Public Option in the reconciliation bill? What?

[kpete]

Source: Daily Kos

Public Option in the reconciliation bill? What?
by David Waldman
Sun Mar 14, 2010 at 08:38:48 PM PDT

Where the tips came from first, I have no idea. But without fanfare -- and you should perhaps take that as a clue -- the House Budget Committee has posted a 2,309 page bill (PDF)http://budget.house.gov/doc-library/FY2010/03.15.2010_reconciliation2010.PDF that purports to be the text of the upcoming reconciliation bill. And as early sneak-peekers saw almost right away, it appears to contain... the public option.

But almost as quickly, denials http://twitter.com/nicopitney/statuses/10498347590 were being issued via Twitter that caused almost as much confusion as the raw text caused excitement.
http://twitter.com/nicopitney/statuses/10498347590

So what's going on here?

I don't know for sure yet, but here's my best guess given both the text we can see with our own eyes and the denials, plus this clue from the link to the PDF on the Budget Committee page:
http://budget.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1751
http://budget.house.gov/doc-library/FY2010/03.15.2010_reconciliation2010.PDF

Click here to download the text of the reconciliation recommendations sent to the Budget Committee in October by the House Ways and Means and Education and Labor Committees.(PDF - 3.26 MB)http://budget.house.gov/doc-library/FY2010/03.15.2010_reconciliation2010.PDF

I'm just not entirely sure what this thing is.

Read more: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/3/14/846274/-Public-Option-in-the-reconciliation-bill-What

---

MARKUP NOTICE: The Reconciliation Act of 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2010

Date: March 15, 2010
Time: 3:00pm
Location: 210 Cannon House Office Building

http://budget.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1751

Subtitle B—Public Health Insurance Option
Sec. 221. Establishment and administration of a public health insurance option
as an Exchange-qualified health benefits plan.
Sec. 222. Premiums and financing.
Sec. 223. Payment rates for items and services.
Sec. 224. Modernized payment initiatives and delivery system reform.
Sec. 225. Provider participation.
Sec. 226. Application of fraud and abuse provisions.
Sec. 227. Sense of the House regarding enrollment of Members in the public
option.


12 SEC. 227. SENSE OF THE HOUSE REGARDING ENROLLMENT
13 OF MEMBERS IN THE PUBLIC OPTION.
14 It is the sense of the House of Representatives that
15 Members who vote in favor of the establishment of a pub16
lic, Federal Government run health insurance option, and
17 senior members of the President’s administration, are
18 urged to forgo their right to participate in the Federal
19 Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and agree
20 to enroll under that public option.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. This kind of confusion should surprise no one

Its too big and has been kept close hold for too long.

[Major Hogwash]

8. Shit, now I'm surprised and confused.

And I haven't been smoking anything for years!

Would you believe months?

A couple of weeks?

A few hours?

[mucifer]

2. I'm thinking since nancy pelosi said no to the Public Option there will be no Public Option

in the bill the president ends up signing. Just a thought.

[johnnyplankton]

3. I Called Pelosi's Office on Friday and told a staffer...

That I was disgusted. And I have told every Dem asking for time and $ donations to go fuck themselves if there isn't a public option. Maybe they're listening, and Pelosi didn't want it to be a hot topic on the Sunday shows. I believe we have the PO votes in the Senate, and if the Dems can grow some spine in the next week and pass a public option, possibly followed by Grayson's Medicare for All bill, maybe they can prevent a slaughter in the mid-terms. Or Maybe they'll shoot themselves in the head again. But it's no time to stop making phone calls. Toughen up, kids. We've come too far to stop trying.

[FourScore]

4. All is not as it seems...

Updates:
- Here is the article at The Hill announcing the release of the bill. http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/86681-house-democrats-release-reconciliation-healthcare-bill - Jeffrey Young (health care wonky guy) tweets it... - Ah, I see - the first couple divisions might be reprinting or summarizing the earlier House versions of the bill that came out of various committees. So it might be that the public option isn't actually in the reconciliation bill. - Apparently, word is this bill is released entirely for "procedural purposes", and is really just the senate HCR bill packaged for the house. No drama here. - Nico Pitney tweets: 'This is not what you're looking for'. No changes to Senate Bill.

Last Update:

Basically, this is a shell bill - gets sent to the budget committee, who will rubber stamp it, and then it goes to the rules committee, who will strip it out and replace it with the actual reconciliation language. So, something got released here, but you can ignore a lot of the content. The newsworthy part is that it looks like the reconciliation bill will include student loan reforms.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/3/14/846267/-Reconciliation-Bill-Released-%283-15%29-%28Update-Explanation%29

[glinda]

5. If the HC Bill is weak, not only will the Dems fail but the whole Country will come down

with a big thud. I believe that it will signal to the big corporations and the wealthiest that they can now totally stomp on the majority of the Public. It will unleash the worst of this Country. Even worse that it is now.

[earcandle]

6. Prophetic!

[ProgressiveEconomist]

7. Note the words "MARKUP NOTICE" in the snippet you posted

One of the talking heads recently said that 3pm Friday March 12th was the leaderships's deadline for releasing a markup version of the HCR Reconciliation Bill to House members, who would then start marking it up.

I would suspect that the Public Option section is in the markup because a public option passed in the House version of HCR. But I wouldn't bet that the PO section still will be in the next, "marked-up" draft. IMO, following directives from the House leadership, it will be one of the first sections to go, unless there's an unexpected rebellion in the House Rules Committee by the 21st.

[flamingdem]

9. K + R

[laughingliberal]

10. Keep calling, emailing, faxing. Focus on the Progressive Caucus

It might not help but it can't hurt. And it could save the November elections if we succeed.

[No Elephants]

11. This "story" is nearly unintelligible.

As best I can parse it, he's saying mention of a public option is some kind of formality that probably means nothing.

And also, that he's written about the possiblity of this non-event before, a month and a half ago.

Well, stop the presses!