This gives the Blue Dogs political cover for voting yes. Will they follow through? Or will they reveal themselves to be hypocritical shills for the insurance industry who could care less about the well-being of their constituents or the budget deficit?

Ok, this may be a stupid question, but can someone please answer it anyways...

The House bill and the Senate bill both pay for Health Care Reform in different ways. The House bill reduces the deficit by $100 billion dollars, and let's just throw out a number of the Senate bill reduces it by $50 billion.

Why not combine both methods of paying for HCR into the final bill, and reduce the deficit by $150 billion?

I hear "we can tax Cadillac plans" OR "we can raise taxes on the wealthy" OR "we can do this" OR "that". Why not do a little bit of all of them? It spreads the necessary pain around a bit, and could end up reducing the deficit by even more in the long run.

If I may say so, I find it sad that political analysts and budget wonks consider $6 billion, an amount of money so great it is unfathomable to most Americans, to be a 'hair'.

HCAN California joins the fundraising push behind House bill

Good news! Health reform is quickly moving along. Just moments ago, the House of Representatives unveiled a comprehensive and historic health reform bill that ensures quality, affordable health care and includes a public option! This bill is now expected to go to a full floor vote in the next couple of weeks.

The product of months of work by key committees--all of which had California Representatives in leadership positions--the House bill would dramatically improve our health care system by expanding coverage to those who don't have it, providing security and stability for those who have health coverage but are concerned it won't be there for them when they need it, and offering real choice.

But as we approach this historic vote, there still remains a few wavering Democrats in the House from California who have yet to indicate whether they will vote in support of health reform.

That's why Health Care for America Now!-California, our lead state partner, Health Access California, and others are intensifying our efforts to make sure we express the need and urgency of health reform for those Californians that have yet to commit--Representatives Jim Costa and Dennis Cardoza, both "Blue Dogs" from the Central Valley.

To make sure this message is heard, we're looking to purchase full-page advertisements in targeted daily newspapers in Rep. Costa and Cardoza's districts.

Given the critical nature and limited timeline of this effort -- we need to quickly raise $10,000 over the next couple of days so we can purchase full-page ads in the Bakersfield Californian, Fresno Bee, Stockton Record, and other Central California publications.

Help us keep the pressure on the California Central Valley "Blue Dogs" Congressmen! Contribute what you can today!

Politico says the CBO showed higher premiums on the public option versus private plans. Does that make sense to anyone? Though, they did say that 6 million people would enroll only.

Wooo hooo! 6 million are going to be on the plan! F'n aye!

That's gonna put a smack down on private insurers and really make my insurance cost drop like a rock.

Hot damn these folks in DC have this jammed up and jelly tight!

Politico says the CBO showed higher premiums on the public option versus private plans. Does that make sense to anyone? Though, they did say that 6 million people would enroll only.

The concern that CBO has is that only 6 million people will opt for the public option and those people will be the sickest and thus the premiums will be higher.

a public option only an insurance industry can love

Nothing close to "robust" in this legislation. Can't get a staright/good/rational answer as to why those in need have to wait 4 years to reap the "benefits"? Please, no lame answers.

WTF? This is watered down policy and a giveaway to the insurers for a new captured pool of revenue.

I see NO progressive reform issues at hand of any real meaning, and only a total capitulation to corporate interests who will continue to escalate premiums, escalate costs of delivery, escalate costs of drugs and deny care and coverage one way or another, as 45,000 a year continue to die.

Anna Eshoo's amendment that Pelosi endorsed and passed is a giveaway to pharm for 12 years more of patent pending so that generics can't be brought to bear for the masses.

Jane Hamsher has an EXCELLENT post up at FDL for how the people who most need cancer drugs are going to die, because they got sold down the river. You or anyone you know got $140,000 a year to pay for life saving cancer drugs?

So those folks are sold out to die.

And taking HUGE amounts from Medicare and Medicaid? Cutting costs?

And now, negotiating rates with providers instead of Medicare+5%? More costs put into a system, that covers too few, to compete with private insurers? The private Insurers who will raise rates, (our own rates went up 20% with reduced benefits) and shift their needy patients off to the government plan, that won't cover everyone.

And in the end, the government plan is doomed to fail, and cost MORE, because of this shit reform?

Reform my ass, better we ask our reps and senators to KILL this reform.

Fat chance of that, huh? Fat cats win, and we die.

Bastids. All of them.

Harumph.

Ok... so if i get this right POTUS says we have a Health Care Crisis... 30 million uninsured! Must reform Health Care!

Article states "will bring insurance to 36 million more Americans, leaving 18 million people under the age of 65--and 12 million citizens--without health care."

Ummm fuzzy math here - After 1990 pages there are still 30 million not covered????? WTF?

Well, well, well...Count another one in! Short translation of Sen. Kent Conrad's statement after the CBO study came out: I now have enough rhetorical cover and have shown enough concern about budgetary constraints to get on board the big train leaving the station. Conrad was welcomed on board the train by Reid and Baucus who had earlier gotten good seats with a view. That band of supposed holdouts is down to just Landrieu, Lincoln, Nelson, Bayh, and Lieberman. At this point I count 55 strong votes for HCR and counting. Looks like that personal chat with the President cleared Conrad's thinking.

Lest anyone suppose I think badly of Conrad or Baucus or especially Reid - I don't. They are with us now when it counts and that's all we ask. Now who will be the next to smell the roses and replace those goat's horns with a halo? Landrieu, Lieberman, .... Snowe? ....Voinovich? ....??????