On September 16th, Senator Max Baucus released his alternative health care reform bill. Senator Baucus intended his bill to appeal to both those who wanted a public option and those who preferred a market based solution. Rather than bringing sides together, the Baucus bill has increased the divide. The Baucus bill pushed away one of the remaining Republican supporters, Senator Olympia Snowe. A new poll released by Health Care for America Now and the Maine People’s Alliance has recorded how fallout from the Baucus bill has effected Mainers opinions on health care reform.
The Baucus bill is a monster. The summary alone is over 200 pages. The Baucus bill introduces “co-ops” in place of a “public option.” Senator Snowe rejected the current version of the bill based on the taxation of “Cadillac plans,” forcing Americans without health insurance to purchase plans without helping them to do so, and no real cost lowering measures. Senator Snowe did believe the bill did have some benefit. “[The bill is a move] in the right direction away from a government-run system contained in bills that have passed other Congressional committees,” said Senator Snowe.
Senator Snowe stated there was no way a bill with a public option would pass. Abandoning the public option, Snowe believes, would restore momentum to getting some form of health care reform passed. A new poll conducted by Lake Research Associates for the Maine People’s Alliance shows that a majority of Mainers disagree. Of 400 likely voters polled 58% supported giving everyone the choice of a public choice option while 35% opposed. The poll also showed that most Mainers agree with Senator Snowe on one of her reasons for rejecting the Baucus bill. Only 35% supported the idea of requiring uninsured to purchase private health insurance plans. Mainers also agree with Snowe that they should not be forced to purchase health insurance without a viable alternative: 55% of those polls supported the idea of requiring uninsured to purchase insurance if a public option were also offered.
“Maine people know the health insurance system in this country is broken, and they know what needs to be done to fix it,” said Maine People’s Alliance Executive Director Jesse Graham. “Legislation that doesn’t offer a strong, immediate public health insurance option isn’t true reform and won’t acheive the goals of lower costs and keeping insurance companies honest. Providing a choice of a public health insurance option is the only way that Mainers will accept being mandated to purchase health insurance.”
While Senator Snowe is not prepared to support a public option, she has issued an amendment to the Baucus bill creating a “fallback public option.” The fallback would offer an insurance plan by a non-profit government entity only if less than 95% of residents have access to a plan that costs 13% of their income or less. Mainers polled reject the trigger option. 24% said they wanted the public health option only as a back up.
Senator Snowe will continue to do what she believes is best for Maine, that much we know. Is the work that Senator Snowe has conducted so far going to be enough for Mainers? The current polls say no. Will the voices of Mainers who support a public option be strong enough to influence Senator Snowe, as well as Senator Susan Collins? As the fight for health care reform drags on how will support for a public option hold up? People may just get so tired of all the politics they may be ready to accept any reform. The next few months will be telling.
(Cross-Posted @ The Maine View)
We should not be forced to buy National Health Insurance or pay fines to the IRS if we don’t…period! This is un-Constitutional and an abridgement of my rights granted under the Constitution.
Here’s reform I can live with: tort reform to keep the trial lawyers from getting richer through frivalous claims, insurance competition across State lines to encourage competition (Maine has one insurer: Blue/Cross, identification required for care and lastly keep the government out of family health care decisions. The government (Congress) has proven over and over how incompetent it’s has been running things.
This 46 million figure that gets bantered about from pro-government health supporters consists of up to 20 illegal aliens, 16 million younger people who don’t need or can’t afford insurance, and 10 million who are rich enough to pay whatever the cost. In my mind the health care crisis is being driven by illegals who can not be refused care at the emergency room.
To all the supporters of a Government Run Health Care program I say: what problem?