emeritus MI-15th 202-225-4071
  Lois Capps, Vice Chair CA-23rd 202-225-3601
  Bart Gordon, TN-6th 202-225-4231
  Anna G. Eshoo, CA-14th 202-225-8104
  Eliot L. Engel, NY-17th 202-225-2464
  Gene Green, TX-29th 225-1688
  Diana DeGette, CO-1st 202-225-4431
  Jan Schakowsky, IL-9th 202-225-2111
  Tammy Baldwin, WI-2nd 202-225-2906
  Mike Ross, AR-4th 202-225-3772
  Anthony D. Weiner, NY-9th 202-225-6616
  Jim Matheson, UT-2nd 202-225-3011
  Jane Harman, CA-36th 202-225-8220
  Charles A. Gonzalez, TX-20th 202-225-3236
  John Barrow, GA-12th 202-225-2823
  Donna M. Christensen, VI-delegate 202-225-1790
  Kathy Castor, FL-11th 202-225-3376
  John P. Sarbanes, MD-3rd 202-225-4016
  Christopher S. Murphy, CT-5th 202-225-4476
  Zachary T. Space, OH-18th 202-225-6265
  Betty Sutton, OH-13th 202-225-3401
  Bruce L. Braley, IA-1st 202-225-2911
  
• House Education and Labor Committee
  T: 202 225-372
  George Miller, Chairman CA 7th 202-225-2095
  Robert Andrews, Chair Subcommittee HELP, NJ-1st 202-225-6501
  David Wu OR-1st 202-225-0855
  Phil Hare IL-17th 202-225-5905
  John F. Tierney MA-6th 202-225-8020
  Dennis J. Kucinich OH-10th 202-225-5871
  Marcia Fudge OH-11th 202-225-7032
  Dale E. Kildee MI-5th 202-225-3611
  Carolyn McCarthy NY-4th 202-225-5516
  Rush Holt NJ-12th 202-225-5801
  Joe Sestak PA-7th 202-225-2011
  David Loebsack IA-2nd 202-225-6576
  Yvette Clarke NY-11th 202-225-6231
  Joe Courtney CT-2nd 202-225-2076
  

(chart from here: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/06/public-support-for-public-option.html )

Some amazing analysis of how bad the proposed "public option" from Senator Baucus can be found here: http://jwalkerreport.blogspot.com/2009/06/baucuss-health-care-plan-is-worse-than.html

Just how bad is Senator Baucus's draft proposal? It is worse than the proposal put forward by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). That is correct -- the health insurance industry wrote a better proposal than the Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee.

For the most part Baucus's proposal is almost identical to that of the AHIP lobby. Both do not include a public option and would offer a bare bones insurance plan. Both have an individual mandates, a form of community rating, and some type of health insurance exchange. Both would also limit out-of-pocket cost based on the current HSA standard. In the few places the proposals differ, Baucus's proposal is in fact less generous than the AHIP.

Paying for private insurance

Baucus Proposal – People making below 300% of the federal poverty level (FPL) would get subsidies to help buy insurance. If you make more than $31,500 you are on your own for the full cost of insurance.

AHIP Proposal – People making below 400% of the FPL would get subsidies to help buy insurance. Also everyone buying private insurance would get to deduct the full cost of their plan.

Medicaid Eligibility

Baucus Proposal – Every adult below 100% of the FPL would be eligible for Medicaid. Children below 133% of FDL would be eligible.

AHIP Proposal – Every adult below 100% of the FPL would be eligible for Medicaid. Children below 300% of FDL would be eligible.

The conclusion is simple. To claim that the health care reform plan put forward by the Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee was written by health industry lobbyists would be an insult to the lobbyists. Their plan was slightly better and did more to help average Americans buy health insurance.