This Is Truly Excellent News

Posted on 11/21/2009 at 8:57 am by Bob Cesca

Harry Reid and Max Baucus have finally joined with Ron Wyden to include Wyden’s “free choice” language in the Senate healthcare bill.

This means that employees of a certain income level will be able to opt out of their employer coverage and, instead, receive subsidy vouchers to enroll in the health exchanges — which, of course, include the public option.

How about that. While this doesn’t cover everyone (yet), the bill just got better, and it sets a precedent for a more rapid expansion of the public option.

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  • Allonfla

    If Max is on board, then I’m a little hopeful.

  • Eric

    Good. Maybe very good. I read the link, and it wasn’t clear why the CBO estimated that an earlier version of this amendment would add (only) one million additional customers on the exchange.This whole business of limiting access to the exchange has to go, eventually. I realize that, pragmatically, it may be a necessary evil now; I hope that future legislation addresses this.O/T – I have long commented here that addressing the cost of health insurance is but one tiny portion of the gap between what we, in this country, pay out for health care (16% of GDP) compared to average expenditures in other countries (10% of GDP). We have to confront the price being charged for health services. There’s an editorial on HuffPo that takes a (partial) critical look at this:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/d-brad-wright/the-price-of-physician-fe_b_365134.htmlThe comparative graphs in the editorial only look at the fees charged by MDs. It doesn’t examine (for profit) hospital charges. The profit portion that these hospitals take from the health-care pie is larger than the bite taken by the insurance industry.

  • jane

    Heh- American Society Of Plastic Surgeons says the (5%!) tax on cosmetic surgery is disciminatory against us wimmens since 86% of this surgery is performed on women. They’re calling it the Botax.Fucking fuckity fuck. That’s Palin-worthy logic.

  • http://www.osborneink.com Matt Osborne

    It only grows stronger anymore…

  • Allonfla

    I dare someone in congress to defend plastic surgeons.

  • caribbeanobserver

    Hey Matt Osborne, I just thought I would hail you out and say I really enjoy your posts. It is nice to talk to some-one who is forward thinking..even if they are critical at times.You and Sir Cesca are my favourites even though I have tuned out of ‘Huffpotabloid’ for the time being!

  • J M Ashby

    This is good news, lets just hope the vote today goes through.Offtopic: Matt – You’re right, Cyberpunk didn’t last. Steampunk will though.

  • ceu

    anyone watching the debate on the Senate floor? We’re being treated to an orgy of lies by Hatch, Johanns, and Brownbeck regarding the Stupak Amendment & how similar language needs to be included in the Senate bill…as well as bringing up the Conscience Clause – which allows health care “professionals” to not participate in abortions. What they omit is that those professional include the cashier at the pharmacy who thinks birth control is abortion or disagrees with use of the Morning After pill or thinks every sperm is sacred & so refuses to ring up the sale of bc pills or condoms.

  • Stranahan

    The Wyden language is good and it’s a positive step for the the bill – but we’ll see where the Public Option goes. The line of scrimmage on the PO is an opt-out at this point.