Thanks Ernie. I haven't had time to keep up with meaningful commentaries. This helps.
Chris _____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dr. Ernie Prabhakar Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 9:01 AM To: Radical Centrist Discussions Subject: [RC] Best chance for insurance reform? I agree there is a lot to dislike, but I think this is the best option for improving the status quo... http://slatest.slate.com/id/2228671/?wpisrc=newsletter Industry Likes the New Health Bill. That May Not Be a Bad Thing. When Sen. Max Baucus officially unveiled his bill, no one could say they were surprised. The details-no public option, setting up insurance cooperatives, forcing Americans to buy coverage, among others-had mostly been revealed before, but Democrats and Republicansimmediately criticized the bill, making it seem as though it was really dead on arrival. But look beyond the rhetoric, and it seems like the bill could actually hold together the "fragile coalition" of industry players, notes the WP, which points out that White House strategists finally started to see a possible light at the end of the tunnel with this bill. Indeed, the Associated Press points out that while none of the industry players who struck agreements with the administration were publicly cheering for the bill because they hope to get more concessions, they still know that this plan should be seen as "the lesser of many evils being considered." In a piece that deftly summarizes the main points of the bill, the <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125310546537515699.html#mod=todays_us_page_ one> Wall Street Journal points out that, at the very least, the Baucus plan "sets the lines for a fall showdown." Now the administration seems determined to do everything possible to move the bill along toward a House and Senate conference committee, where differences in each chamber's legislation would have to be worked out in a process that could give lots of influence to the White House. The big challenge is, of course, the Senate, where the race to gather the 60 votes necessary to keep the legislation moving is officially underway. The <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/health/policy/17vote.html?ref=todayspaper > New York Times points out that Democratic leaders are pushing their fellow legislators to vote with the majority on procedural matters, which require 60 votes, even if they ultimately plan to oppose the legislation, which could pass with a simple majority. Read original story in <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/16/AR200909160 3518.html?hpid=topnews> The Washington Post | Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009
_______________________________________________ Centroids mailing list: [email protected] http://radicalcentrism.com/mailman/listinfo/centroids_radicalcentrism.com Archives at http://radicalcentrism.org/pipermail/centroids_radicalcentrism.com/
