Timid Blue Dogs and 'Centrists' Pose Greatest Threat to Healthcare Reform -- Tell Congress To Act Boldly Now

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
by Christine Bowman

War of the Words -- A Healthcare Win Requires Pressure from the People To Move Cautious Democrats Forward

Now that healthcare reform proposals from the Senate and the House and the White House are on the table, the war of the words is on. Unfortunately, the Party of No and the right wing usually dominate the talking point turf, and this debate is no exception. The GOP meme of "government-run" is everywhere -- except in the Democrats' draft proposals, which emphasize "choice." It begins to feel like the conservatives are winning, despite polling from multiple research firms that shows very strong support for serious healthcare reform. 85 percent of respondents to the latest NYT/CBS polling said the healthcare system needs to be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt.

Liberal commentators Monday have noted that certain Democrats already are buckling under the P.R. offensive from conservatives and special interest lobbies. Under the heading, "With friends like these ..." writers at MSNBC's "First Read" quote Senator Dianne Feinstein's remark that Obama might not have the votes to pass healthcare, and ask, "Does anyone think that if a Republican president wanted health-care reform and had a GOP-controlled Congress and 60 Republicans in the Senate, that the reform wouldn’t pass?"

Over at The NY Times, columnist Paul Krugman also speculates that the clearest threat to achieving healthcare reform is coming from within the Democratic party. Krugman writes today that healthcare reform as proposed would cost no more than Bush's tax cut did -- yet it could lose:

The real risk is that health care reform will be undermined by "centrist" Democratic senators who either prevent the passage of a bill or insist on watering down key elements of reform. I use scare quotes around "centrist," by the way, because if the center means the position held by most Americans, the self-proclaimed centrists are in fact way out in right field.

What the balking Democrats seem most determined to do is to kill the public option, either by eliminating it or by carrying out a bait-and-switch, replacing a true public option with something meaningless. For the record, neither regional health cooperatives nor state-level public plans, both of which have been proposed as alternatives, would have the financial stability and bargaining power needed to bring down health care costs."

Most interesting in Krugman's column, though, is his observation that after reform advocates began a public campaign targeting Blue Dog Democratic Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska for his position on the public option, he actually "softened his stand." Nelson initially had declared the public option a "deal breaker" because he didn’t think private insurers could compete. Nelson's actual words were that, "At the end of the day, the public plan wins the day." On second thought, evidently Nelson remembered that that's the idea of competition. The unworthy become losers. Competition prompts corporate self-scrutiny and change.

In his Monday blog, Krugman also admits that he's beginning to think the self-described defenders of "competition" are actually small state defenders of local monopolies. Last week, BuzzFlash raised the monopoly question after learning that American Medical Association data shows that over-consolidation in the health insurance industry is a key problem in 95% of metropolitan areas. Lack of competition certainly has allowed dominant insurers to push up costs nationwide. In North Dakota, for example, Blue Cross Blue Shield has a 90% market share. One must assume that in that market and many others, only a robust public option could provide any incentive for reducing premiums or improving the product.

A New York Times editorial outlining public-plan proposals notes, "Unfortunately, many Senate Democrats are so desperate to find a political compromise with Republicans — or so bullied by the rhetoric — that they are in danger of gravely weakening a public plan, or eliminating it entirely. That would be a mistake."

Another writer summarizing healthcare proposals last week, Noam N. Levey at the LA Times, described some of the political jousting that is under way:

In the Senate, Democrats spent much of last week trying to hold together the consensus behind the healthcare push. Outside Washington, the political battle is also intensifying, as liberal political groups step up their efforts to pressure congressional Democrats not to back away from plans to create a new government insurance program.

The grass-roots powerhouse MoveOn.org began airing a radio ad targeting Sen. Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, a moderate Democrat who has expressed reservations about a new so-called public plan.

And Health Care for America Now, which has been helping lead the charge for a public plan, began airing a television ad in 10 states that casts the proposal as a way to give consumers more choice in selecting health insurance.

Progressive activists need to be seen and heard now, or the Congress will take the path of least resistance and cave to their old friends on K Street. Polling numbers alone are not enough. If the Democrats unite, which they will only do under pressure from constituents, they can win. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is testing the waters as to whether Democrats might be willing to brave it without "bipartisanship," as CBS News reported today:

Most Democrats want the final health care bill to include a government sponsored plan that for the first time would be open to middle-class workers and their families. It would be offered alongside private plans through a new kind of insurance purchasing pool called an exchange. Individuals and small businesses would be able to buy coverage through exchanges, but eventually businesses of any size might be able to join.

The next few weeks will be pivotal in the debate. Democrats want to push ahead as far as they can before the July 4 congressional recess. Over the break, comments from constituents could determine whether Congress sticks to its goal of passing legislation this

The time is absolutely now to pull out the stops for serious healthcare reform. Action suggestions are offered at the Health Care For America Now (HCAN) website.

Let's dog the "Blue Dogs" and "centrists" and make them vote with real Democrats for a change.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

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