Two weeks ago, centrist Democrats introduced a series of better-than-nothing compromises that we’ve been tracking; these were apparently designed to appeal to Republicans, making a bipartisan solution possible, but their inability to cooperate has left at least one Democrat angry. CBS reports:
Behind-the-scenes attempts to get a deal with Republicans on nonprofit co-ops as an alternative to a public plan have led only to frustration. . . He and his colleagues may have to go it alone, said Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Along with the public support visible in recent polls, this makes one think the Democrats would take Schumer’s advice and begin the push for a public plan, but centrist Democrats still seem weary. Diane Feinstein, who appeared on “State of the Union” this weekend, said that she thinks it will be difficult to control health care costs, adding, “I think there’s a lot of concern in the Democratic caucus.” In addition, some have suggested that some special interests could be behind the uncertainty surrounding the public option. All in all, it looks as if there is a sizable number of Blue Dog Democrats who are “determined to party like it’s 1993.” So, how can the Democrats save Health Care?
By pulling out the big guns: Ladies and gentlemen, here comes Mr. President.
The push began last week, when Obama addressed the AMA:
If we do not fix our health care system, America may go the way of GM; paying more, getting less, and going broke.
This week, Obama’s already addressed the AARP, and held a press conference:
Now, the public plan, I think, is an important tool to discipline insurance companies. . . . But just conceptually, the notion that all these insurance companies who say they’re giving consumers the best possible deal, if they can’t compete against a public plan as one option, with consumers making the decision what’s the best deal, that defies logic, which is why I think you’ve seen in the polling data overwhelming support for a public plan.
On Wednesday, Obama invited ABC to the White House for a special public forum on health care; soliciting questions from the live audience, as well as Digg, Twitter, and Facebook, Obama again made the case for public health care. He answered questions on a broad variety of topics, scoring a potent hit on the subject of financing a public plan:
[The CBO] doesn’t count all of the savings that may come from prevention, may come from eliminating all of the paperwork and bureaucracy because we have put forward health IT. It doesn’t come from the evidence-based care and changes in reimbursement … they’re not willing to credit us with those savings. They say, ‘That may be nice, that may save a lot of money, but we can’t be certain.’
His old campaign staff at Organizers for America is pitching in too, with a new website collecting stories of those victimized by the health-care system. The site already has an overwhelming number of very depressing tales illustrating just how broken our current system is, and the stories keep coming in.
But despite all this, Obama has tempered his attack by refusing to draw a “line in the sand” on a public plan, opening the door to plans that don’t include the public plan we need; it’s akin to saying, “I’d like if it were this way, but don’t worry yourself too much if it’s too tough to pull off,” and on an issue as important as health care, we cannot afford that. In addition, Obama has not specified the public plan being referred to in his speeches this week, or whether he prefers the Senate or the House plan. Although this is perhaps important to avoid playing political favorites, it seems clear from information released by the White House that the HELP Committee’s proposal remains closest to Obama’s; why he cannot say this in public is a bit baffling. The Senate Finance Committee will submit a markup of their bill next week when Congress returns from the holiday recess. While it appears they may be moving in the right direction, things remain uncertain, and something better than vague support is going to be needed. Let’s hope Obama’s got another ace up his sleeve.