Here are the FDL Action health care reform highlights for Thursday, December 3.1. Jon Walker reports that "Thomas Carper’s terrible new “alternative” to a public option is not winning over progressives in the House," with Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona saying, "I think that compromise is totally unacceptable...It basically emasculates the public option." Jon Walker adds, "If there is a choice between Carper’s worthless fig leaf and no public option at all, I would choose the latter." Yes, it's that bad.
2. Jon Walker writes about a report in Politico that " Snowe, Lincoln, and Landrieu have submitted an amendment that would effectively eliminate all state regulations concerning what insurance companies must cover." According to Jon Walker, "This is a very bad amendment that will make health insurance worse for millions and millions of Americans." Uh, guys? That's not what we mean by "reform."
3. Jon Walker reports that a new poll by Thomas Reuters finds that "59.9% of people favor reform containing a public option." In other words, the part of health care reform that's supposedly the most "controversial" is also the part which polls strongest among the American people. And we wonder why people are cynical about politics and politicians?
4. Michael Whitney asks for help to "raise money to make a big move against Harry Reid in his home state of Nevada." If you would like to contribute, please click here. Thanks.
5. Jon Walker reports that Sen. Barbara Mikulski's "relatively uncontroversial" amendment dealing with cost-sharing for women’s preventive care passed earlier today by a vote of 61-39. Three Republicans (Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, David Vitter) voted yes, while two Democrats (Ben Nelson, Russ Feingold) voted no. Walker believes that "Vitter’s yes vote is a big surprise," but that perhaps he is "hurting with women in his re-election polls." Apparently, the diaper and prostitutes weren't bad enough to lose him a chance at reelection. Sigh.
6. Jon Walker remarks that Sen. Mary Lasndrieu (D-LA) "has created the unholy grail of terrible gimmicks meant to cripple the public option...a several-year-delayed, triggered, state-based, non-public co-op limited to the exchange option." This may sound funny in a way, but according to Jon Walker, "If Senate Democrats think they can pass a bill forcing Americans to buy extremely expensive junk insurance from for-profit corporations, with only the vague promise that possibly, after five more years of abuse, they might get the to choose a completely unworkable, state-based, non-public 'alternative,' they are in for a rude awakening."
