Behind Closed Doors

03Oct09
As the Senate Finance Committee finished its health care bill, Harry Reid (D-Nev.) took negotiations behind closed doors. Senate democrats worked late into the night to pull a unified piece of legislation from the health and finance committee's proposals. So what did they come up with?

A stronger back door option.

The bill will have a provision for each state to create a government option program with the backing of the federal government. This places the responsibility, and blame, on state legislators in hopes that their constituencies will let blue dogs off the hook.

With Obama in the White House and a 60 seat majority, democrats should be able to pass any damn thing they want. But Reid looks for consensus where none exists to diffuse responsibility. Ultimately he knows that too many of the American people are against a public option, and passing it would cause a massive power shift in 2010.

"All of the queasiness about this bill is on the Democratic side, not the Republican side. . . . They ought to be able to do anything they want to, the question is: Will they?" Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) put it best.

For a a state run universal health plan, like that of Massachusetts. Like Massachusetts, where they mandated health care and saw premiums rise by 10%. Like Boston, where the average wait time to see a specialist is 49.6 days. Medicaid is state run, and is so poorly managed, that 49% of doctors refuse to take it.

Work it and rework it however you want. No matter what level of government administers it, or what they choose to call it. They will never create a better solution than the free market can.

Contact congress, 202-224-3121, and tell them to knock off the back door plays.