It’s On
Yesterday, our very own blogger Greg Sargent reported that House leaders don’t think they can pass a health care bill with a robust public option. As Beth explained, that means that they don’t think they can pass a bill with reimbursement rates similar to Medicare. This is a big deal to some doctors and hospitals, who say Medicare pays too little. It’s also been a major point of contention for Blue Dogs from poorer or more rural districts, where doctors rely heavily on clients with government-funded health care.
But Chris Bowers at Open Left says that according to a source, House Dems are closer than it seems to passing a robust public option. He reports that many of the other “lean no” votes are actually “lean yes” votes. He also writes that “if the whip count was conducted differently, then the Progressives could probably get over the top.”
Specifically, he said that whip counters should ask whether Medicare +5% public option is a deal breaker, not whether they’ll support a bill with those rates. This has bloggers on the left excited. Today, they will be organizing an effort to try and pin down what every House member (including Blue Dogs) would respond to the question.
We’ll check in at the end of the day and let you know what our beloved Blue Dogs have to say (if they say anything at all).