There are several competing diaries on Kos right now dealing with the new proposal for an opt-out public option. This seems to be a case of two sets of people with the same ultimate objectives, looking at the same set of facts and coming to quite different conclusions. But what I feel is being lost in these analyses, and why I view the opt-out option as very good news, is that for the first time the floor has been raised, instead of the ceiling being lowered. The other side has blinked, and significant credit is due the many of the diarists here, and elsewhere, who have been wonderfully persistent and relentless in their advocacy. I would say the glass was half empty and now it is half full.
Will the red states all opt out? Could that turn out to be a good thing if it finally knocks some sense into the red state electorate? Will other states opt out? Will Republican legislators feel pressure to accept the public option? Will the opt-out option allow us to include a full and robust public option in healthcare reform legislation, that we might not otherwise get if we insist on a straight public option? Will the opt-out provision make the legislation appear to be a good compromise and make it more popular? Will this in turn translate into strong support for Obama and a belief that he has pursued a wise course of action all along? These are issues we have to assess when we evaluate the Opt-out option. But at least for the first time we have been given a real offer of compromise, not a healthcare insurance industry gimmick.
As I said, I now believe the glass is half full, because we are closer to a public option that has some teeth. This is because I believe the opt-out provision includes the strong form of the public option. And the stronger public option, even if some states opt out, is the most important goal. Any weaker public option, even if it applies to all, will be used and abused by the insurance industry. But if we can get our foot in the door with a strong public option, they'll never be able to diminish it. It's not easy to eliminate a program once it becomes popular. In this way I feel the floor has been raised. This does not mean we should voluntarily lower our ceiling, but I feel a lot better with the floor that I feel is now beneath me.
The opt-out option has some other features that are not entirely insignificant. While in no way do I want to throw over red states, I do want to expose red state legislators for the obstructionists they are, and the opt-out provision does have the additional benefit of potentially exposing them for what they really are. The political consequences could be enormous. And I also believe if we get a strong public option adopted, the red states will eventually take advantage of it, and that would be, in the end, a much better result than a weaker public option in which everyone participates.
But I can't help but go back to the idea that this is brings us closer to actually getting a strong public option. My main concern has been we get something that can be called a public option, but is actually impotent. Everyone declares victory and the insurance companies cry all the way to the bank, while the public wonders what just happened. Industry lobbyists have been writing legislation forever. They always end up with what they really want in legislation. They then title the legislation reform and I'm sure have a good laugh. Sixty Democrats or not this would be a monumental achievement if we could get the upper hand. It would be a true turning point.