And these are the people who say the "Klintoons" parse words.

-- in any state where private plans fail to ensure guaranteed affordable coverage.

That would include Maine. There's already a limited-access public option in Maine, underfunded, under attack, and in annual danger of elimination, which wouldn't even exist unless her condition hadn't already been met.

And 75% of the private health insurance in the state is written by a single carrier.

How does someone make a statement with two contradictory - indeed two mutually exclusive - clauses and manage to fool people for days about her intended meaning. That quote makes no sense. You can't have a trigger and have service available on day one. How does anyone with a functioning brain listen to that and not immediately demand clarification?

Health care has been an issue for many, many years, and the myriad reasons why it is not working in its current form are legion.

At this point in the debate, any parsing or other semantic juggling on the part of a politician speaks volumes regarding his/her true position on reform, and that position is against.

Snowe understands that the primary purpose of the so-called "health care system" in the USA is not to provide health care for human beings, but to provide profits for the insurance corporations.

When Republicans say that the USA has "the best" health care in the world, what they mean is that the USA has the most profitable health care system in the world, and Snowe -- along with most other legislators of both parties -- understands that the purpose of "reform" is to make sure it stays that way.

How does someone make a statement with two contradictory - indeed two mutually exclusive - clauses and manage to fool people for days about her intended meaning. -- Brent, @13:51

People hear what they want to hear. The reformers heard "day one" and relaxed. The antis heard "trigger" and relaxed. Everyone's happy and Snowe the most, because it gets everyone off her tail.

I odnt know why olympia makes me think of charlie manson...

"Look out cause here she comes...

When I get to the bottom
I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and turn
and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Do you don't you want me to love you
I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you
Tell me tell me come on tell me the answer
and you may be a lover but you ain't no dancer

Go helter skelter
helter skelter
helter skelter
Yeah, hu, hu"

"That is why I support a public plan which is available from day one -- in any state where private plans fail to ensure guaranteed affordable coverage." -- Olympia Snowe

This position could be the starting point for a compromise. Have a genuine public insurance option without the artificial constraints of having to "compete fairly" hanging over the heads of the private insurers like the Sword of Damocles. Require the private insurers to reduce the number of uninsured by 20 percent each year -- without subsidies for the insurance corporations -- or the public option will be implemented.

Of course, what Snowe is counting on is that government mandates that will force the uninsured to buy the insurance companies' high priced, high deductible, high red tape, high-risk-of-having-your-claim-denied policies.

But it's worth floating this trial balloon just to force the Republicans to repudiate it.

I fucking dare this "senator" to try to buy insurance on the open market with a pre-existing condition. Then tell me how goddamn great the private system is.

Fuck.

"affordable" for whom?

I do not know how Sen Snowe got the name moderate. Maybe she doesn't bark and howl at the moom like some of her peers.

She wrote me when the NSA wire tapping legislation was being deliberated saying ..not to worry ...a panel of independents would monitor all the wire taps.

She voted with all of Bush's important legislation as did Collins. They are both far to the right of ME. If we had a fair press..they would not be in office.

What Snowe understands is how to look like a moderate. In this case, looking like a moderate means staking out a position that could be portrayed as supporting either side. That's what she's doing here. That's what she always does. That's one thing about her that will never change.

Obviously Olympia has either never read, or completely forgotten the saga of rural poverty and lack of medical care encompassed in "The Beans of Egypt, Maine" One of the protagonists worked sporadically, when he could find employment, in the lumber industry and as I recall, got a splinter in an eye and couldn't afford to get it treated.

But as long as the insurance companies have another chance, Olympia will be fine with it. Her constituents....not so much.

That is why I support a public plan which is available from day one -- in any state where private plans fail to ensure guaranteed affordable coverage.

If she had any intellectual honesty, she would have to admit that this means every state, right now.

It's been 50yrs and the private ins carriers have not lived up to what a public option would provide from day one and Snowe wants to see if they will do it again before supporting a public option??? Let's give 'em one more chance now...they need to gouge us for at least a billion more before we should give them another public option threat.

What double talking nonsense. It used to be called getting 'snowed'...and now I know why.

It's not Obama who is waiting for HC reform...it's the American people. How much longer will it be before we get Medicare for all because if everyone had it...if the risk was that wide spread then it would also include dental.

Continuing what brent @ 1:51 said...

When poly-titians can come up with that fluid prose, you know they are outside their useful years in the service of their electorate.

Market-based policies are more cost effective for the government - and therefore the taxpayers- than publicly funded healthcare. According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, January 2005, if every uninsured individual was covered by a government program such as Medicaid, the cost to the federal and state governments is approximately $2000 each. If, however, low-income and modest-income Americans could purchase their own health insurance by utilizing a $1000 tax credit, the federal government would save 50% of that money. With over 45 million uninsured Americans, that savings would be substantial indeed.

Market-based insurance would not only be more affordable health coverage, it would also provide consumers with more choice. Because savings come from a tax credit, the option to choose insurance companies, policies and doctors is left to the person who purchases the insurance, not a group of politicians. Health insurance needs vary widely from one individual to the next and having the ability to choose the options that work best for an individual's circumstances is fundamental to quality health care.

Several different market-based solutions could help low and modest-income individuals and families find affordable health coverage. Tax credits, tax deductions, health savings accounts and high-risk pools are all market-based options to make affordable medical insurance a reality for uninsured people who are working, but cannot afford medical insurance.

Tax credits allow people to keep more of their income on a monthly basis in their pay so the can purchase coverage. Because tax credits enable people to make their own choices of providers, plans and doctors, they are considered to be a preferred market-based solution for affordable health coverage. Tax credits enable working people to pay for their own health insurance without having to fall back on Medicare or other government health programs. Because a tax credit would cost only half the amount of Medicare per individual, the burden on all taxpayers is also reduced, saving everyone money.

It tends to make a lot of good people despondent and at the least susceptible, when they read, watch and listen to the maverick storm of media ads, thumping down President Obama's health care initiative? Much of the rambling artifacts are the Simon and Lois ads of the Clinton administration, heavily armed against any revisions in this issue that wealthy insurance companies and subsidiaries won’t tolerate.

They insulted the senior citizens with their propaganda and bald faced lies about the European government run health care system. Being originally an Englishman myself, I guarantee in the 1960's, we had a unique form of medical services, inclusive of eye and teeth. Even government run medical care in Australia was exceptional. It did plummet down somewhat, when business starting recruiting foreign labor from the commonwealth and Northern Europe. Many were out for a free financial ride and got it, along with their large families that British citizens have to support with their limited pounds sterling.

Just as the anti-governmental health care extremists have been pounding the airwaves, the open border, globalist is now subjecting the American people to a torrent of inflaming immigration polls. But like all polls they can be intentional manipulated, in exactly how the questions are worded? Sure they can keep their co-pays, deductibles and pre-existing small-print clauses, squeezing every penny from a hurting economy, but tell the--BLOODY TRUTH!

It's a sad fact that you cannot trust the Liberal slant regarding this searing problem, although not all Liberals are favorable to another AMNESTY? The Democratic leadership, hiding liberal views behind closed drapes tried to annihilate any good, workable illegal immigration enforcement laws. In an earlier session of the Senate an error was made with E-Verify, so it's was fortunate to survive Sen. Reid and Pelosi’s notion? Anything that has an impact on removing illegal immigrants is intercepted by business oriented free traders.

GOOGLE---illegal immigration--to find out their sinister intention, to just throw open the gates, ports and airline entrances to cheap labor, that also become the downfall of the European Union. the polling I have seen has been calculatedly --ENGINEERED--to get results, that they can brandish around, declaring the majority of Americans believe in a path to citizenship and open borders? Already the Democrats are ready to flag the Save Act, 287(g) local police enforcement to weaken these laws.

Currently both issues have heavy fallout, and you the voter should let your Senator or Representative know your opinion on either matter at 202-224-3121---BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. Both have massive consequences in costs and quality of life in your future and generations to come.WE MUST SAY NO AMNESTY! SEAL OUR BORDERS AND NO MORE FREEBIES TO ILLEGAL ALIENS. THEY ARE THE CRIMINALS, NOT AMERICANS WHO SACRIFICE TAXES? GOOGLE--NUMBERSUSA for details our government and the media have a nefarious talent, for keeping facts under wraps?

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