Massa Giving Up on Single Payer
Eric Massa is throwing in the towel on Single Payer health care and HR 676. He leaves the door open to the posibility of supporting another bill, under the right circumstances. A quote from Massa, via WXXI:
”Single payer’s off the table. It’s off the table, I understand that. I look at [House Resolution] 3200 and it doesn’t address that issue. Single payer by the way does address cost control. I have concerns about how this bill does that. One of the big issues in America today is not that we’re not spending enough money, because we’re spending twice as much as any industrialized nation per capita. The problem is we’re spending in the most inefficient way possible.”
Hear the entire interview with Eric Massa on Need to Know, Friday night at 8:30 on WXXI-TV.
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Well, This isn’t news - HR 676 never really had the Democratic establishment support it required, however, I’m sure the good Congressman will vote for it when it comes up for a floor vote -
I love how the meme usually goes like - From Obama to various House and Senate members A single payer system is preferred but alas we in the government can’t implement what is best for America.
Sometimes you wonder who the system IS best for.
i know its a rhetorical question, but the system is best for the monied elite, and that is what our founding fathers wanted. on a side note, i bet president kucinich would have supported HR 676, being a co-sponsor and all.
One more thing that bothers me -
The title implies that Massa changed his position. Based on my conversations with the Congressman in Pittsburgh and previous conversations here is the deal.
He acknowledges that single payer (HR676) won’t pass the House but when it comes to a floor vote )(Largely due to the efforts by Anthony Weiner (NY9) he will vote for it. In fact, he predicts 104 votes in the House based on conversations I had with him in Pittsburgh.
He will not vote for HR3200 as written (As I’ve posted) but if there is a stronger public option - he could vote for HR3200. He is part of the progressive block demanding a stronger Public option. The 40 or so progressive Democrats who will vote against HR3200 if there is not a “robust” public option. Heck - Massa maintains that the current bill doesn’t even have a public option. I suppose his vote will depend on what kind of public option is in the bill.
I would be surprised if the interview didn’t bear any of this out.
I also take issue with the title of this article.
Long after the dust has settled on whatever lackluster reform is enacted, or fails to be enacted, in the 111th Congress, there will be those advocating for truly universal, cost-efficient health care reform (i.e., Medicare for All). I am certain that Rep. Massa will continue to be among those championing the cause.
An acknowledgment that HR 676 likely does not have sufficient floor votes to pass, or what’s far more disappointing–that the Obama Administration may not sign single payer legislation into law, does not reflect a change in position on the part of Rep. Massa. It reflects a disheartening lack of conviction on the part of the President and those in Congress who say that they privately support single payer, but would not take a public stand on the behalf of their constituents for what is right on a moral, economic, and common-sense level.
the national health care debate is a mass.
Massa has a reasonable position
He has been on several liberal talk shows (Bill Press et al)
He needs our support.
My apologies on the title. I’m a fan of Eric Massa, but this is not my regular beat… and it’s showing!
Gee, could we agree that just maybe a strong public option is a good foot in the door and that single payer could come in Obama’s second term?
As Howard Dean said at NetRoots, the public option allows true reform to happen at its own pace…and at that pace it shouldn’t scare anyone into overreacting. This is big change and for some big change is the most terrifying thing in the world.
If we get what we want in the end, we can afford to be nice as we journey to the goal.
DFA TOM
Help me understand what a strong public option is exactly - Please, I really want to know because frankly it means different things to different people. So maybe you can define it for the audience.
Also - while you bring up Howard Dean, he really supports giving Medicare to everyone under 30 and allowing 55 year olds to buy into Medicare (if memory recalls) - also said at NN09. That part isn’t in his book though. Why isn’t that in the book?
Finally, anyone who doesn’t believe that the folks actively supporting single payer did not help drive the debate to the left is deluding themselves- remember the public option is ill defined and not even in the current House bill.
The end state of health care reform - everyone will be declare victory and go home. Obama will be said to survive attacks from the left and right as he maintains his centrist crown, the Insurance companies will relish in the new customer base, the subsidized customers they will get, Big Pharma only gets to give up 80 billion dollars, well, I suppose the GOP wins by holding the health reform closer to the right than left and so on…
But I’m sure it will be better in Obama’s second term. Please - before they gutted the Public Option in HR3200 (or maybe the time requirements are still there) it didn’t extend to other folks for 5 years. 5 years- which by the way is in his second term. I don’t know what genius decided to make health care a referendum on the Obama presidency - A referendum for god’s sake -
sorry - the bill as written I don’t see how we get to Health care nirvana. Maybe there is a path - I don’t see it -