Okay, the WH is trying to make it seem like a public option wasn't a big part of their campaign, so I decided to check out the plan and see exactly what he promised through the WayBack machine. These are direct quotes from the barackobama.com website from Feb 2008:
Specifically, the Obama plan will: (1) establish a new public insurance program, available to Americans who neither qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP nor have access to insurance through their employers, as well as to small businesses that want to offer insurance to their employees; (2) create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help Americans and businesses that want to purchase private health insurance directly; (3) require all employers to contribute towards health coverage for their employees or towards the cost of the public plan ; (4) mandate all children have health care coverage; (5) expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs; and (6) allow flexibility for state health reform plans.
The plan went on to say:
- OBAMA’S PLAN TO COVER THE UNINSURED. Obama will make available a new national health plan which will give individuals the choice to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to federal employees.The new public plan will be open to individuals without access to group coverage through their workplace or current public programs. It will also be available to people who are self-employed and small businesses that want to offer insurance to their employees.
The plan will have the following features:
-- Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away FROM ANY INSURANCE PLAN because of illness or pre-existing conditions.
-- Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to that offered through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the program through which Members of Congress get their own health care. The new public plan will include coverage of all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care. Coverage will include disease management programs, self management training and care coordination for appropriate individuals.
-- Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles. Participants will be charged fair premiums and minimal co-pays for deductibles for preventive services.
-- Subsidies. Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need assistance will receive income-related federal subsidies to keep health insurance premiums affordable. They can use the subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.
-- Simplifying paperwork and reining in health costs. The plan will simplify paperwork for providers and will increase savings to the system overall.
-- Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.
-- Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing or jeopardizing their health care coverage.
-- Quality and efficiency. Participating hospitals and providers that participate in the new public plan will be required to collect and report data to ensure that standards for health care quality, health information technology and administration are being met.
Allllllll of that is talking about the Public Option, and it's the FIRST thing listed.
Regarding the exchange:
(2) NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE. To provide Americans with additional options, the Obama plan will make available a National Health Insurance Exchange to help individuals who wish to purchase a private insurance plan. The Exchange will act as a watchdog and help reform the private insurance market by creating rules and standards for participating insurance plans to ensure fairness and to make individual coverage more affordable and accessible. Through the Exchange, any American will have the opportunity to enroll in the new public plan or purchase an approved private plan, and income-based sliding scale subsidies will be provided for people and families who need it. Insurers would have to issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums that will not depend upon health status. The Exchange will require that all the plans offered are at least as generous as the new public plan and meet the same standards for quality and efficiency. Insurers would be required to justify an above-average premium increase to the Exchange. The Exchange would evaluate plans and make the differences among the plans, including cost of services, transparent.
His downloadable PDF plan uses the phrase "public plan" repeatedly which sure makes it sound ESSENTIAL to me.
Yet, today when I listened to his radio interview, when he made his list of important things that MUST be in the bill for him to sign it, there was no mention of any "public plan."
What's Obama looking for in the bill: "It's gotta be deficit neutral. It's gotta be paid for...It has to bend the cost curve. We've got to create a plan that experts credibly say will reduce health care inflation. We've gotta get control of our costs...We've gotta have the insurance reforms... for people who already have insurance. Making sure there are basic insurance protections. I want to make sure we have a health exchange where you will have a set of options."
When Smerconish asked him if Sebelius "misspoke" when she said the public option isn't essential to the new plan, Obama said she didn't misspeak she simply said what they've been saying all along. When Smerconish mentioned that a lof of people seemed to think a public plan was a big part of his health care proposal during the election, Obama laughed it off and said she didn't understand why people thought that.
To add insult to injury, Obama continues to name Chuck Grassley as one of the Republicans sincerely negotiating for health care reform. To that I say "President Obama, how many cheeks to you have left to slap"?
I've been asked to liveblog the 2:30 meeting, I will do so if you guys and gals want me to.
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Liveblog moved here
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My final thoughts: It seems to me that he's saying he's not pushing the public option because he doesn't want the other side to start using that as a tool against health care reform. Okay. . . I can dig that. But at the same time, the signals that are coming out are confusing. And Obama does choose his words carefully, as a lawyer he knows how using different words can affect the perception of the meaning of the statement. If we listen to EVERYTHING he says, it's confusing. Do I believe Obama wants a public option? Yes. That's not the issue. In fact, this diary is not saying that Obama is throwing the public option under the bus. To say that the public option was not a big part of his campaign was dishonest. I don't think he said anything new in this OFA event, but maybe he enabled some people to have more comfort that he won't "sell out" the public option. No one is IGNORING the other elements of reform, people are just trying to make sure he keeps his campaign promise.
I'm restoring my original title (sorry for the confusion) because I STILL think he was being dishonest in that radio interview (which is what the beginning of the diary was about). If you disagree with me, that's your right (besides, disagreeing with each other is what we do best around here).
Finally, I still support Obama, I still think he's a nice guy, and I still think we need to to call him out when we think he's playing the same tired games in Washington that he was sent there to fix.
Thanks guys (I won't be responding for a while because I need to EAT, I had to hold off preparing my food to do to the liveblog)
Final Update I was not being "dishonest" by having the liveblog in here, but since it has confused what my diary was originally about (and was done because someone requested me to do it), I have moved it to my other site. You can read it there. The liveblog was not altered in any way by my belief that he was being dishonest in the radio interview. You all should know me better than that by now. Also, the diary is back to the original title, as I previously stated, I changed the title in an effort to "offend" less people, but now I really don't care. It's my opinion that he was dishonest, if you don't agree with me (again) that is your right.