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What exactly IS essential?
Author: Raine    Date: 08/17/2009 12:18:45

Sorry to be so late today. I will admit that health care reform is first and foremost on my mind, and with the events of the past weekend the entire process seems to be in chaos. As of right this moment, I can't tell whether or not the public option is in or out of what the President wants for health care reform.

Yesterday, you may have heard the Secretary of HHS said that the public option is "is not an essential part" of health insurance reform. This has set off a firestorm in the blogosphere. Rightfully so. The President has stated on many many occasions that he would not sign a bill without a public option.

We have a very good bill floating around Washington called HR 3200. I have mentioned it quite often. It includes the public option. As of today, nothing has come out of any committee in the Senate.

The White has issued retractions (once again) saying that Ms. Sebelius misspoke.
An administration official said tonight that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "misspoke" when she told CNN this morning that a government run health insurance option "is not an essential part" of reform. This official asked not to be identified in exchange for providing clarity about the intentions of the President. The official said that the White House did not intend to change its messaging and that Sebelius simply meant to echo the president, who has acknowledged that the public option is a tough sell in the Senate and is, at the same time, a must-pass for House Democrats, and is not, in the president's view, the most important element of the reform package.
2 other people were mentioned in this article. It also mentions that Robert Gibbs stated
fostering competition and choice were non-negotiable, but the specific mechanism designed to do so was up for discussion.
Is it a walk back? Are they caving to the Senate conservadems and republicans by dangling the idea of co-ops with a non profit insurance option? I am really not sure. What I do know and I have been saying, is that it is critical that people contact their representatives while they are in recess and back in their home states. Or, was it mis statement from an administrative official? That is where I get really angry with this administration. I am getting very tired of this happening. For a campaign that ran so smoothly these gaffes are getting irritating. It shouldn't be that hard for people to stay on message, right? (Do you hear me Rham? )

One thing is clear and important to remember: The public option is NOT dead. Congress is NOT in session. The corporatists are whipping up the conservatives by taking action, deceitful as it may be -- by going out disrupting meetings, spreading lies, and stoking fear. What we must do now is organize, and get noticed. We need to fight like hell for the rest of the month and well into September. I refuse to let these people frame the debate again. It's THAT important.

When people ask you 'Why the rush or why a public option?' Think about this:

22,000 Americans die every year because they lack adequate health care coverage. That's a basic, essential fact. That's about 60 Americans every day, 2 people an hour or six 9/11's every year. Those people no longer have an option. 3 people have died since I began todays blog. What exactly is essential to Washington?


and
Raine

 

70 comments (Latest Comment: 08/18/2009 01:11:18 by trojanrabbit)
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