Health Care Update

by: Jennifer Daler

Thu Oct 08, 2009 at 17:36:14 PM EDT

There has been a lot going on with the debate over health care reform at the federal level. It seems both regular and "Blue Dog" Dems are reaching consensus on the so-called opt-out plan. This would allow states to opt out of the public option by legislative or popular vote.

Brian Beutler at TPM:

A Baucus aide tells me "Senator Baucus will look closely at this proposal, as well as other proposals, and could consider supporting them as part of an overall package as long as it achieved his health care reform goals while getting 60 votes."

On the other side of the party, Howard Dean says, if he were a member of the Senate, he would vote for the proposal, not because it's his ideal public option, but because it would represent real reform.

Nate Silver has this to say about public option "purity"

Some of the usual suspects are out this morning with criticism of Tom Carper's compromise proposal to insert a robust public option into the Democrats' health care bill, but allow states to opt out of it by legislative or popular action. I'm not going to call these people out by name because I consider some of them friends and they're doing good, important, productive work. But this compromise is leaps and bounds better than most of the others that have been floated, such as Chuck Schumer's proposal to have a public insurance option that would be forced to negotiate at private market rates.

Bloomberg reports the results of a Quinnipiac poll that indicate the Republicans are losing more ground with their attempt to blockade this necessary reform.

Months of Republican attacks on President Barack Obama's health-care proposals appear to have hurt the party, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.
The survey found 64 percent of voters disapproving of the way Republicans in Congress are doing their jobs, with 25 percent approving. Also, 53 percent had an unfavorable opinion of the party in general, while 25 percent rated it favorably.

I don't remember seeing the sausage making aspect of legislation so up close and personal before. Was there this much coverage of Bush's irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthiest of the wealthy? Or the run up to the invasion of Iraq? (Judith Miller not withstanding)

Things seem to be moving in a positive direction.

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