Senate Democrats create Frankenstein’s monster in lieu of public option

Sweet Jesus this could almost be a farce if it wasn’t actually happening in the United States. After announcing the Public Option dead yesterday, senate Democrats have concocted another monster to take its place. You could sum it up as expanded Medicare with a public option trigger.

From the New York Times:

Under the agreement, people ages 55 to 64 could “buy in” to Medicare. And a federal agency, the Office of Personnel Management, would negotiate with insurance companies to offer national health benefit plans, similar to those offered to federal employees, including members of Congress.

If these private plans did not meet certain goals for making affordable coverage available to all Americans, Senate Democratic aides said, then the government itself would offer a new insurance plan, somewhat like the “public option” in the bill Mr. Reid unveiled three weeks ago.

This plan is both idiotic and irresponsible. Medicare is already blowing a big hole in the budget, so how does adding millions of new people help? Furthermore, how good will the care be when half a trillion dollars is also being cut from the Medicare budget?

Basically what is going on here is that you have two sets of Democrats pursing two separate agendas. First you have the progressives who only seek to gain government control of healthcare. Then you have moderates who realize their goose is getting cooked on this healthcare reform and simply want to pass something that angers the public the least. The end result will be a very expensive and totally unhelpful Trojan horse containing the seeds or trigger for single payer. God help us.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: The New York Times