Blanche Lincoln Should Wish She Were As Popular As The Public Option In Arkansas

A new Research 2000 poll sponsored by the PCCC shows that the public option is dramatically more popular than Blanche Lincoln. When asked:

QUESTION: Would you favor or oppose the government offering everyone a government administered health insurance plan -- something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older get -- that would compete with private health insurance plans? (Wording of NYT poll)

A solid majority (56%) of the people of Arkansas said they favored this proposal while only 37% said they were opposed. The interesting thing is this question is asking about a theoretical public option substantially to the left of the public option actually proposed in either the House or the Senate. In both cases, the public option is much more conservative, because it would not be offered to “everyone.” It would only be for the small segment of the population which has had the most trouble getting affordable health insurance (uninsured, self-employed, and small business).

Unlike the public option, Blanche Lincoln's favorability numbers are terrible in Arkansas. Only 41% of have a favorable view of her, while 49% view her unfavorably. This would probably explain why Arkansas Democrats would, for the most part, be less inclined to support her if she continued her opposition to the public option.Voting against a strong public option would make 46% of Democrats less likely to vote for Lincoln in a primary and only 11% Democrats more likely to back her in a primary. (Note: Lincoln has already twice voted against the public option in committee.)

Blanche Lincoln Wants A Trigger For Co-ops

Blanche Lincoln is working hard to become the most stalwart defender of the for-profit health insurance industry among Senate Democrats (that is an impressive accomplishment because Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman are giving her a real run for her money).

Last week, Blanche Lincoln said she was maybe open to a delayed trigger that might be pulled if the insurance companies are still not behaving nice in 2017. Recently, before the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, Lincoln tried to clarify her remarks to reassure everyone that the trigger she was open to would be completely useless.

Lincoln also clarified a statement she made last week that she was open to the idea of a trigger to introduce a public plan if insurance companies do not make insurance affordable. She told reporters she favors a trigger only if it is not linked to a public plan funded and operated by the federal government.

“I think there’s options or opportunities for things like co-ops, nonprofits, state plans. States could create plans themselves, or even enhance some of the plans that states already have,” she said.

“The trigger part is something that I’m open to. It’s just what it triggers,” she said.

Even if the private health insurance industry completely fails by some metric approved by Sen. Lincoln, she is so philosophically opposed to the federal government providing people under 65 with health insurance that she would still refuse to give Americans in need access to a working government insurance program like Medicare. She wants a delayed trigger for co-ops, which the CBO said is worthless. A delayed trigger for small, highly restricted, unworkable, state-based public plans.

Now, that is the kind of threat which should really scare the large, for-profit health insurance companies into cleaning up their act. "If you insurance companies don't start playing nice, we might sometime next decade make you face competition from a very weak nonprofit unlikely to establish any significant market share."--can't you just picture the health insurance CEOs trembling in their boots?

Thank you, Blanche Lincoln. It is often hard to tell if a politician stands with regular working class American people or with rich powerful corporations trying to rip them off. That is not the case with you, Sen. Lincoln; you had the decency to make where you stand crystal clear. Thank you for at least making your decision to fight to protect the for-profit health insurance companies public.

Blanche Lincoln Is Trigger Happy

Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) opposes the public option and voted against both public option amendments in the Senate Finance Committee. And now, she has told the local Arkansas News that she is open to Olympia Snowe's worthless trigger idea:

“If within those first three or four years all of the things that we’re doing are not motivating the private insurance sector to provide meaningful coverage at an affordable price, if that’s not doing the trick, then maybe there needs to be some type of a trigger in that marketplace to say, ‘We’ve got to get people insured.’” Lincoln said. “With a big enough pool, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to get private insurers to do it, but if that is not the case after three or four years, then maybe — it just depends on what it’s coupled with.”

Most of the health care reform provisions do not really start until 2013, so it sounds like she actually wants a delayed trigger that could maybe get pulled around 2017. Not really "the fierce urgency of now" that Obama campaigned on. It is more like the feckless urgency of some time next decade--if things are really really bad. Of course, Lincoln is only open to the idea--she is not yet prepared to say she supports the trigger.

It is good to see Lincoln believes it is more important to give large, for-profit health insurance corporations another chance to play nice, than it is to provide the people of Arkansas a public option that would save them around $1,300 a year on premiums. After all, think what would happen to those poor millionaire CEO's if they had to face competition form a public option.

Cantwell “Basic Health Plan” Passes, 12-11

Cantwell offered her “basic health plan” amendment (described in further detail earlier). It would be a voluntary program that states would need to choose to opt in to. If states choose to create a “basic health plan,” their population between 133%-200% of the FPL would be covered through private insurers operating under the basic health program, and not through plans selected on the new exchange. During the debate, Cantwell called the idea a public plan (a point I strongly dispute). Interestingly, the amendment had not been scored by the CBO. It is expected to save money given the history of the program in Washington state, and because of how the amendment is designed.

The amendment passed 12-11. All ten Republicans, along with Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln, voted against the amendment. All other Democrats voted in support. Chairman Baucus described it as a “great amendment.”

Committee Republicans such as Sen. Cornyn expressed serious concerns that removing such a large population from the exchange would weaken the exchange. He is worried that it could drive up prices for individuals who would still be buying coverage on the exchange. Cantwell argued that lower income Americans tend to be the least healthy individuals. She argued that removing them from the exchange would in fact reduce premiums for those still buying coverage on the exchange. There was no CBO analysis available to support either argument.

Committee Republicans such as Sen Cornyn expressed serious concerns that removing such a large population from the exchange would weaken the exchange. He is worried that it could drive up prices for individuals who would still be buying coverage on the exchange. Cantwell argued that lower income Americans tend to be the least health individuals. She argued that removing them from the exchange would in fact reduce premiums for those still buying coverage on the exchange. There was no CBO analysis available to support either argument.

Blanche Lincoln Has Good Reason To Reject Baucus' Compromise

Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln sits on the Senate Finance Committee. She represents the state of Arkansas. Wal-Mart is headquartered in Arkansas and is the largest private employer in the state.

A month ago Wal-Mart angered many other large businesses by coming out in support of an employer mandate. Wal-Mart's support for the employer mandate was a needed boost to Obama's effort to reform health care.

What Wal-Mart is strongly against is the idea of a “free rider” provision. A “free rider” provision would make businesses not providing their employees with health insurance benefits pay a fine if their employees are getting health insurance from the government. They would be responsible for paying part of the cost of an employee's subsides on the exchange and half the cost of employees on Medicaid. The “free rider” provision would be very bad for a company like Wal-Mart, which employs a lot of low income workers and many individuals with disabilities.

Baucus's possible “compromise” health care legislation is expect to include the “free rider” provision which Wal-Mart strongly opposes. As long as Baucus' proposal includes the “free rider” provision demanded by the Republicans, he should have a tough time gaining Senator Lincoln's support. It is not just possible defection from the liberals on the Senate Finance Committee that Baucus should be worried about.