10 Point Citizens' Checklist on Healthcare Reform

Here's my answers to your and Newt's checklist.

1.) does the President include litigation reform? Yes
2.) Yes, for sure, big time
3.) Yup
4.) I'm sure you may disagree, but I don't really know if you do but Yes. He's offering a public option.
5.) Same answer as above, same question. Again public option.
6.) Yup
7.) Too early to call that one.
8.) Yup, in fact the thing the right was calling death panels, was actually one of things that patients can make decisions with doctors and the publi option would cover that.
9.) Yes he does and I think how he does that might be a topic of debate. He does want to tell Private insurance providers they have to cover for all sorts of detections procedures.
10.) It is not part of the healthcare reform. Funding in science and technology in treatment and procedures is a separtate issue. Funding for which is separate from the Healthcare reform.

From my count I think he scored 80% by your checklist.

It looks like you may have given him the benefit of the doubt on a number of the items on the checklist. Based on my analysis I graded him at 40%.
1. On Tort Reform he was not forceful or implicit enough. He did float the idea of a possible pilot program to monitor the problem in certain markets and then decide if it's worth implementing. Bottomline, this will not be part of the Bill if it were passed tomorrow. The Democratic Party & Liberals are too much in bed wth the Trial Lawyers & their Lobbyists to rock the boat and risk losing millions in political contributions. 0%

2. On the issue of combating Insurance Fraud in Medicare & Medicaid,he did address it and pledged to go after those that are bilking those systems for hundreds of billions a year. He sounded a bit too optimistic about how much the government would be able to defray in fraudulent and unnecessary costs. The amount they are talking about is over $600 Billion over ten years, a figure that would have to be met in order to keep the proposed $900 Billion dollar proposed Healthcare plan deficit neutral. 10%

3.Was not specific enough. If anything taxes would necessarily go up as more people are dropped from the employer insurance rolls and into the government exchange or any public plan or option. He did not address how adding another 40 million people to the system and finding a few biilion dollars in fraud & waste will keep costs under control. Don't forget, employers will be hit penalties of up 8% of their payrolls if they drop or choose not to insure any of their employees. The CBO, has estimated that this plan would no doubt create deficits over the long run and will ultimately require raising taxes. 0%

4. Did not address rationing. It is a big fear of many Americans and this is why the Public Option will not be a part of this Bill. 0%

5. Insisted on a mechanism to guarantee that anyone that cannot buy insurance in the private market gets it through any number of gvt. run options. Did not reject the Public option completely, but did mention that it is only a means to an end. Of course, a public option may not in the initial version of plan, but i think it will eventually be backed door in some way shape or form. 10%

6. Did not endorse any one Republican plan specifically, only a few ideas of certain plans. On the major Republican must haves, he failed to talk about interstate commerce amongst insurance companies, Tort Reform, and reducing costs. He cited a John McCain campaign idea but othe than that did not endorse one of many Republican plans that are out there. 0%

7. Was not clear on this and frankly, any bipartisan bill will need to go the 60 vote route. Any Bill that is rammed through with only 51 votes will be akin to committing political suicide. 10%

8. Definitely No. He wants everyone to carry some type insurance whether you want it or not. Does that sound like giving Americans a choice? Choice is not being steered into a government exchange, co-op or nonprofit funded plan. Choice is about allowing Americans to shop for thier insurance across state lines and choosing making their own choices on doctors and how much insurance they want to purchase. o%

9. He is for mammography's and colonoscopies as preventive measures, but will insurance companies pay for this. 10%

10. No mention of it, and in my personal opinion this should be funded by private contributions and foundations. The government should not be spending hug amounts of dollars. To a certain extent, the government can subsidize certain programs, but not every single research project. 0%

A couple of notes:
He changed the number of uninsured from 47 to 30 million. This in response to the criticism that illegal immigrants would be covered under the proposed Healthcare plan. That 30 million is still inflated if you back out the people that could afford to buy it but choose not to.Backed off on the public option. This will create some dissent on the Left as this is seen as the certain piece of any Bill they would want.Opened himself up to criticism by stating that if there are other ideas out there he would be willing to listen.
I want to see his reaction when he is presented with 4 or 5 Republican plans that somehow have been left out of the Healthcare Debate intentionally.I think we will be right back where we are in two weeks. Keep it simple. No public Option , Interstate commerce, Tort Reform, eliminate pre-existing conditions and allow for the really needy and underinsured to have some sort of coverage. nothin more nothing less. If this is the common ground we could have a bipartisan Bill.

3.) He flat out said he would not endorse anything that added to the deficit. This was sort of a political answer I thought, but not for the same reason as you. He talked about how he was going to make sure taxes wouldn't be raised to pay for it by putting in a provision that says that you would have to cut spending to pay for costs if the plan starts to cost more. The reason I think it is political is that he can cut from just about anywhere from the budget. I don't know what he has in mind. He also said that the premiums from the public option would end up paying for a lot of the public option costs, along with finding the fraud and corruption money from Medicare. Now I don't think he'll cut it from Medicare and Medicaid, it would not be a good political move, so I don't know where he would cut spending.

4.) I would say he did address it. the only thing is you consider it Rationing and I don't. It's the public option. I don't think it's going away any time soon. It sounded to me it was a real strong point made by him. I would perhaps consider the Canada style and English style healthcare as rationing, because of the waiting lists in the system, but not public option. It is meant to be a safety net for the uninsured, that can afford it. The public option still doesn't insure the homeless, drug addicts, mentally instable people etc... I don't know what is there to help them.

5.) And because of my answer for number four, the answer for number 5 is the same. So I Think this one gets a zero.

6.) I can understand your answer for 6, but I think that should get a 10% because the door is open for communication. Though you only mentioned what he said specifically to the Republicans, he said something to the Progressives that was keeping Republican plans in mind. And it was just that thing about keeping in mind that the public option is a means to an end. He also said that he wasn't considering single payer to the Progressives, that is also done to appease the middle and right of the political spectrum.

8.) I agree with you on some kind of TORT plan or something similar to keeping fraudlent lawsuits to a minimum but I really don't think opening up the borders will increase competition. It will actually allow the Big Insurance companies to out perform the smaller ones. And maybe from gaining more customers, because by putting the smaller ones out of business the big ones take their customers, the big ones can provide cheaper service. But it will happen to a certain point before the big insurance companies are consolidated so much that there will probably only be a handful left. And then prices will go up again. For this I think a public option is important. If we open up the borders for the insurance companies, there would have to be a public option.

10.) Based on your answer for 10 shouldn't it get the ten points.

I didn't feel comfortable about the fact that even if you didn't want any Insurance, you would have to get some. I have never supported the car insurance idea, because I always thought if you are going to make something illegal to not have, at least you could pay for it. If the gov't said tomorrow everyone must buy an ipod, the least they could do is send me a voucher or rebate or something. But I guess that too is the public option. If I have to get insurnance at least there will be a cheap alternative to for-profit health insurance. My problem is that I'm so broke that I probably can't afford the public option. But I guess they got something in mind for people like me.

I actually liked the fact that he said he was open to other ideas, that was a warnign to the progressives to be ready to compromise and a message to the right that he is willing to listen to their suggestions seriously.