Schumer and Rockefeller public option proposal voted down

Again, Democrats if you insist on having a very hard 2010, listen to your constiuents who DO WANT THE PUBLIC OPTION and not the insurance companies who are threatening you by withdrawing support. That is what his going on here, bought and sold sorry Democrats in congress.

The Senate Finance Committee can't even endorse a modest public option like Chuck Schumer's. Citing his belief that a public option can't pass on the Senate floor "at this time," Finance chairman Max Baucus joined two Democrats and all Republicans in voting down the amendment, which failed 10 to 13.

Joining Baucus on the Democrats' side of the dais were Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and, by proxy, Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) who wasn't present for the vote.

Notice Blanche Lincoln is no where to be found. And her state, Arkansas wants a public option.

After debating all morning and well into the afternoon, the Senate Finance Committee voted against an amendment, written by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) that would have added a public option to the panel's health care reform bill.

The final vote was 8-15 with 5 Democrats--Sens. Kent Conrad (D-ND), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT)--voting with all Republicans to kill the proposal.

Again, you see who are tied to the insurance coattails. Democrats if you shoot yourselves in the foot, it is your own doing.

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Insurance companies will have no regulations under Baucus Bill

And we want that? Remember, this is insurance welfare for an industry that could care less about Americans health. h/t Daily Kos

The Senate Finance Committee’s legislation does not require large employers that self insure to abide by the same rules and regulations as insurers operating in the Exchange or the individual health insurance markets. As Rockefeller explained during mark-up, "you are grandfathering in an unfairness in the insurance market, where you treat 50 percent of the American people in one way...and 46 percent in a very favored way without restrictions, without discipline." "Most people don’t know that they are treated so differently. Most people don’t know that they have these restrictions on them," Rockefeller said....

Self-insured plans — which are regulated by a law called ERISA — do not have to accept Americans with pre-existing conditions, or remove caps on out-of-pocket or lifetime expenses. "As many as 73 million people, or 55% of those who get insurance through private-sector jobs, are covered in self-insured plans, according to the non-partisan Employee Benefit Research Institute. Workers are often not aware their plans are self-insured because employers hire insurance companies to process claims."

And this is what Senator Rockefeller has to say:



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