Healthcare Open Thread

The Hill—Sanders says 'as of this point' he won't vote for healthcare bill: "Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said late Wednesday that he cannot support the Democrats' healthcare reform legislation in its current form."

Think Progress has video and transcript of Sanders' explanation: "I'm struggling with this. As of this point, I'm not voting for the bill. … I'm going to do my best to make this bill a better bill, a bill that I can vote for, but I've indicated both to the White House and the Democratic leadership that my vote is not secure at this point. And here is the reason. When the public option was withdrawn, because of Lieberman's action, what I worry about is how do you control escalating health care costs?"

The Hill—Union pulls back on supporting bill: "The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) backed out of an event with other organizations promoting the Senate healthcare reform bill Wednesday over concerns about changes made to the legislation to accommodate centrist Democrats. The SEIU had planned to participate in a Capitol Hill press conference along with the AARP, the liberal advocacy group Families USA, Consumers Union and the American Cancer Society Action Network. ... But the move by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to excise provisions of the healthcare reform bill to create a government-run public option health insurance program and to allow people between 55 and 64 years old to buy into Medicare gave the labor union pause, spokeswoman Lori Lodes said."

SEIU Blog—Letter from President Andy Stern to SEIU members: Where do we go from here?

Howard Dean—Health-care bill wouldn't bring real reform: "If I were a senator, I would not vote for the current health-care bill. Any measure that expands private insurers' monopoly over health care and transfers millions of taxpayer dollars to private corporations is not real health-care reform. Real reform would insert competition into insurance markets, force insurers to cut unnecessary administrative expenses and spend health-care dollars caring for people. Real reform would significantly lower costs, improve the delivery of health care and give all Americans a meaningful choice of coverage. The current Senate bill accomplishes none of these."

Sam Stein: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs Lashes Back At Dean, Suggests He's Irrational

Paul Krugman—Illusions and Bitterness: "There's enormous disappointment among progressives about the emerging health care bill—and rightly so. That said, even as it stands it would take a big step toward greater security for Americans and greater social justice; it would also save many lives over the decade ahead."

John Podesta—The Progressive Case For Passing The Senate Health Bill: "The Senate health care bill is not without its problems. But if enacted, it would represent the most significant public reform of our health care system that Congress has passed in the 40 plus years I have worked in politics. The bill will give health care coverage to a record 31 million Americans who are currently uninsured, lay a foundation that will begin to lower costs for millions of families, and provide all Americans with the access to adequate and dependable coverage when they need it most."

I don't know what to think at this point. I want Americans without health insurance to have access to affordable healthcare now. (For that matter, I want Americans with health insurance to have access to affordable healthcare now.) I also want a healthcare bill that won't be simultaneously only a stop-gap measure to give more people access to our fucked-up system and a major roadblock to the sort of significant reform that will result in a paradigm shift about healthcare in America.

Unfortunately, it looks like we can only get one or the other. And that sucks rocks.