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Conrad: House Health Care Bill Much Improved
Brian Beutler | October 29, 2009, 6:48PM
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)
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Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) let it be known in numerous ways that early versions of the House health care bill would not meet his budgetary muster. Now, with CBO saying the House bill is a long term deficit reducer, Conrad has some very kind words for it.
"Much improved," Conrad told me. "It's now paid for, has deficit reduction over the first 10, and savings over the second 10...that's a big improvement. I commend the House. They've made significant strides and they deserve credit for it."
"They did make this sound from a budgetary standpoint, far more sound, and in terms of the public option, they no longer have it tied to Medicare levels of reimbursement which is, as I see it, terribly unfair to the low reimbursement states," he added.
One consequence of not tying the public option to Medicare? The CBO predicts that average premiums will be higher in the public option than in private plans.
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johnmccsf
October 29, 2009 7:03 PM
Feel the Mentum
Tom Harkin via Wash Independent
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CVille Dem
October 29, 2009 7:26 PM
I have one word for Conrad AND Joe: @%#^$&%*^(_+!$@#@#%#^&##*#)__)(*^%@!!++))(*&^^!
Translation: We have your numbers, and you are both beneath contempt and are traitors to the cause! Open your eyes!
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johnmccsf
October 29, 2009 7:44 PM in reply to CVille Dem
It's fairly obvious that the Caucus set Mentum out to twist slowly in the wind to see if he drew any flies
Before but especially AFTER Monday's announcement and Caucus Lunch, Senate Blue Dogs - Conrad, Nelson Landrieu et al were all and House bow wows essentially reserved "deficit impact"
As should be totally obvious by now, the Congressional leadership after the summer CBO debacle knew pretty much what the CBO score would be going in
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johnmccsf
October 29, 2009 7:40 PM
MoveOn: Thank Harry Reid!
http://pol.moveon.org/thankreid/?rc=homepage
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LisB
October 29, 2009 7:42 PM in reply to johnmccsf
Thanks for the link. I just sent Harry a big thank you.
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bluebell
October 29, 2009 7:44 PM in reply to johnmccsf
I'd be careful about thanking him till you've read all the fine print.
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TheRealFish
October 30, 2009 8:13 AM in reply to johnmccsf
I like Rep. Anthony Weiner's take on this: The Blue Dog "budget hawks'" insistence on having a low-deficit-impact bill produced a bill with less ability to reduce costs than would have been there with a true, robust public option tied to Medicare rates and one open to everybody as opposed just the 10% of the public that will be able to get into the plans out there now.
Word.
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soupson52
October 30, 2009 11:35 AM in reply to TheRealFish
Amen! The insurance companies have to be loving this bill. Like someone said yseterday, "How'd insurance stock do today?" (It went up.)
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bluebell
October 29, 2009 7:43 PM
Abracadabra! Where once there was a healthcare bill, now there is a deficit reducer bill. Next thing you know, feeding the hungry will reduce taxes.
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johnmccsf
October 29, 2009 7:46 PM in reply to bluebell
Probably would but that's another story that doesn't fit the American FreeMarket Fundie Myth
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
October 29, 2009 9:08 PM in reply to bluebell
If saying it got them fed, would you be upset about it?
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Stroszek
October 29, 2009 9:14 PM in reply to bluebell
So disingenuous...
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DrToast
October 29, 2009 8:27 PM
"The CBO predicts that average premiums will be higher in the public option than in private plans. "
Wait a tic, where is that from?
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soupson52
October 30, 2009 11:39 AM in reply to DrToast
That was "Profound." There is absolutely no reason for that to be true. NO profit needs to be paid, no high bonuses, just admin costs, which every insurance program has to pay. I say, that's a big pile of BS.
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johnmccsf
October 29, 2009 8:53 PM
Fallacious on its face. That is why Medicare +5 results in a lower premium than a negotiated rate (presumably but not certainly) and has absolutely nothing to do with the issue of why private plan premiums would be lower - that is entirely a function of differing risk pools.
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Stroszek
October 29, 2009 9:13 PM in reply to johnmccsf
Private insurers will be able to immediately subsidize exchange plans with revenue from the group plan market whereas the public option will be limited by its seed number and the relatively small number of people who enroll in the first few years, so it's not implausible that public option premiums would be higher.
But that's not really the point. The important thing is that the public option would make private insurers offer their plans at a lower cost. That, in fact, is the entire function of the public option.
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FreeRider
October 29, 2009 9:17 PM in reply to johnmccsf
And the overhead of advertising and paying execs millions per year.
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Indie Pro
October 29, 2009 11:10 PM
How can you tell when the conservative democrats won? This guy praises the bill, and everyone goes on and on about budget savings.
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agio
October 29, 2009 11:54 PM
I'm not sure if "average premium," without some sense of what the deductible and copayments are, is much of a measure of the true cost of a plan to a consumer.
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barryashe
October 30, 2009 7:45 AM
Well, well, well...Count another one in! Short translation of Conrad's statement: 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? ....??????
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