graphic by twolf1
One can only wonder at the anonymous quote Jane cited from The Hill to the effect "everyone knows" the Baucus bill is the blueprint for a successful health reform bill.
"President Obama clearly articulated his blueprint in his speech, and everyone knows Finance has the bulk of the bill that reflects that blueprint," the source said. "Everyone, including the White House, knows the Finance bill is the only bill that's paid for and can pass. In short, the White House wants a win, and using the bulk of the Baucus bill is the playbook to get the 'W.' "
Really? On which planet? Think about what this "courageous" Democrat is saying.
Everyone else knows that the only reason Baucus' bill may escape his own committee is because everyone is sick of the Finance Committee and will pass almost any atrocity to get this dysfunctional group out of the picture. That's the only way the rest of the Senate can fix the catastrophe the Baucus bill represents for the Party.
If the Baucus bill were the only game in town, it's not clear it could get even a majority of Democrats on the Committee, let alone the full Senate. Rockefeller hates it because he knows it's just a give away to the private insurance companies; Wyden hates it because it shields the insurers from competition, and he knows his expanded exchange amendment got screwed by Baucus, Conrad and the CBO. Schumer and Cantwell, and probably Kerry and Menendez, want a Public Option, but Baucus and Conrad are willing to ignore the large public and Democratic majorities in favor of that choice. These Senators know the American people may revolt in 2010 if they're required to buy insurance at prices they can't afford and there isn't a viable, non-profit public alternative that isn't trying to evade the reforms and screw them.
Most of the Democrats are worried about the mandates and affordability. They think the premiums are too high, the value too low, the subsidies too small, the eligibility for them too narrow, and the private insurer competition too dysfunctional and weak to push bloated insurance rates down. And at least some must realize that without a strong public option and Medicare-like bargaining power, there is no mechanism to serve as the model for putting downward pressure on provider costs, which is the principal driver of exploding health care costs.
In short, Democrats know the Baucus framework is a boon for insurers but a failure for the 20 million it will leave uninsured, and an economic millstone for the 25 or so million upon whom it will impose a huge burden that the Republicans will spin as a massive tax on the middle class. They know the hope for cost containment is a risk for seniors, and the only means CBO recognizes to lower costs for non-seniors is to tax their high-end insurance and medical devices.
Every sensible Democrat knows this is a political disaster, and they know the only way to fix this mess is to get the bill out of Max Baucus's and Kent Conrad's hands so they can put enough bandaids on it to make it look half-way presentable.
And no one should have any doubt about who created this mess. Leaving this to Baucus's "bipartisan" skills, and looking to Conrad and Snowe for ways to evade the public option, were White House ideas from day one, and they got exactly what they wanted. The Senate leadership acquiesced because it didn't want to take responsibility.
This is what happens when you don't have principled leadership and a President who's willing to take risks for something he actually believes in.
More:
WaPo, Discrimination by Insurers Likely Even With Reform
Examiner, Insurance premiums still unaffordable under Baucus bill
Kaiser, Health Reform Subsidy Calculator
HCAN, Affordability comparison with HELP
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