This just broke a few minutes ago....
The White House, facing increasing skepticism over President Obama’s call for a public insurance plan to compete with the private sector, signaled Sunday that it was willing to compromise and would consider a proposal for a nonprofit health cooperative being developed in the Senate.
The "public option," a new government insurance program akin to Medicare, has been a central component of Mr. Obama’s agenda for overhauling the health care system, but it has also emerged as a flashpoint for anger and opposition. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the public option was "not the essential element" for reform and raised the idea of the co-op during an interview on CNN.
Is this for real? Or is the Times spinning Sebelius's statement as a trial balloon signaling a practically total cave in on the part of Obama?
If Obama backs down and is willing to settle for these "co-ops" will the progressive caucus revolt and vote no across the board? (Which would be my preference)
Frankly, I find it hard to believe that Obama would give in so easily and so soon. My hope is that this just turns into a misinterpretation of Sebelius's words.
A robust public option (that means the functional equivalent of Single Payer for those who choose it.) is the minimum acceptable outcome.
Anything less than that should mean that real health care reform becomes THE voting issue of the 2010 elections.
In the few minutes that the story has been on the Times site it got 333 comments and they cut it short with the vast majority of the comments being against the cave in.
The lies that the opponents are putting out can't be sustained for a year. No way. There isn't that much money to buy enough PR and air time to convince people that shit don't stink.
What say you?