Pelosi Criticizes Insurance Companies, Defends Public Option

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) fired back Thursday at what appears to be a major push by insurance companies to sway the health care reform debate.

“If anyone had any doubts about the need for such an option, you only need to look at the behavior of the health insurance industry this week,” Pelosi said during a press conference, referencing a report released by America’s Health Insurance Plans claiming health care costs would rise under the Senate Finance Committee’s bill.

Pelosi described the report as “totally discredited.”

The Speaker went on to explain that while the mandate requiring individuals to purchase insurance is becoming more widely discussed, support for the public option is growing in response.

“If you’re going to mandate that people must buy insurance, why would you sell them to the lions den of the insurance industry without some leverage with a public option?”

“We may call it something else by Tuesday,” Pelosi added. ‘It might have a better name.”

Kucinich: Single-Payer Better But Public Option Works

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) says a health care public option will help regulate private insurance companies, but a single-payer system would be ideal. (0:52)

Congressmen Talk Health Care With Religious Leaders

by Julianne LaJeunesse- University of New Mexico

U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) spoke at an interfaith hearing Wednesday, where each agreed that the public option is a vital part of health care reform.

At the American Muslim Taskforce-sponsored hearing, Kucinich, who called for the interfaith community's opinion on health care, said that Americans need to look at health care as a human rights issue.

"Health care is an essential safeguard of human life and dignity," Kucinich said. "And there is an obligation for society to ensure that every person be able to realize that right."

Representative Ellison furthered Kucinich's sentiment, and reminded listeners that health care reform could take time to perfect, just as the 1960s Civil Rights Acts did.

Ellison also said he believed Congress had America on its side, despite what he said was insurance company scare tactics. He petitioned the religious leaders at the hearing to debunk scare tactics saying the religions should work together.

"This is not the time for cynicism, this is to think that 'well, Washington is going to do what Washington generally does...,' this is the time for us to run a risk of hope," Ellison said.

All of the Congressmen agreed that the House bills were looking favorably toward a public option and Schakowsky said "I think that leaving it to the private companies whose motive, it's not a hidden one, of course... is to maximize profits, to leave them as the only source of getting health care, I think will disable us from achieving our goal of universal access to affordable, quality health care in our country."

Kucinich said it would be tragic if Congress' health care reform does not have a public option, saying it would essentially deepen the pockets of insurance companies who could set unfair rates on mandated customers.

"We're talking about a system that maintains the hegemony of the insurance companies," Kucinich said. "Can you take a step towards breaking it with a public option? Yes. So within the context of the system that we're talking about today, public option is important.

The hearing today, included members of the Buddhist, Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities, a faith representation, Ellison said, is important to the current health care reform debate.

Both Kucinich and American Muslim Taskforce Board Member Mahdi Bray took the outlines of health care reform further, saying they both advocate a single-payer system.

Rockefeller Introduces Public Option Amendment To Finance Committee Bill

Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico /Talk Radio News Service

The biggest debate on the fifth day of markup of the America’s Healthy future Act focused heavily on the “public option.” Liberal Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WVa.) introduced his amendment to Senate Finance Comittee Chairman Max Baucus' (D-Mont.) mark providing for a “public option,” or what he calls the “Consumer Choice Health Plan.”

The debate began with Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) criticizing Rockefeller's amendment, calling it a “Trojan horse for a single payer program [that] would lead to Washington controlling health care and monitoring prices."

Rockefeller kept a stern attitude on his amendment stating that, “It would not be a government takeover." However, the West Virginia Democrat refused to answer questions put to him by Hatch.

Heavy debate ensued on non-profit insurance programs from Senator Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and how well they have worked in his state, and how poorly the US as a whole compares to other nations. Conrad made a compelling argument for the “Mutual” based system with non-profit companies that would attempt to provide for universal healthcare coverage.

Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) further argued that Medicare rates would be fixed during the first two years under Rockefeller's amendment - Rockefeller proudly held up two fingers. After the two years though, explained Bingaman, rates would be further negotiated, which would essentially adjust prices to fit in line with private companies.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) compared the health care plan to universities, saying that "There’s both a private university and public university...there should be a choice."

Democrats agreed that Rockefeller’s amendment would build competition within the open market, while Republicans contended that it will bring price adjustments along with a government-run, single payer takeover of the entire healthcare system.

“This is a slippery slope to go down… it will lead to a government-run single payer option,” said Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.).

Markup is scheduled to continue late Tuesday night and will reconvene Wednesday morning.

Hoyer: We’re Not Talking About Dropping The Public Option

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) stated Tuesday that House Democrats have no intention of striking the public option from the final draft of the health care reform legislation.

“We’re not talking about dropping the public option,” Hoyer said during a pen and pad session with reporters. “One way you bring down costs substantially is to have a public option that provides competition.”

Hoyer’s statement comes after a noticeable divide has opened up between the Majority Leader and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over how committed Congress should be to a public option, with the latter taking a much more aggressive stance in favor of the provision.

The Majority Leader announced that he will be speaking with congressional Republicans in an attempt to find common ground on health care reform, noting that a few Republicans have stated they are behind 80 percent of the proposed health care bills.

“I want to find out what that 80 percent is. If we have 80 percent, then we ought to work very strongly on the remaining 20 percent. It will be my intention to invite them to do so.”

Hoyer also touched upon Medicare’s sustainable growth rate, a formula that determines the level at which medicare physicians are paid. While there was initially going to be a 21 percent decrease in payments made to physicians, the Senate Finance Committee provided a one-year fix that would instead offer a .5 percent increase in payment. While the Majority Leader backs the committee’s fix, he also expressed his desire to see a more permanent solution.

Hoyer said that he would back Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, in passing regulatory reform. The Majority leader added that existing regulatory measures should be bolstered in addition to creating new oversight methods.

The Majority Leader also responded to calls from congressional Republicans to have General Stanley McChrystal, who commands U.S. forces in Afghanistan, testify before Congress. The Majority Leader said his testimony would be “useful.”