healthinsurance.org » Democrats

repeal effort flies in the face of evidence - vote is more than symbolic: it's a waste of congress's time

Steve Anderson — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:59:06 +0000

There’s no question in our minds that House Republicans will be successful today in voting to repeal health reform legislation. So what happens after the inevitable yelling and the inevitable House vote for repeal? Nothing. The Senate will not vote for repeal and President Obama will certainly veto anything that even smells like repeal. That, [...]

health reform’s individual mandate - a missed message about personal responsibility?

Steve Anderson — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:29:13 +0000

We appreciated this assessment of health reform’s controversial individual mandate provision by William Pewen over at the Health Affairs Blog. He makes some predictions about the future of health reform if the mandate is ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, but we’re more interested in his take on the problem with Americans and their health insurance. [...]

health repealers urged to walk their talk - progressives say those who would undo health reform should give up their own government health insurance

Chuck Smith-Dewey — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:16:10 +0000

Here’s an original thought from a quartet of House Democrats: Those conservatives who are pledging to repeal health care reform should first reject their own taxpayer-subsidized health insurance on principle. Rep. Joe Crowley and three others are lining up like-minded co-signers for a letter asking their counterparts across the aisle to do just that. They [...]

republicans prepare to raise their voice against health reform this fall; Democrats ready to lend them a bullhorn

Steve Anderson — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:37:37 +0000

You know that old saying about how even bad PR is good PR? Well, The Nation has a pretty decent argument for its validity. Seems like the more Republicans turn up their messages about the recently passed legislation, the more they’re turning off listeners to their arguments. November will be interesting. That’s for sure.

why health reform supporters’ mood rings are turning blue

Steve Anderson — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:14:36 +0000

mood rings are turning blue" title="why health reform supporters’
mood rings are turning blue" style="float:right;" />An interesting poll surfaced yesterday, revealing that – in the days since health reform legislation was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law by President Obama – more Americans have taken a favorable view of the legislation than they did before the vote. Nearly 50 percent of those polled now say [...]

Biggest pro-life vote in history

Chuck Smith-Dewey — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 04:53:24 +0000

Our statement has nothing to do with the last-minute deal cut between the White House and Rep. Bart Stupak (D- Mich.). Here’s why the historic vote authorizing health insurance reform is the biggest pro-life vote in history: Fifty-five thousand Americans die every year because of lack of health insurance coverage. Those are deaths that no [...]

toe-may-toe … toe-mah-toe …

Steve Anderson — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:50:05 +0000

Throughout the health care debate, it’s been fascinating to watch opposition responses to each bit of reform-related news. The complete inability of opponents of Democratic reform proposals to see anything positive in the legislation has been simply stunning. How determined were opponents of reform? Determined enough to threaten that legislation promising free assistance to those [...]

Health insurance crises prove the sky IS falling

Steve Anderson — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:01:08 +0000

We thought this editorial cartoon in the Kansas City Star was pretty good – and not just because we agree with them on that whole Global Warming thing. We also got a chuckle because it hit so close to home in terms of the ongoing health reform debate. We’d rewrite the caption to read, “If [...]

It’s now or never, democrats.

Steve Anderson — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:06:40 +0000

We don’t like the phrase, “It’s now or never,” especially when it comes to the health reform battle. If legislation doesn’t succeed now, it doesn’t mean the nation’s health care system can never be improved. Even with a complete failure by the Democrats, the system could conceivably gradually evolve into something better over time with [...]

Health reform: Dead? or not dead?

Steve Anderson — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:07:07 +0000

The current status of the health reform legislation in the nation’s capital reminds of us the popular quizzes that challenge players to speculate as to whether celebrities are dead yet. If you asked opponents of health reform, they’d surely tell you that – like the failed health reform efforts of 1994 – the current Democratic proposals [...]

let’s NOT start over on health reform

Steve Anderson — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:00:53 +0000

In the days following last week’s special election in Massachusetts, it wasn’t surprising at all to hear opponents of health reform announcing that America had – loudly and clearly – told Congress to start over on health reform. But here’s the thing: If the Democrats had barely eked out a win, opponents would have said [...]

is the senate bill really unfit for consumption?

Steve Anderson — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:02:18 +0000

Jonathan Cohn of the New Republic said today what a lot of liberals have been saying about the Senate bill. Basically, it’s been stretched and pulled like a gob of saltwater taffy as it morphed into something barely acceptable to barely enough Democrats, but also largely disappointing to a large contingent of other liberals (and [...]

Joe Lieberman continues to play Grinch Who Stole Health Reform

Steve Anderson — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:42:02 +0000

Grinch Who Stole Health Reform" title="Joe Lieberman continues to play
Grinch Who Stole Health Reform" style="float:right;" />Anyone who thought passage of a health reform bill in 2009 would be easy, given the Democratic majority in Congress, was deluded. To think that all of Congressional Democrats – and the Independents they court – would vote in lock step was just plain fantasy. But even Democrats who knew reform legislation would be all [...]

when it comes to reform legislation, size really does matter.

Steve Anderson — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:25:41 +0000

size really does matter." title="when it comes to reform legislation,
size really does matter." style="float:right;" />One of the things that has bugged us for months and months is health care opponents’ preoccupation with the number of pages in the health care bills that have been introduced in the House and Senate. The most recent bill to emerge is the Senate bill unveiled by Harry Reid yesterday and SURPRISE … it’s [...]

somebody get harry reid some steroids. stat.

Steve Anderson — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:30:17 +0000

When the House passed its version of health reform legislation last week, the development may have sent chills down the spines of those who oppose the Democrats’ proposed solutions. But a quick read-through of Suzy Khimm’s piece in The Treatment yesterday should be equally chilling to folks who think the battle over health reform is [...]

even if states can opt out, will they?

Steve Anderson — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:48:50 +0000

can opt out, will they?" title="even if states can opt out, will they?" style="float:right;" />We’re happy to hear folks asking this question: If Democrats succeed in passing health reform legislation with an opt-out public option as included in Harry Reid’s Senate bill, would any states actually opt out? Conservatives seem to like the idea that states could take a pass on a public option provision they dread. But really, [...]

if dems haven’t led or followed, it’s time to get out of the way, columnist says

Steve Anderson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:05:23 +0000

to get out of the way, columnist says" title="if dems haven’t led or followed, it’s time
to get out of the way, columnist says" style="float:right;" />Will Democrats unite to allow an up-or-down vote on health reform legislation? Robert Creamer explained on the Huffington Post this morning why he thinks it’s in Democratic legislators’ best interests to pull together. Creamer’s reasons include, briefly: That Americans have already swung overwhelmingly in support of the public option. A vote to defeat the filibuster [...]

when reverend reid marries HELP and Finance, will olympia snowe get to give away the ‘bride?’

Steve Anderson — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:11:58 +0000

There were squeals of joy and howls of rage when Olympia Snowe crossed the aisle (or as Republicans would say “went over to the Dark Side”) yesterday to vote for the Senate Finance Committee’s version of a health reform bill. But now that it’s done, both sides might be rethinking their outbursts. The Right could [...]

Will the real predator please stand up?

Steve Anderson — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:01:16 +0000

A column by Thomas Frank in the Wall Street Journal made us pause and scratch our heads this week because it prompted one of those questions that we think lots of Americans must be asking themselves. The question is simply this: Are President Obama and his Democratic Party up to no good in this health [...]

north dakota dems cry “bad (blue) dog!” – hit senator on nose with newspaper

Chuck Smith-Dewey — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:34:18 +0000

hit senator on nose with newspaper" title="north dakota dems cry “bad (blue) dog!” –
hit senator on nose with newspaper" style="float:right;" />Okay, we know that it’s the conservative members of the House that are called “Blue Dogs” (not members of the Senate), but what a perfect visual for the actions of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL party’s put-down of its own senator, Kent Conrad (D-ND). The party’s members recently reaffirmed a commitment to an even much more progressive [...]

blue dogs bark, bite not so bad on public option

Chuck Smith-Dewey — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:45:54 +0000

This week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus did a head count of its members to see whether House liberals still strongly opposed any health reform bill that would not include a public option. Word from the Hill Thursday indicated that opposition is still plenty strong. Not so strong? Blue Dog opposition to a public option, apparently. [...]

On health reform, obama is more ‘nixon’ than ‘kennedy’

Chuck Smith-Dewey — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:48:41 +0000

more ‘nixon’ than ‘kennedy’" title="On health reform, obama is
more ‘nixon’ than ‘kennedy’" style="float:right;" />Students of history may get a chuckle when they hear Republicans define Obama’s health care plan as “socialism.” If we look to the past, we see Obama’s plan is pretty much in line with Republican President Richard M. Nixon’s failed efforts in 1974. Like Nixon, Obama seeks to tweak America’s existing private health care system, [...]

media plays chicken little as health reform legislation steadily advances

Steve Anderson — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:37:51 +0000

It’s hard enough trying to convince Americans that it’s time for drastic health reform measures when that reform is being fought tooth and nail by the health insurance industry, which today launched a seven-figure advertising campaign to put pressure on moderate Congressional Democrats. The pressure, of course, is to urge them to help kill momentum [...]

will the democrats tear up their golden ticket?

Steve Anderson — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:53:47 +0000

up their golden ticket?" title="will the democrats tear
up their golden ticket?" style="float:right;" />Since the health insurance industry stonewalled the Clinton Administration’s attempts to drastically overhaul our trainwreck of a health care system, Americans have been waiting. We’ve been waiting for something nearly miraculous: a convergence of conditions that would include a frightening global economic climate; a national realization that our system is an ineffective, unfair mess; and [...]