Posted on 09/06/2009 11:12:38 PM PDT by Shellybenoit
Who said there is no bipartisanship in this heath care debate. There is now some discussion that the president might go for the "the trigger" option in his Obamacare plan. The trigger option keeps a government-run insurance plan on reserve, as long as the insurance companies continue to stay within cetain guidelines.
Senior White House officials, in conversations with reporters today, are floating the idea that President Obama is secretly negotiating with Sen. Olympia Snowe over a health care compromise that would phase in a government-funded health care alternative if private insurance companies fail to meet quality and cost benchmarks over a certain period of the time. The public discussion of the Snowe "compromise" is meant to test the reaction of House Democrats, who will pass a bill that includes an immediate public option added to a new health insurance exchange. ... In some ways, this strategy is old, and in some ways it's new. For months, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has been pushing the idea of a "trigger" internally, and he and Snowe regularly trade legislative and political intelligence.
When President Obama addresses a joint session of Congress later this week week, he will present an outline of a comprehensive health care bill -- one that will be universal in character. Privately, the White House is signaling that Obama is willing to sign a bill that is less than universal in its coverage ambitions, though the President will not say so publicly.
Both Democrats and Republicans are lining up to puke on the trigger option.Liberals complain the trigger would likely prevent a public option from ever being implemented. Conservatives complain that it would act as a surefire public option -- only several years down the road. Neither side trusts the president to keep to his promises.
(Excerpt) Read more at yidwithlid.blogspot.com ...
Its as good a starting place as any.
Better than most.
Rab
No compromises. Kill it now, we will do a health-care reform when we take the congress and WH back.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.