Democrats Borrow the Tea Party Approach
Published October 08, 2009 @ 10:59AM PT
Rachel Maddow just announced an amazing three-part Democratic strategy to ensure healthcare reform, and it’s an attention-getter (see the first 4:50 of the video clip.) We’re all fairly familiar with part three, using the reconciliation process to pass a bill with just 51 votes, instead of 60. But it’s the first two steps that borrow from the Tea Party approach.
It’s power broker time, ramping up techniques to dramatically increase political pressure for healthcare reform. That pressure is specifically aimed at 6 key Democratic senators who must allow a vote. What's the first step? Massive free health clinics in Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, and Montana. Hoping to shame senators Max Baucus, Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincon, Mark Pryor, Ben Nelson, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, doctors and nurses will donate their time to provide free care to thousands of the senators’ constituents who can’t afford it, making for a dramatic and heart-wrenching third-world spectacle. Houston’s recent clinic drew 1,500 people seeking treatment.
Second, if seeing thousands of their constituents in need of care doesn’t shame them, two major (and nameless) power brokers are encouraging a Senate strategy to revoke Democratic chairmanships if they block healthcare reform. Specifically, committee chairmen and sub-committee chairman who allow Republicans to force a 60-vote requirement, regardless of whether these chairmen ultimately vote in favor of the bill, will have their leadership positions revoked. Yep, that would be busting a Lieutenant Colonel down to Private in a very public demotion. It’s head-cracking time!
Last but not least, they will invoke the reconciliation rules. Just like the Republicans did to pass the $1.3 trillion and $350 billion Bush tax cuts. Apparently Republican Senator James Inhoff can’t remember that period in history, so it must have been in some other country. Maybe Canada?
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Comments (34)
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Gillian Hubble is owner of Actively Fused, a consulting and healthcare advocacy firm, and a partner in KDG, a business development firm.
Featured Health Care Actions
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Joe Lieberman: Don’t You Dare
2876 People
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Joe Lieberman: Don’t You Dare
Hooray for Rachael! I think it should even go further. Anyone who took bribes from the insurance companies should not be able to participate in any part of the Health Care Reform Bill. It is a blatant Conflict of Interest. If they want to line their pockets at our expense, we don't need them in our government.
Posted by Barbara Kantola on 10/08/2009 @ 11:18AM PT
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We desperately need Campaign Reform.
Posted by Martin Bring on 10/08/2009 @ 03:22PM PT
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DESPERATELY! I'm willing to bet Baucus has his pockets lined. he is handing huge profits to them with his mandate on the young.
Posted by M Arnest on 10/11/2009 @ 12:01PM PT
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"Just like the Republicans did to pass the $1.3 trillion and $350 billion Bush tax cuts."
Yes, that was OUR money, not the governments!
Which would you prefer:
Trickle Down economics where sucess is shared broadly by the creation of new jobs,
or
Taxation-Trickle Down Economcs where higher taxes on production choke investment in growth and new jobs.
The Value Added Tax imposed on businesses are going to be passed down to consumers. Does anyone doubt that?
Increases in State Mandates pushed Insurance prices higher. Bone-headed insurance industry probably lobbied for the increased mandates as a way to increase revenue and profits. Why can't we just ROLL-BACK those failed policies?
Posted by Jason Jaytheman on 10/08/2009 @ 12:52PM PT
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Adam Smith's Lost Legacy
http://adamsmithslostlegacy.com/2009/01/corporate-capitalism-and-legislative.html
We need to do away with the IRS.. A consumer tax on every good would replace it.
You and I live in country where democracy effectively ends when the polls close. Big money is politics. This is why meaningful health insurance reform is so unlikely.
Politicians tout free market competition for fear of "socialized medicine." This argument has been very effective. Health care reform has failed time and time again..
Our economy is wrongly represented as faithful to the principles of Adam Smith. The facts are otherwise.
Markets and capitalism have morphed. In many areas of the economy, corporate consolidation is producing a threat to democracy and market efficiency that will warrant progressive political change.
Posted by Martin Bring on 10/08/2009 @ 04:02PM PT
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This is the article I've been waiting for. It's time to get tough and get public option passed. This was a good reminder of the political dynamics when Bush cut taxes for the rich. Democrats who oppose public option are traitors. Rev. Bookburn - Radio Volta
Posted by Rev Bookburn on 10/08/2009 @ 03:48PM PT
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Absolutely, Rev.! If the Rs don't want to do the job we want them to do, they can just pick up their toys and go home. Same for the Rs disguised as Dems. If they don't want to vote like a Dem, then be an R. It is our futures on the line here, not theirs. I think they should all have to give up their own insurance until they can give it to ALL Americans, not just their chosen few, but ALL.
Posted by Barbara Kantola on 10/09/2009 @ 04:20AM PT
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Those 350 billion a year tax cuts for the rich could pay for reform. That, and the 500 billion in subsidies to insurance companies that should have been canceled long ago.
450% profit and we give 70 billion in subsidies to them each year. To me, subsidizing is unamerican. It's propping up something that shouldn't be propped up. It feeds too big to fail.
Posted by CherokeeGirl for Change on 10/09/2009 @ 02:57PM PT
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Where are the 70 million in subsidies coming from?
I am a very fact-based person, and would like to add that to my list of gripes... but I need the source.
Posted by Jason Jaytheman on 10/09/2009 @ 03:54PM PT
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Who cares were the money comes from. If there is money to kill there is money to heal.
Posted by Barbara Kantola on 10/10/2009 @ 04:28AM PT
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Jason, sorry for the delay in responding. The 70 billion in insurance subsidies is that half a trillion over 10 years that Baucus wants to keep giving to big insurance.
Remove the subsidies, pay for half the bill.
Posted by CherokeeGirl for Change on 10/12/2009 @ 12:14PM PT
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oh, sorry...the source. I saw Obama say it (70 bill a year in subsidies ) at several town halls.
I saw Rockefeller bringing it up repeatedly during the senate finance committee hearings on the Baucus bill.
Nobody wants to talk about those....
Posted by CherokeeGirl for Change on 10/12/2009 @ 12:15PM PT
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Just remember, what's good for the goose is good for the gander folks. If you want to act like totalitarians when you feel like you are losing the battle, be prepared to lose your freedoms in the future.
I am referring to the comments here, not Maddow's strategy (except for the 'reconciliation" end run. THAT's unAmerican regardless of party affiliations.
Posted by James Dunham on 10/10/2009 @ 02:09AM PT
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YOu know what's unAmerican, Jason? The fact that SO many Americans have to decide between going broke and getting healthcare. So many uninsured Americans are going to the ER when they absolutely HAVE to because they cannot afford to see a family physician- and what about those that are DENIED health coverage due to the BS of "pre-existing conditions"?? The cost for a working uninsured person to visit an ER as a last-resort usually ends in bankruptcy for the uninsured person and a charge-off for the hospital. Everyone loses.
If anyone is acting as a "totalitarian", it is the right-wing, big insurance lobby, using scare tactics, lies, and misinformation to inflame ignorant people to yell, shout, and injure people at so-called "town hall meetings".
Exactly what "rights" would we lose with single-payer healthcare? If it is the right to keep our nation healthy both physically and financially, then I'm all for it.
Posted by Melissa Buchanan on 10/10/2009 @ 07:08PM PT
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I meant to NOT keep our nation healthy and financially...oops.
Posted by Melissa Buchanan on 10/10/2009 @ 07:10PM PT
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I'm from Ne and I know what it is like to be there with NO health care.
If you don't try to pay on yur medical bill YOU will go to court and you will go to jail they will garnish your wages and leave you with just a few dollars to feed your kids on.
they call this Justace in a conservative world.
if you qualify for medicade your kids are covered but the adults are not IF they happen to afford to pay into schip they can get some coverage.
Posted by Robin Feusner on 10/10/2009 @ 02:27PM PT
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The strategy:
I have the solution to too much company influence over legislation. Boycott some of those companies en masse and make them get it for us. Yes, we will need to get at least 100,000 people to act on these. With these actions you can help limit corporate power.
Please sign these NEW petitions for single payer health care HR676
http://bit.ly/HR676
http://bit.ly/single_payer_ross
http://bit.ly/single_payer_exxon
http://bit.ly/single_payer_california
http://bit.ly/drug_benefit
Also sign these petitions.
http://bit.ly/EFCA
http://bit.ly/10_an_hour_min_wage
http://bit.ly/women_freedom_of_choice_act
Make these phone calls and spread the word.
Boycott Tyson Foods of Arkansas who gave Mike Ross D-Arkansas $37,000 for his campaigns. Call lobbyist for Tyson Foods Chuck Penry 202 393 3921 and tell him politely that you refuse to buy Tyson chicken until Mike Ross D-Arkansas the leader of the Blue Dogs on health care gets the entire house and senate conservative Democrats to help get HR 676 enacted into law. Tell others to call.
Boycott American Express who gave Max Baucus $50,000 for his campaigns. Call Joanna Lambert at 212 640 9668 and politely tell her you will not use any American Express cards until Max Baucus gets HR 676 enacted into law. Tell others to call.
Call GOP contributor Rite Aid Pharmacies at 800 325 3737 and
tell the person to get the CEO to get congress to enact HR 676 Single payer health care and enact a new Medicare Prescription drug benefit in Medicare Part B covering 80% of the cost of drugs with no extra premiums, no extra deductibles, no means tests, no coverage gaps, and remove the means test for Medicare Part B and until that happens, you won't buy ANYTHING from Rite Aid Pharmacies.
In 2008 Brown-Forman, the maker of Jack Daniels Whiskey and Southern Comfort gave Mitch McConnell money for his campaigns. CALL Brown-Forman AT 502-585-1100 and tell the person who answers to get the CEO to GET Mitch McConnell to execute no Republican filibusters and enact the Employee free choice act into law or you don't buy Jack Daniel's whiskey and Southern Comfort anymore!
Call GOP contributor Wendy's restaurants at 800 443 7266 and tell the person who answers that you want their CEO to get congress to enact a $10/HR MIN. WAGE into law and until this happens you will not go to a Wendy's Restaurant.
Call GOP contributor and war contractor General Electric
Corporation at 800 386 1215 or 203 373 2211 and tell the
person who answers, to tell the GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt that
you want him to get the President to end the war in Iraq
and Afghanistan and until that happens you will not buy
any GE products and that you will tell your friends about this.
Posted by Liberal Democratic Party Of The United States on 10/10/2009 @ 02:28PM PT
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I buy Kentucky Bourbon.. :)
Posted by Martin Bring on 10/10/2009 @ 04:25PM PT
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Great idea here. Boycott the companies doing the bribing, disguised as campaign funds. Not just on the Health Bill, all the Bills in future too. Will certainly follow up on the above comment.
Posted by Barbara Kantola on 10/10/2009 @ 03:21PM PT
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I agree. I just signed the petitions of "Liberal Democratic Party" and sent them to all my like minded friends. We each need to do this. The only language that these companies and a lot of their puppets in government understand is money.
The Republicans aren't compromising one bit, so it's time to for us peacenik liberals to play hardball!
LBJ used to say that "When you have them by the *****, their hearts and minds will follow.
Posted by Andrew Heugel on 10/10/2009 @ 06:22PM PT
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I forgot to add they will attach your assets LIKE YOUR HOME and take it and sell it for the UNPAID BILL.
IF you go into a rest home YOU MUST sign over your home and all your assets to them to sell.
We had to move my moms home out of her name to keep it from being taken from her. it is in her eldest childs name then is handed down the line.
She became sick with cancer before her 65th birthday we had to protect her from loosing everything.
Posted by Robin Feusner on 10/11/2009 @ 10:39AM PT
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The Rs are doing all they can to stop the legislation. Can you imagine having a congressman who hates the people he works for so much that he won't help them get Health Insurance? I'm glad I have 2 great Senators who are all for Health Care and all things that will help the American people, there are some who have legislators on the R side who are doing all they can to keep their voters from getting anything at all. They even fought the raise in the minimum wage. How much disdain they show for their people, and of course, the way they vote affects all of us. The Rs have no intention of voting for the Health Care Bill no matter what it says, that is why they are watering it down so there is less help for us from it. We have to do some hard work ourselves, as citizens, to get the Health Care we need and show some of the Legislators how to get the job done. Boycott the companies doing the bribing, disguised as campaign funds of our Congresspeople. If a Senator doesn't want to help the American People, he should be voted out, who needs someone against us? We already have all the odds against us and we don't need to have our Congresspeople selling out to Insurance companies, thereby deciding for them instead of the people. I don't care if every single insurance company fails, they deserve it. They've done nothing but put the screws to their clients for years. We need to fight hard to get this Health Care and let them know we mean business.
Posted by Barbara Kantola on 10/11/2009 @ 10:51AM PT
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Hate the people they represent? That is a lie. We've had enough of that haven't we?
Posted by James Dunham on 10/11/2009 @ 12:10PM PT
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Can you imagine a congressman who makes everyone buy health insurance? There are crooks everywhere Barbra. I feel the party wants to throw up this huge smokescreen "Save the poor, health care for all!" But, there lies another agenda. What started it all? Medicare going belly up because of prices. There out to tax the young to pay for the old and the rest is looks. I don't trust them!
Posted by M Arnest on 10/11/2009 @ 12:08PM PT
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You and me both, Mike. I can't believe they are trying to pass the Baucus bill off as a legitimate piece of legislation. The House Progressives are the only ones showing any spines. We'll see...
Posted by CherokeeGirl for Change on 10/12/2009 @ 02:07PM PT
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I am definitely not for the Baucus Bill, it is a gift to the insurance companies and they've made enough money off their clients. We need the Public Option or the Single Payer Option. Otherwise it's all been a waste of time.
Posted by Barbara Kantola on 10/12/2009 @ 02:27PM PT
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I am definitely not for the Baucus Bill. We need Single Payer or Public Option, or it is all a waste of time. The Baucus Bill is just a gift to the Insurance companies and I think they've made more than their share off their clients.
Posted by Barbara Kantola on 10/12/2009 @ 02:31PM PT
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I agree that the Baucus Bill is just a giveaway to the insurance companies thinly disguised as health care reform. I am also in favor of a single payer system or at least the public option.
But, those of us who wish to end the extremely wasteful and expensive current lack of a system need to be prepared for a long struggle where we need to use all forms of advocacy including but not limited to the strategies listed by the moderator of this discussion, letters to the editor, calls to your representatives and senators, visits to their offices, demonstrations, and online petitions.
We must not forget that wasteful as the current lack of a system is, many people's livelihoods depend on the current mishmosh. Many high ranking executives have grown rich as their companies have depleted the American economy. So, they, their employees, and their paid for puppets in Congress will continue to use whatever tactics they can, including misinformation and scare tactics to keep the public option from gaining a foothold, because they know that once there is a public option, people will choose the best option, which is the one where there is less non health related overhead and they rightly fear that this could eventually end their careers.
We've been waiting for universal health care since FDR was president and we're closer to achieving it than we ever have been. This is the time for we who believe in the public option to get that second wind and conduct a full court press on our elected representatives to ensure that we finally get what we've waited so long for, and which America so desperately needs.
Posted by Andrew Heugel on 10/12/2009 @ 03:25PM PT
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Andrew, you are a breath of fresh air, logic and reason. Thx. :)
Posted by CherokeeGirl for Change on 10/13/2009 @ 10:14AM PT
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There shouldn't be insurance for anything but catastrophic medical situations. Let the doctors compete for patients and get rid of the insurance companies on that level all together. We don't need them for routine stuff. I guarantee the cost of care will go down.
The fact that the behemoth of an insurance company is in the mix adds unnecessary costs; same with the government involvement. Noone looks twice at a ridiculous bill because the patient isn't paying for it. Keep it between doctors and patents as much as possible.
Then concentrate on lowering the cost of Pharmeceuticals. Pass laws requiring catastrophic policies to provide blanket coverage and fill in any gaps left by medicare and medicaid. Make homes and vehicles immune form collection actions for outstanding medical bills.
Squeeze the waste out of those current programs and apply the outcome based approach.
Give subsidies to the poor so they can pay for routine care and a catastrophic policy. Or give them the money paid for healthcare back at tax time, even if they have no tax liability. Ultimately zero out of pocket. And creditors will know all they have to do is wait until mid year and they will get paid.
Just some thoughts.
Posted by James Dunham on 10/13/2009 @ 02:19PM PT
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In response to the comments about eliminating health insurance (the exception being catastrophic coverage) altogether, I must admit that I sheepishly title this 'In Defense of Insurance'. *gulp* Without this turning from a response into a blog entry (not my blog), I'll simply say that the heart of the issue isthe very real need for regulation: someone must stand in the gap between the consumer (called patient) and industry (in this case, doctors).
Believe it or not, there are more than a few procedures that current do not accept insurance (cash only healthcare). No, these aren't cosmetic. They are highly effective pain management and corrective procedures. Ever heard of prolotherapy? I can recommend a great practitioner but be prepared; his per session fee is probably greater than your monthly premiums. How about minimally invasive spinal surgery (see your inflight magazines for wonderful descriptions)? One such practice even asks for all of your insurance information and then tells you 'they're out-of-network'. What they don't tell you is that they're not in ANY network. Cost for the procedure? They don't tell you that either but it's in excess of $15,000 not including hospital fees and so on. If all care was like this, your health insurance would look much more like an investment plan (how would you like the size of your 401k to determine what health care you could get?).
To be fair, let's look at the other side: doctors who, without insurance-negotiated prices, wouldn't charge nearly what their service is worth (yes, they do exist-hard to find but very real nonetheless). In such cases, insurance functions to keep these noble souls (and the staff they employ) solvent! To be respectful of your time, I won't even begin on prescription drug pricing.
To summarize my comments, yes, until there are real, empowered regulators in place,we really can't get away from the need for insurance providers. That said, I submit to you that a public plan could be very effective in this role.
Enough said:)
Posted by Aaron Sidner on 10/14/2009 @ 03:44PM PT
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I still think leaving unreimbursed medical to be reimbursed at tax time directly by the government foe whatever is not covered would work. The bills could be sumitted to the government and vetted. Then practitioners could charge whatever they wish, but they would have to argue with the government if they think what the government viewed as appropriate payment was unsatisfactory. My guess is they wouldn't get too far. :o)
Another thought. Many are concerned about incentivising insurance for the young and presumably healthy. We have life insurance that can be offered as an investment vehicle and you can even borrow against and pay "yourself" back.
My questiuon: Could there not be catastrophic healthinsurance that operates as a a similar investment account? The customer shares in the increase of the asset and it is available without penalty in the event that it is needed for significant healthcare costs?
Just another thought. :o)
Posted by James Dunham on 10/14/2009 @ 06:30PM PT
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see, this is the real discussion they should be having in Washington. Real ideas, out of the box thinking.
Posted by CherokeeGirl for Change on 10/15/2009 @ 10:23AM PT
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To get an interesting perspective regarding what the insurance companies are planning I'd suggest checking out:
http://www.countdowntohealthcare.com
Posted by Andrew Heugel on 10/13/2009 @ 05:43PM PT
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