TPMDC
Clyburn: We Should Compromise on Public Option
Brian Beutler | September 4, 2009, 3:59PM
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC)
Share
Send to a friend!
The influential House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) says Democrats should accept a compromise--perhaps temporarily--over the public option.
"We ought to set up some pilot programs regionally around the country," Clyburn told McClatchy. "What you're trying to do is find out what works and what doesn't work."
According to McClatchy, "After a four-year limited trial run, Clyburn said, the federal health-care coverage would be expanded only if it doesn't drive up costs and prompt companies to stop providing private insurance, as Republican opponents have claimed a nationwide public option would do."
The idea, which Clyburn has proposed to the White House, would serve as something of a compromise between a public option and a public option affixed to a trigger--to plant the seeds of a public option in regions around the country, but not take it nation-wide until a later date, if cost savings and coverage expansions went unrealized.
Other Stories Featured at TPMDC
Join the Conversation!
Leave a comment
Follow us!
Most Popular
- Palin Advocates War With Iran After Apparently Misunderstanding Buchanan Column (VIDEO)
- Jon Stewart: Obama's Teleprompter Is No Match For Palin's 'Mavericky Notecard Hand-Scribbled Buzzwords' (VIDEO)
- Colbert: 'Sarah Palin Is A F--king Retard' (VIDEO)
- At A Whole New Level
- What's the Deal with The Ryan Budget?
- Cheney, Ridge Pioneered Miranda Attack On Obama
- Backhanded Compliment
- Gibbs Mocks Palin And Writes Shopping List On Hand (VIDEO)
- Cheney, Ridge Pioneered Miranda Attack On Obama
- History
- Gibbs Mocks Palin And Writes Shopping List On Hand (VIDEO)
- Palin Advocates War With Iran After Apparently Misunderstanding Buchanan Column (VIDEO)
- House GOP-ers: Start Over And We'll Come To The Table. White House: No.
- Bachmann: 'Wean Everybody Off' Social Security And Medicare
- Ben Nelson Helps GOP Block Obama NLRB Nominee
- Jon Stewart: Obama's Teleprompter Is No Match For Palin's 'Mavericky Notecard Hand-Scribbled Buzzwords' (VIDEO)
- Allegations Against Leader Cause Turmoil In CA GOP
- Cheney, Ridge Pioneered Miranda Attack On Obama
- Deconstructing Rush Limbaugh
- Bachmann: 'If We Reject Israel, Then There Is A Curse That Comes Into Play'
TPM Stories Now Surging on Digg.com
TPM Top News
© 2009 TPM Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Indie Pro
September 4, 2009 4:00 PM
Give the insurance industry personal mandates
allow them to charge whatever the want for four years
then bring in a public option to offer compettition and draw down costs
hmmm, maybe the insurnace industry would go for that!
what is the reasoned argument against a public option?
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
nova voter
September 4, 2009 4:02 PM in reply to Indie Pro
"what is the reasoned argument against a public option?"
President Obama was born in Kenya. Duh.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
mcc
September 4, 2009 4:01 PM
Medicare isn't a pilot program?
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Indie Pro
September 4, 2009 4:02 PM
I'll answer my own question:
the argument against the public option is
the insurance industry does not want it.
Atleast now it is clear who is fighting for them.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Stroszek
September 4, 2009 4:12 PM
Well, this idea is far superior to the trigger option.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Ann Arbor
September 4, 2009 4:19 PM in reply to Stroszek
I agree. This is more than the camel's nose in the tent. If there's a public option in a few parts of the country and it's clearly working, people elsewhere will start demanding that they get one too.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
bluebell
September 4, 2009 5:37 PM in reply to Ann Arbor
Health care works in Minnesota and Vermont already. This has no influence whatever on Texas and Mississippi. A regional trial is sick joke.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Stroszek
September 4, 2009 9:40 PM in reply to bluebell
Then that would only ensure that the trial would go successfully, permitting expansion. I would like to say it's obvious to everyone that that's far better than nothing, but it's evident that many around here are willing to see Americans die if they're not 100% satisfied with how we proceed with achieving our goals.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
bmull
September 5, 2009 9:59 PM in reply to Stroszek
A trigger will never be allowed to occur, and a meaningful regional experiment will never be allowed to occur. Six of one, half dozen of the other.
In Massachusetts low income working people suffer severe penalties for failing to buying insurance they can't afford. Exactly what Obama said he wouldn't do.
Obama wants working people to accept this defeat so he doesn't have to. That's not going to happen.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
JohnW1141
September 4, 2009 4:41 PM
Yeah, lets put the public option off for two or four years, it will so much easier to pass then. The insurance companies will be altruistic by then, as will PHARMA, the Republicans, and all those others that fought the option this year.
Why I wouldn't be surprised if Senator Jim DeMint led the fight for a Public Option in two years. Maybe Grassely will be a co-signer.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Stroszek
September 4, 2009 4:44 PM in reply to JohnW1141
This isn't what Clyburn is proposing.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
athenian stranger
September 4, 2009 4:44 PM
I don't even get what this idea is. What would a "limited regional trial" be? Some people can buy in?? Is this coops? What is this? I don't get it at all.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Stroszek
September 4, 2009 4:48 PM in reply to athenian stranger
Basically, they'd set up the public option normally. However, only people from certain "regions" (i.e., blue states) would be able to participate. If it cut costs and doesn't force out regional competitors, it expands nationwide.
So, basically, it establishes the public option for certain regions (and since there's about 0% chance of Congress voting to strip people of their health insurance, it'll be there to stay) while giving Democrats in "red" regions a bludgeon to take on Republicans (i.e., "See how well the public option works in New England, why not allow Nebraskans to buy in?").
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
TaraV
September 4, 2009 5:11 PM in reply to Stroszek
But if scale is one of the drivers of lowering costs, then it won't succeed with such a small pool. And do we know how the other folks not in the trial will be covered? We're back to the mandate without a way for people to buy reasonably priced policies issue.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
wickning1
September 4, 2009 5:30 PM in reply to TaraV
Look at the wording... does not drive up costs and does not force out other insurers.
As I understand it, what he's saying is try it in a few blue states, and if the world doesn't blow up like the republicans are claiming, then the public option automatically becomes national, without further legislation.
Sounds like a fairly decent idea to me.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Indie Pro
September 4, 2009 5:33 PM in reply to wickning1
Look at the wording of her comment:
But if scale is one of the drivers of lowering costs, then it won't succeed with such a small pool.
And do we know how the other folks not in the trial will be covered?
We're back to the mandate without a way for people to buy reasonably priced policies issue.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Stroszek
September 4, 2009 9:42 PM in reply to Indie Pro
A region like New England or the coastal west, which is larger than most European countries, is hardy a "small pool." Moreover, an affluent region, like New England or the coastal west, will have a much easier time achieving initial solvency.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Ann Arbor
September 4, 2009 5:37 PM in reply to TaraV
Hard to say about scale without more specifics.
But if those people not in the pilot programs see the trials working out, they will become a consitutuency pushing to take the concept nationwide.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Indie Pro
September 4, 2009 5:43 PM in reply to Ann Arbor
or people pissed off, when forced to buy insurance they can'y afford.
Even with subsidies (which in committee are being lowered), a family can be on the hook for $100 a month. That may not seem like much to the President or to Congress, but I can guarantee you that to people who can not afford insurance now, to force them to pay $100 a month can be catastrophic.
The democratic party should not throw these people under the bus because they refuse to argue for the Public Option and strong subsidies when there is no good argument against it!
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Indie Pro
September 4, 2009 5:45 PM in reply to Indie Pro
or throw them under the bus
because the President needs a win.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Stroszek
September 4, 2009 9:48 PM in reply to Indie Pro
For the gazillionth time:
Low subsidies, if they happen, will put a dent in incomes with or without the public option. Again, the subsidies aren't a flat amount. Rather, they cap what a person would pay into the policy. To that extent, the public option is mostly a budgetary concern.
With that said, $100 a month would be catastrophic for a low income family, but since the bill will likely expand Medicaid to over 133% of the poverty level and since lower subsidies would mostly impact families making something in the range of 50k-80k a year, I'm not sure the backlash would be as catastrophic as you make it out to be... even if we went with the Finance Committee subsidy levels.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Stroszek
September 4, 2009 9:38 PM in reply to TaraV
An entire region would be plenty sufficient to lower costs, especially given that we're dealing with regional near-monopolies, not national monopolies. In fact, if the trial regions consisted of relatively affluent areas like the coastal west or New England, it would likely increase the capacity of the PO to stay solvent without federal intervention in its early years.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
bluebell
September 4, 2009 5:40 PM
Why don't we just let a few blue states join Canada.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
wbgonne
September 4, 2009 5:47 PM in reply to bluebell
I was about to suggest dividing the country in half. But I'd go with Canada. Must the states be contiguous to Canada in your plan? Oh, does it require a trigger?
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
bluebell
September 4, 2009 6:33 PM in reply to wbgonne
The trigger is when the first Canadian quarter turns up in your change. It's a sign!
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
wbgonne
September 4, 2009 5:46 PM
Why don't we just divide the country into two parts? Or why didn't Bush's tax cuts for the rich take 10 years to kick in?
Here's my view: If a groaning economy, a dysfunctional health care system, and the country's disgraceful abasement of its citizens isn't enough of a "trigger," just what will be? I see this as a stalling maneuver which has been the health care industrial complex's defense since health care reform arose. They'll just hope the Republicans get back in control of at least one house of Congress. And then what are the chances of any public plan coming to life? You wanna buy a nice bridge with that?
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?