Senators reject second 'public option' healthcare amendment
 

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Members of the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday rejected a second amendment to a health-care reform bill that would have created a government-run health-care plan option. The vote was 13 to 10. Sponsors Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said the amendment would hold down rising health-care costs. Senators rejected a similar amendment earlier Tuesday.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sen...90?siteid=bnbh

I'm not shocked. I don't think they will get a health care bill done that has a public option in it. There is just too much opposition to it.

Too much opposition? Like 30% of the American public? Or 40% of doctors who oppose it?

Wait, you much mean 100% of insurance company lobbyists who oppose it.

I'm not shocked either, but I'm fucking disgusted.

No way in hell should people be forced to buy health insurance from the same bloody thieves who are ripping the public off now.

If we can't get a health care plan with a public option than I sure as hell hope that we don't get one at all.

Actually I mean by the senate. All of the republicans oppose it and a few of the democrats oppose it. The reason it most likely will not end up on an final bill is because there are not enough votes to overcome a filibuster at this moment. That could change though.

a filibuster can be by-passed via reconciliation and the dems are threatening to do that.

What I think will happen is that they will pass a plan the requires you to get health insurance and if you choose not to you will be fined. If you make too little money to afford it there will be some kind of financial aid to help you pay for it.

To me the problem with this is that it doesn't really create competition. If you are poor and have no insurance then the government steps in to pay for your insurance you will have little motivation to actually shop around and find a good deal since you won't really be paying for it.

For sure they are and that may still be an option for them, but I think they would need to get all the dems on board to make that happen and at the moment they don't have that.

Exactly!

There should be a primetime show on TV, at least once a week, informing the viewers which of our senators and congressmen are taking gifts, favors, and money from lobbyists - how much, and from whom!

When they vote against a public option they are on the take, and they need to be called out publicly, so they are never re-elected again!

Imposing fines for people who do not have health insurance has more opposition than govt run healthcare. I know plenty of people that want govt healthcare but say that ppl should not be fined if they have no insurance. Plus how are you going to fine someone that is an illegal immigrant?

I am opposed to fining people as well. I am just going off of some of the stuff I have read. I guess you couldn't fine illegals, but in theory the program won't cover illegals. The problem then, of course, is that these illegals will still go to the ER when they get a cold and run up a $1000 bill that they don't pay and we still pick up the tab.

Another thing I don't like is that they want to give tax credits to help poor people pay for the insurance. That isn't a bad idea, the problem is that these same poor people will have to figure out how to pay for the insurance until they get the tax credits and many people owe taxes of some form or another so those credits (which will come in the form of a refund) will just go to pay for the back owed taxes. If they fine people for not having insurance the poor people could end up really fucked, unable to pay for the insurance because of taxes owed and getting fined for not be able to afford it.

Amnesty. Next on the agenda.