Last Wednesday, Florida Congressman Alan Grayson introduced H.R. 4789—the version of the public option.
It would give any American the opportunity to buy into Medicare.
Here’s how the West Orlando News explains it:
The bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish enrollment periods, coverage guidelines, and premiums for the program. Because premiums would be equal to cost, the program would pay for itself.
“The government spent billions of dollars creating a Medicare network of providers that is only open to one-eighth of the population. That’s like saying, ‘Only people 65 and over can use federal highways.’ It is a waste of a very valuable resource and it is not fair. This idea is simple, it makes sense, and it deserves an up-or-down vote,” Congressman Grayson said.
It is only four pages. And it has caused a lot of comment on both the left and the right. You can read the bill here.
Here’s Grayson’s own statement.
By Friday, there were 50 sponsors, 47 of them voting members.
Meanwhile, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee says that 51 senators will vote for a public option through reconciliation if the House passes it first.
In case you’d grown weary with all of the mechanizations and hadn’t noticed, I thought you’d like to know.
The Buy Into Medicare Bill
BUY IN TO MEDICARE — These are the key words that are used describe this bill. Yes it is also provides the public the option of purchasing their medical insurance from Medicare (AT COST).
This is equivalent to being able to use the U.S. Post Office, instead of being required to use FED-EX.
This is also equivalent to offering School Choice and letting people choose Medicare or Blue Cross.
This is the Health Bill, we should be debating, instead of 4000+ pages of giveaways to the Insurance and Drug companies, and which is likely Unconstitutional.
Conservatives and Liberals should be 100% in favor of this BILL and dump Obama’s.
I’m sick of this. If, in over a year, the Democrats haven’t passed a major health bill that affects everyone and is agreeable to at least 60% of Americans, then it’s time to drop it and move on to something else — like “the economy, Stupid.”