****This liveblog diary is now retired****
Please go to LiveBlog #4 by SusanL143
This is child diary. Please do not recommend this diary.
Please Rec the mothership instead of this diary.
Today is the day when they will debate and vote on the different public options.
Hearing will be broadcast on C-Span 1 until 12:30 pm when the House session starts.
After that, the hearing will switch to C-SPAN 3 and can also be viewed via the committee's webcast
Trail of Live Blog Diaries:
Mothership(math4barack)
Live Blog Part 2 (papicek)
Live Blog Part 3 (joanneleon) (You are here)
A request from math4barack, who originated the Live Blog mothership diary:
During our live blog here, I want this to be a peaceful, unifying time.
Therefore, I will make a few requests. I want this to be a blog where everybody feels welcome, unthreatened, and safe.
Let's not revisit divisions- (1) Please do not attack others. Please do not attack Slinkerwink, firedoglake or Jane Hamsher. And let's not attack President Obama which can also be divisive.
(2) Let's try to be positive, polite, and on our topic. However, if a Republican or a corpocrat (=conservadem) starts talking the stupid, then feel free to let them have it !
Thank you everybody !
Some pertinent information:
Jon Walker at Fire Dog Lake describes the three public option amendments.
Public Option #1:
Rockefeller Amendment 187 which creates a public option with rates tied to Medicare + 5 (first three years and then insists that the rates in the subsequent years are closely related to the original rates) and which creates a right to negotiate drug prices . This is by far the best of the public option amendments.
Public Option #2:
The next public option amendment was written by both Senator Cantwell and Senator Schumer: its public option is like that of the HELP bill.
Public Option #3:
The last public option was written by Senator Schumer alone and is an "equal playing field" public option, ie much weaker.
The government would only provide start up funds to help create a new public option that must follow all the same rules as private insurance companies. Like any private insurance company it would need to negotiate rates and create it's own provider network from scratch.