Senate Dems May Change Health Care Compromise [What Compromise?]

AP Report ^ | December 10, 2009

[Steelfish]

Senate Dems May Change Health Care Compromise

ERICA WERNER WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats are considering changing a proposed expansion of Medicare to address complaints from doctors and hospitals and defray costs for consumers, officials said Thursday, two days after party leaders hailed it as part of a breakthrough for health care.

Under the plan, uninsured individuals ages 55 to 64 could purchase coverage under Medicare. The expansion is part of a compromise for dropping a full-blown national government-run insurance plan from the legislation that Democrats and the White House hope to push through the Senate by Christmas.

The American Hospital Association and American Medical Association have both criticized the proposed Medicare expansion since it was announced Tuesday night, saying the program pays health care providers less than private insurance companies, and warning against increasing the number of patients.

"We are trying to find a solution," Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, told reporters in the Capitol, saying that the groups had raised legitimate concerns.

Separately, officials said there were discussions about the possibility of defraying the expense of Medicare coverage for uninsured individuals under 65. Under some estimates, the cost could be as high as $7,600 annually — more than $600 a month — until subsidies become available in 2014.

Current Medicare beneficiaries pay $96.40 per month, with the government picking up the rest of the premium cost.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss possible changes publicly.

[DallasDeb]

Of course they are going to revoke it. After all, they are surely going to stick the government payor program back into it--they won't get enough House votes if its not there.

[I known, don't call you surely. tee-hee]

[counterpunch]

So basically, the Democrats still don't have a healthcare plan...
 

[italianquaker]

HC will pass, the GOP better not give odumbo any political cover

[mtrott]

This whole thing is just not going to work, but the Dems are too drunk with power and socialist zeal to realize it. Doctors will simply refuse to accept patients in either the “public option” or these new Medicaid/Medicare plans. When the leftists finally realize this, their only choice is going to be to just drop the whole thing, or try to compel doctors to comply, at which point all he}} is going to break loose.

[antidemoncrat]

The Libs can call this healthcare bill anything they want. This is a simple power grab of 1/6 of the US economy, nothing else. The Democrats can call themselves Liberals, Progressives or any other name they can think up, but they are Fascists and think they alone are fit to rule this Republic.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I wish just one major news outlet had the guts to actually do their job, point out that the emperor has no clothes, and explain that there is a way to write bills, and this bill is not being written.

[ExTexasRedhead]

These RAT feces are behind closed doors laughing their corrupt rears off thinking we’re STUPID and they’ve put one over on us.

Meanwhile, We The People have organized and we mean to dump these traitors come 2010 and 2012. So help us God!

[freekitty]

And when they are made examples of and have to go home without their pensions and privte health care goodies.

[freekitty]

I am serious These scum thought nothing of millions of Americans losing the pensions; homes, jobs etc.

We really need to make them accountable and losing their pensions is a good place to start. They should also lose their private health care insurance if we illegally forced to join their scam.