Senate Nixes Public Option

My Fellow Americans,

The public option plan is dead.  Well, at least the government-run option plan that was proposed in November is dead.  In an announcement late Tuesday night, Sen. Harry Reid still called it a public option, but, as Chief Congressional Correspondent Susan Ferrechio of the Washington Examiner puts it, "what Senators have struck a deal on is a far cry from the government run plan proposed last month."

But, don't get too excited just yet.

Ferrechio adds: "The plan, devised by a group of moderate and liberal Senators, would replace the government run option with national plans modeled after the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program.  The plan would also expand Medicare to people age 55 and older."

While it's not the "government-run option plan," it will still be run by the government.  It's similar to the stimulus-style jobs plan that Obama announced yesterday.  They're not calling it "Stimulus II," but that's basically how it will be designed and carried out.  The healthcare plan will still cost much more than what they say it will -- like all government-run programs do.

Ferrechio explains further, saying that "[w]hile Reid declared the Senate had reached "broad consensus" on the plan, he has yet to come up with the 60 votes to pass it." 

We saw how liberal Democrats reacted earlier this week with the abortion amendment.  Now as, Ferrechio says, "liberals ... are angry about having to compromise on the public option." 

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. was particularly bitter about the lack of a public option in the bill: "We need to have some competition for the insurance industry to keep rates down and save taxpayer dollars. I will base my vote on the bill on the entirety of what is in the bill, and whether I think the bill is good for Wisconsin."

Listen Russ, we all know it's not that the idiots in Washington want to keep rates down for insurance companies to foster competition and keep taxes low.  Please, give the American people some respect.  You don't care about capitalism.  The private insurance industry will be put out of business after Washington completely takes over the American healthcare system.  But yes, I know, you can't tell that to your constituents in Wisconsin.

America, the fact of the matter is they will end up putting a version of the public option in this bill.  And in all likelihood, a healthcare bill with a public option AND abortion amendment WILL pass.  It will.  They know how to play with the language.  And it's not like anybody reads the bill anyway, right?

Keep an eye on this.  If you think they won't do it, they most certainly will. 

They don't care about you.

(BONUS COVERAGE -- CBO: 10 million will lose employer health coverage under Senate plan).

(Photo Source: The Washington Examiner)