Snowe Says Jump, Baucus Says How High

I previously wrote about how Olympia Snowe (R-ME) was trying to make health care “affordable” by reducing the minimum definition of what qualifies as “insurance.” Her solution to the fact that real health insurance would still be unaffordable for millions if the nation adopted the bill she wrote: let everyone buy worthless junk insurance. This is probably one of the worst ways to make insurance “affordable,” and it seems that Baucus now thinks it is great idea.

Three weeks ago, Baucus properly rejected this terrible idea when he voted against an amendment by Sen. Enzi (R-WY) to reduce the actuarial value of the lowest quality plans (bronze level) from 65% to 60%. Now that Sen. Snowe seriously wants this modification, Baucus is singing a different tune.

On a conference call with reporters, Baucus said lowering the “so-called bronze plan, down to 60 would also help address affordability.” He talked about possibly reducing the actuarial value of the bronze plan and increasing the number of people who could buy the catastrophic insurance called “young invincible” plans. The exact changes Snowe told Ezra Klein she wanted made:

Just thinking out loud here, maybe you make the “young invincible plans” more available to people, or bring down the bronze plans to 60 percent [of expected actuarial value].

Empress Snowe made a decree and Democrats rush around trying to make it happen. The Democrats' desperate attempts to adopt all of Snowe's (a member of a powerless minority party) terrible ideas is sickening. She has been slowly ruining reform with her demands. Her unneeded vote is not worth the terrible compromises she has demanded. Senate Democrats need to stop bowing to her whims and put together the best bill they can to help the American people.

Polling shows the Americans just don't really care that a bill is “bipartisan.” What they want is real reform with a public option, which will make life for regular people in this country better.