13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Public option debate on Monument Circle

Public option debate on Monument Circle

Much of the public opposition to health care reform has come from conservative groups rallying against the concept of what they call government-run health care. Constituents have voiced loud opposition to the public option at town hall meetings with their representatives, and a rally on Sept. 12th in Washington, DC, drew many people who oppose it.

Tuesday's rally, organized by Moveon.org, is focused on health insurance company Wellpoint, whose corporate offices are on the circle. Move On supports a public option, which has become one of the most contentious parts of reform.

Move On says Wellpoint is "putting profits before people." Protestors want Wellpoint to stop giving employees incentives to deny health care claims and stop spending premiums on lobbying against health care reform.

Organizers hope to have have people speak at the rally who've been denied coverage by Wellpoint. According to Move On's website, 106 people are registered to attend the rally.

A version of the bill introduced last week by Sen. Max Baucus does not include a public option, although it does include an unpopular mandate to require everyone to buy health insurance. That bill is likely to go through many changes before a vote happens, however. One of the over 500 amendments proposed for the bill would include a government-run option.

Wellpoint statement

Wellpoint issued the following statement in response to the rally:

"Earlier today advocates for government-run health care staged a "National Day of Action" with public demonstrations at WellPoint's headquarters. The demonstrations were a coordinated effort by Health Care for American Now, and only serve to further polarize the debate over health care reform.

As was made clear by news reports throughout the weekend, the demonstrations were not a spontaneous reaction by Americans to the health care reform debate, but instead were part of a heavily scripted campaign with pre-approved talking points, slogans and tactics. This runs opposite to WellPoint's goal of participating in a constructive, open dialogue about how to improve our health care system and counter to the Administration's call for civil discussion of health care reform.

WellPoint is actively engaged in a constructive dialogue with members of Congress and the Administration about how we can get health care reform done right. We were among the first to suggest substantive changes, and we continue to advocate for sustainable, responsible reform.

We are disappointed that the cost effectiveness and high quality of private health insurance has been misrepresented, as have the reasons why WellPoint and the health insurance industry oppose government-run health care. Put simply, those covered by private insurance are already paying a premium to account for the cost-shifting which occurs today as a result of government programs setting artificially low reimbursement rates that are below the cost of doing business for hospitals and physicians. A government-run program will most certainly exacerbate this cost shift and ultimately result in decreased funding for doctors and hospitals and less choice for Americans.

The actions of the group today do nothing to forward the efforts in Congress and with the Administration to expand access to affordable health care to the uninsured, reduce the cost of health care in this country or to increase the quality of health care received by Americans. Everyone has a stake in this debate and we all need to put our differences aside and come together to have a rational discussion about how to improve our health care system."

From The Associated Press:

Under pressure from fellow Democrats, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee decided to commit an additional $50 billion over a decade toward making insurance more affordable for working class families, officials said Tuesday as the panel opened debate on sweeping health care legislation.

The change was one of several Sen. Max Baucus was expected to outline to legislation he said gave Congress "an opportunity to make history" after generations of failed attempts to overhaul the health care system.

"Let us do our part to make quality, affordable health care available to all Americans," he said.

But Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., attacked the legislation as a "stunning assault on our liberty," citing several provisions to strengthen the government's role in health care.

Baucus convened the committee after months of bipartisan negotiations that failed to produce agreement on a compromise measure, although he held out hope that Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, would eventually announce her support.

No details were immediately available of the last-minute changes Baucus was unveiling, although officials said much of the additional spending would make government subsidies more generous. Baucus' legislation, individuals and families with incomes as high as 400 percent of poverty would be eligible for some type of government subsidy to defray the cost of insurance.

Additionally, Baucus was expected to reduce proposed penalties on those who defy a proposed mandate to purchase insurance, and ease the impact of a proposed new excise tax on high-cost insurance policies.

The officials who spoke did so on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt a formal announcement.

Baucus' legislation is designed to make coverage more available and affordable, at the same time it restrains the growth in the cost of medical care generally. Its 10-year price tag is below $900 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Baucus made numerous concessions to Republicans in his unsuccessful stab at bipartisan compromise, jettisoning calls for the government to sell insurance in competition with private industry, as well as a proposed requirement for large companies to offer insurance to their workers.

In his opening remarks, Baucus sought to pre-empt Republican criticism.

"Despite what some may say, this is no 'government takeover' of health care," Baucus said. "Our plan does not include a public option. We did not include an employer mandate. And we have paid for every cent."

But Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the panel's ranking Republican, said the White House and Democratic leaders short-circuited the bipartisan talks by imposing a mid-September deadline. "I find it utterly and completely appalling," he said.

Grassley criticized many of the plan's key components, from a requirement that all Americans get insurance, to the taxes that would pay for subsidies to make the coverage affordable. He also said the bill falls short in guaranteeing that illegal immigrants won't get government help to buy insurance, as well as in preventing funding for abortion.

The Finance Committee is the last of five panels to have a say before the full Senate debates legislation. Senators have filed 564 amendments, some of which would make major changes to Baucus' carefully crafted framework.

The Baucus plan would extend coverage to about 29 million Americans who lack it now, and end onerous insurance company practices, such as charging higher premiums for women and denying coverage to people in poor health. It would make almost everyone buy insurance or pay a fee, while expanding Medicaid to cover more low-income people and providing subsidies to many in the middle class. It would create new online exchanges where small businesses and people without government or employer-provided insurance could shop for plans and compare prices.

A number of committee Democrats had raised concerns about whether subsidies in Baucus' bill are generous enough to make insurance truly affordable for low-income people. There also are worries about a new tax on high-cost insurance plans, which critics fear would hit some middle-class workers, including many union members in risky occupations such as mining and police work.

Those concerns were shared by Snowe, whose support could become even more critical if legislation makes it to the Senate floor, where Democrats likely will need 60 votes to pass the bill.