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Howard Dean on Co-Ops: “We’ve got to do the right thing for the American people, not the political thing for the Senate.” |
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As BarbinMD says, a-freaking-men:
So this is a compromise that’s designed to deal with problems in the Senate. But it doesn’t deal with problems in America. And I think it’s time for the Senate to stop playing politics, do what has to be done. If the Republicans don’t want to get on board, and they certainly have never done - look how the Republicans all were against Medicare when we put that in - if the Republicans don’t want to get on board, then we can do this without the Republicans.
We have the votes to do a public health insurance option without a single Republican vote and without the one or two Democrats that have said no, and if that’s what we have to do - we’ve got to do the right thing for the American people, not the political thing for the Senate.
Watch it:
Sam Stein has more from Dr. Dean and others:
“This is a big mistake,” former Gov. Howard Dean told the Huffington Post. “These co-ops will be very weak. Many won’t have the half-million members that most experts think is necessary to influence the market… Insurance companies will be licking their lips.”
“I am very fond of Senator Conrad and think he is a good guy and friend,” Dean added. “But I think the basic problem, as the Senate often does, is that they are worried about the internal Senate politics rather than the type of solution the American people want.”
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Added SEIU President Andy Stern through his active twitter account: “Health Care Co-op is distraction from need for real competition and cost control. Good idea and attempts to avoid important debate on costs.”
(also posted at the NOW! blog)
