Senate Democrats Reach Compromise on Health Reform
Reports the Huffington Post: "Senate Democrats emerged from a caucus-wide meeting Wednesday evening tight-lipped about the elements of the "broad agreement" that has been reached on health care reform - in some cases literally so: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) declined to answer questions by pointing at his sealed lips. [I see- so much for transparency.]
There's a reason for the opacity. If details of the policy proposals sent to the Congressional Budget Office are leaked, the CBO no longer feels as if it needs to keep the analysis confidential. [Oh this can't be good.] Keeping the many pieces secret for a few more days gives Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) the opportunity to share them first with colleagues and combine them in a way that gets all 60 members of the caucus on board."
Senate Republicans Prepared To Unanimously Oppose
Senate Republicans might unanimously oppose: (Oh good! Wait- even Olympia Snowe?) "Senate Republicans predicted on Wednesday that the 40 members of their caucus would unanimously oppose health care reform despite changes made by Democratic leadership to make the product more palatable to conservatives." (...and why weren't they behaving this way when they had a majority and George W. Bush passed Medicare D?)
7 Reasons Why It Will Be Bad For Health Care
According to the Cato Institute: "While Reid said the agreement was too important to actually tell anyone what is in it, most of the details have been leaked to the press.
Rather than set-up a completely government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurance, Congress would establish a program similar to the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP), which currently covers government workers, including Members of Congress..."
The Cato Institute's Michael D. Tanner then gives seven reasons why this is a truly bad idea. You can read them in their entirety here, and my brief summary of them is below:
1. Higher Prices.
2. Rationing. Yes- Rationing!
3. Unfeasible.
4. Puts off the problem instead of solving it.
5. More higher prices, and less access!
6. A "budget-buster."
7. Would further squeeze private insurance.
