Medicare for Some?

Breaking breakthrough from the groundbreaking U.S. Senate: We’ll replace the *public option* with some sort of buy-in to Medicare for the 55-64 group and come up with some sort of non-profit plan for the rest of the country to be administered by the federal Office of Personnel Management. Some sort of *public option* could still kick in down the road if the non-profit piece doesn’t work out. The expansion of Medicaid that was originally reported is now apparently off the table but an expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Plan is in.

All of this is conjecture at this point until the plan has been scored by the CBO but some progressive senators are apparently pleased with it.

Other progressives are highly skeptical.

I’m taking a “wait and see” attitude on this. For more details check out Ezra Klein here and here. The Think Progress Wonk Room also has some good information. And Matt Yglesias adds his two bucks worth.

All in all it looks to me like a pretty good public option that’s not being called one. But I’ll wait for more details on the whole thing before passing judgment.

Posted by marindenver on 12/09/09 at 01:47 PM • Permalink

Categories: Politics • Barack Obama • Health Care •

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But I’ll wait for more details on the whole thing before passing judgment.

Well THAT’S no fun!

Comment by Betty Cracker on 12/09/09 at 02:34 PM

looks to me like a pretty good public option that’s not being called one.

That’s what I was thinking. I’ve never seen any demographics on the subject but I suspect that the 55-65 age group are being gouged the worst by the insurance companies. Everyone I know is paying outrageous premiums ($750-800 per month) except, for some wierd reason, one wingnut in AZ who’s only paying $350.

Comment by Glix on 12/09/09 at 03:10 PM

except, for some wierd reason, one wingnut in AZ who’s only paying $350.

I thought John McCain got all his insurance through the gummint soshilizm! ;)

Comment by Oblomova on 12/09/09 at 03:33 PM

Well THAT’S no fun!

I just think it’s more fun to watch everyone else twist themselves into paroxysms of fury and betrayal before they even know what’s really being proposed. ;-)

Comment by marindenver on 12/09/09 at 03:48 PM

But I’ll wait for more details

See, that’s the difference between you and bloggers who hyperventilate over every twitch and stutter in a process that oddly resembles two blindfolded tightrope-walkers trying to slide past each other going opposite directions in the middle of the wire.

Comment by StrangeAppar8us on 12/09/09 at 04:47 PM

Jesus, they’re having a meltdown over at Kos today, all the way up to Markos. There’s people calling guys like Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders traitors to the cause. It’s like a left-wing Free Republic.

These are the times when I remember why I’ve chosen to be an independent for most of my life. For all the times that the right wing makes sickens me with their Christian Nationalist dogma, the left is prone to throwing some amazing temper tantrums that make me wish I could move up to Canada where they’ve already got this shit figured out.