Lieberman resists Medicare buy-in plan
Dec 14, 8:38 AM (ET)
By CALVIN WOODWARD
WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democrats who thought they had found a
workable compromise on health care reform learned otherwise from
independent Sen. Joe Lieberman over the weekend.
The Connecticut senator, whose vote is critical to the bill's
prospects, threatened Sunday to join Republicans in opposing health
care legislation if it permits uninsured individuals as young to 55 to
purchase Medicare coverage.
Lieberman expressed his opposition twice Sunday: first in an interview
with CBS, and more strongly later, according to Democratic officials,
in a private meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Reid, who is hoping to pass the legislation by Christmas, needs 60
votes to overcome Republican objections and has been counting on
Lieberman to provide one.
But appearing on CBS, Lieberman said of the Medicare proposal, "Though
I don't know exactly what's in it, from what I hear, I certainly would
have a hard time voting for it because it has some of the same
infirmities that the public option did.
"It will add taxpayer costs. It will add to the deficit. It's
unnecessary," he added of a provision that Reid last week hailed as
part of a breakthrough between liberals and moderates.
Democratic aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lieberman
later told Reid he would support a Republican-led filibuster against
the bill if it contained the Medicare provision or permitted the
government to sell insurance in competition with private companies.
The same aides added that Lieberman had responded differently last
week when Reid asked him privately about the proposed Medicare
provision. "He voiced support for the idea," said one official.
Lieberman's public comments last week were also generally favorable.
The aides spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not
authorized to comment publicly.
In an interview that aired Sunday night - but was recorded last week -
President Barack Obama voiced optimism about his call for sweeping
legislation to expand coverage while cracking down on the insurance
industry.
"I think it's going to pass out of the Senate before Christmas," he
told CBS'"60 Minutes."
Republicans say that's unlikely.
"With the American people as overwhelmingly opposed to this bill as
they are, for the Democrats to basically, arrogantly take the position
that we're going to ignore public opinion and jam this through before
Christmas, I think that's really a stretch," said Senate GOP leader
Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
If Lieberman follows through on his plans, he leaves Democrats with
few options. Most obviously, they could strip out the provisions he
opposes, and hope liberals overcome their inevitable unhappiness and
vote for the bill. For that approach to have any chance of success,
Obama would have to lobby heavily in its favor.
Democrats are have some political leverage, however. Lieberman lost
the Democratic nomination for re-election the last time he ran, in
2006, then won a new term as an independent. Even so, he retains his
chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs
Committee, a post he holds at the pleasure of the
Democratic-controlled Senate.
Democratic Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Ben Nelson of
Nebraska also expressed concern about the legislation.
"I'm concerned that it's the forerunner of single-payer - the ultimate
single-payer plan, maybe even more directly than the public option,"
Nelson said of the Medicare proposal. By single-payer, he meant
national health insurance run by Washington. Unlike Lieberman, Nelson
participated in negotiations last week between liberals and moderates
that produced the general framework that included the Medicare
provision.
Nelson also is seeking stricter abortion restrictions than are
currently in the bill.
"The whole reason we're doing this bill is to bring down cost, first
for the American people in health care, and secondly for the deficit,"
said Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri. "So until we get
the numbers back from the Congressional Budget Office, we're all on
hold."
Asked if she would vote against the bill if it raised health care
costs overall, she said, "Absolutely."
Lieberman, Nelson and McConnell spoke on CBS'"Face the Nation."
McCaskill was on "Fox News Sunday."
------
Associated Press Special Correspondent David Espo contributed to this
story.
http://www.Internet-Gun-Show.com - your source for hard-to-find stuff!
> Canyon note: The public option is dead..
>
> Lieberman resists Medicare buy-in plan
>
> Dec 14, 8:38 AM (ET)
>
> By CALVIN WOODWARD
>
Presumably you posted this because you like the idea of Liebermann
accepting insurance industry bribes while Americans die for lack of
health care.
Is that it?
--
Building a better American by hammering the right.
The Joe Steel Blog
http://thejoesteelblog.blogspot.com
*>LOL!<*
>Steve <steven...@yahooooo.com> wrote in
>news:b1pci5tpv340g5mnm...@4ax.com:
>
>> Canyon note: The public option is dead..
>>
>> Lieberman resists Medicare buy-in plan
>>
>> Dec 14, 8:38 AM (ET)
>>
>> By CALVIN WOODWARD
>>
>
>Presumably you posted this because you like the idea of Liebermann
>accepting insurance industry bribes while Americans die for lack of
>health care.
Did someone die for lack of health care? I must have missed it...
>Is that it?
Nope, I'm laughing because you're so petty and stupid..
--Your Darwin Award awaits your eager demise..
>Steve <steven...@yahooooo.com> wrote in
>news:b1pci5tpv340g5mnm...@4ax.com:
>
>> Canyon note: The public option is dead..
>>
>> Lieberman resists Medicare buy-in plan
>>
>> Dec 14, 8:38 AM (ET)
>>
>> By CALVIN WOODWARD
>>
>
>Presumably you posted this because you like the idea of Liebermann
>accepting insurance industry bribes while Americans die for lack of
>health care.
>
>Is that it?
Dude, they're ALL accepting bribes. From a host of different
entities. That's why the Democrats can't agree on a bill and push it
through without Republicans.
--
lab~rat >:-)
Do you want polite or do you want sincere?
Are you serious?
It happens all the time.
>It wasn't Ted Kennedy was it?
He died when the ghost of Mary Jo Kopechne shoved an Oldsmobile hood
ornament in his ear.
>Steve <steven...@yahooooo.com> wrote in
>news:uhrci5ld7uds61qn6...@4ax.com:
>
>> On Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:48:08 -0600, Joe Steel <Admi...@joesteel.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>Presumably you posted this because you like the idea of Liebermann
>>>accepting insurance industry bribes while Americans die for lack of
>>>health care.
>>
>> Did someone die for lack of health care? I must have missed it...
>>
>
>Are you serious?
>
>It happens all the time.
Not in the USA unless they don't make it to the hospital...
Someday, Steve will accidentally get transported to the "wrong" hospital, and
then he will see what happens...
Only if I'm traveling through Canada..
Nonsense. In the US, anyone who shows-up at an ER has a right to
stabilization care but no more. As soon as the danger of imminent death
passes, the doomed are discharged.
The wingnuts have heard an alternate tale - part of anti-immigrant hate speech.
They have heard that poor, indigent, and illegal people can go to ERs and get
the royal treatment, on the tax dollar. And they have heard, from the "left",
that this treatment drives up costs.
Their zeal to hate and terrorize poor and vulnerable people prevents them from
understanding this is two overlapping statistics.
Firstly, everyone has the right to stabilization, but not advanced procedures,
such as limb reattachment, at ER time. Your tax dollars at work.
Secondly, when people can't get regular checkups and preventive maintenance, the
fixes & stabilizations cost an order of magnitude more. Wasting an ER doctors'
time with a case of the flu replaces a low-tech clinic with an expensive,
high-tech, high-maintenance trauma center.
So prevention is cheaper, and Public Option would save everyone money by keeping
everyone out of ERs. Prevention is better than a cure.
But some people are so mentally ill they would campaign against better health
care for themselves, in the hopes they could increase the morbidity and
mortality among the groups they hate.
>Steve <steven...@yahooooo.com> wrote in
>news:se9di5pt2kd7d06uu...@4ax.com:
>
>> On Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:46:07 -0600, Joe Steel <Admi...@joesteel.org>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>>Are you serious?
>>>
>>>It happens all the time.
>>
>> Not in the USA unless they don't make it to the hospital...
>>
>
>Nonsense. In the US, anyone who shows-up at an ER has a right to
>stabilization care but no more. As soon as the danger of imminent death
>passes, the doomed are discharged.
....discharged in stabilized condition....
Anybody that imagines that health care managed and run by the
government could be a good thing, must be mentaly ill..
I'm guessing he's about two years from joining the ranks of the "Hey
Docs"--the old winos and senile old bags who hang out in ER waiting rooms
conjuring up symptoms for admission, and grabbing the sleeve of anyone
who looks like hospital staff and saying, "Hey, doc..."
>On Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:15:02 -0800, Phlip wrote:
>
>> Mary Poppins wrote:
>>> steven...@yahooooo.com (Steve) chiseled in stone for all posterity
>>> to see <se9di5pt2kd7d06uu...@4ax.com>:
>>>
>>>> Not in the USA unless they don't make it to the hospital...
>>>
>>> Dumbass.
>>
>> Someday, Steve will accidentally get transported to the "wrong"
>> hospital, and then he will see what happens...
>
>I'm guessing he's about two years from joining the ranks of the "Hey
Zepp has spent the better part of his life "guessing," and judging
from his lifestyle, with very little success....
>Docs"--the old winos and senile old bags who hang out in ER waiting rooms
>conjuring up symptoms for admission, and grabbing the sleeve of anyone
>who looks like hospital staff and saying, "Hey, doc..."
Zeppo has some inside knowledge about how a person who is so
irresponsible as to be unable to purchase insurance can get some free
health care....
...and judging from how the infamous health care reform bill's public
oprion is emmitting a massive stench, Zepp and the other dirty,
worthless, irresponsible old hippies are going to be doing that for a
long time....
>
> Anybody that imagines that health care managed and run by the
> government could be a good thing, must be mentaly ill..
>
The VA does a very good job of managing health care.
...to die unnecessarily of treatable diseases...
>Steve <steven...@yahooooo.com> wrote in
>news:l3jdi59aeq3lonq92...@4ax.com:
>
>>
>> Anybody that imagines that health care managed and run by the
>> government could be a good thing, must be mentaly ill..
>>
>
>The VA does a very good job of managing health care.
LOL You typed that with a straight face?
>Steve <steven...@yahooooo.com> wrote in
>news:l3jdi59aeq3lonq92...@4ax.com:
>
>>
>> Anybody that imagines that health care managed and run by the
>> government could be a good thing, must be mentaly ill..
>>
>
>The VA does a very good job of managing health care.
I have several fairly deep ties with the VA so I'll just say.. "you're
kidding," right?
>Steve <steven...@yahooooo.com> wrote in
>news:aeedi5lk7qlqtt2fl...@4ax.com:
>
>> On Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:15:44 -0600, Joe Steel <Admi...@joesteel.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>Nonsense. In the US, anyone who shows-up at an ER has a right to
>>>stabilization care but no more. As soon as the danger of imminent
>>>death passes, the doomed are discharged.
>>
>> ....discharged in stabilized condition....
>>
>
>...to die unnecessarily of treatable diseases...
if it's that serious but treaatable they should probably go ahead and
get it treated even if it means they have to sell the flatscreen and
the after-market wheels on their car.
> On Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:19:24 -0600, Joe Steel <Admi...@joesteel.org>
> puked:
>
>>>
>>
>>The VA does a very good job of managing health care.
>
> LOL You typed that with a straight face?
>
Yes.