WHITE HOUSE TO DUMP PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS FROM HCR BILL?
When will this end? AmericaBLOG’s John Aravosis seems to have discovered a disturbing pattern. I really, really hope he’s wrong — but I wonder:
A day after former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe is elevated to a more senior adviser status at the White House and the DNC, Plouffe pens an op ed in the Washington Post in which he seems to suggest that much of President Obama’s promise to ban pre-existing conditions is now being jettisoned. Plouffe wrote in the op ed, which was certainly cleared with the White House, if not written by them:
Parents won’t have to worry their children will be denied coverage just because they have a preexisting condition.
Their children? The original promise – even the bad Senate bill – protects everyone, of any age, from being denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Now it’s just children?
And before anyone argues that Plouffe was simply using children as an example – that the legislation could still cover everyone – look at what else happened in the last two days. CBS News reported that the pre-existing conditions promise was now looking unlikely. But even worse, the NYT talked to folks on the Hill and health policy experts, and they were told the compromise package might just protect kids under the age of 19 from being denied for pre-existing conditions. No one else.
It would sure be one hell of a coincidence if Plouffe, on behalf of the White House, is now talking about kids being protected from pre-existing conditions when the growing chatter in town is that only kids may now be protected from pre-existing conditions – that the rest of us are about to get tossed under the Martha Coakley bus.
As Joe noted the other day, the pre-existing conditions promise, for “all Americans,” was the top item on the Obama transition’s health care reform page. So, in an effort to appease the masses, they’re now considering gutting the one provision that everyone likes, the one provision that defines the legislation.
Ah come on guys! This is a no brainer. The first order of business is the profit of the insurance industry, then the doctors and hospitals, and maybe, just maybe, we come in as an after thought. This whole process has been one big jerk off and guess who has to sleep on the wet spot.
True Tao…
Well, if they let the insurance escape from the pre existing condition clause then there is no way they can demand that everyone seek out coverage.
Can’t have mandatory sign ups if you leave pre existing conditions off the table. Can’t make people pay for something that they cannot get any benefit from.
Everything said here is on the mark, if not on the money. What is happening to our country? Then again our panic could be premature. Like Holte said I am going to wait for the final draft.
4D I am certain you are right.
True Gwen. Just depressing. BTW get your email.
Lisa I agree. None of it makes any sense.
Stimpson…I am stunned by that ER statement. What nonsense and that is from a Canadian in financial services?
Could they make this any worse? I think they’re just trying to f it up now.
The pattern is plain to see: Congress/the White House is letting the best parts of health-care reform fall away or get sacrificed for the support of “moderates.”
On a related note, I heard a new rationalization the other day from a friend in financial services: Health-care reform won’t work because too many people in the U.S. simply don’t want health insurance. The argument goes that these people are happy getting ER visits etc. for free, so why would they want to pay for health care?
Just when I thought I’d heard it all.
I gotta admit, I found it difficult to respond to that one. I was just so stunned by the lack of logic, the dim view of the hoi polloi, and the poor grasp of reality.
there is no excuse for this… none. I’m so tired of being disappointed and frustrated. It’s getting so nasty out, the White House went on ‘the bitch’ about SCOTUS ruling and then capitulates to this? Or not, even the rumble just depresses any more.
They’re letting it die on the vine, and they’ll blame…who knows, maybe Croaker or whatever name was, for making them sceert of the republicans.
Pandering to the health insurance industry.
I read something on the new get tough “volcker bill” saying that it would affect less than 1% of the finance industry’s overall business.And that’s before congress has even begun watering it down.
I suppose the strategy is pass anything for HCR/finance reform.Point to it with pride and blame all shortcomings on the Repubs.
Personally I’d rather see legislation which benefits those of us who work for a living rather than those who make paper profits with other peoples money. And other peoples lives,in the case of the health insurance industry.
IF they take pre-existing conditions out of the bill, it wouldn’t be worth a flying fig, but I’ll save my true feelings for the final, very last draft.
erm…excuse me from England….
They are politicians.
Therefore they are corrupt and untrustworthy.
That’s the way it works.
Show me a liar and I’ll show you a politician.
Show me a coward and I’ll show you a politician.
In fact…the moment any human being expresses an interest in going into politics they should be banned from doing so on the grounds that anyone who wants to is a lying cheating scumbag.
So there.
What are these dumb-shits doing? Trying to make the health care bill worse?
WTF? Why did the entire quote end up being italicized? I only highlighted the part about the kids. This is aggravating. Now I have to go to work on this.