Joe Lieberman: Medicare Flip-Flopper
Posted on December 14th, 2009 by Jason Rosenbaum in Congress Watch
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Joe Lieberman says his objections to health reform are a "matter of conscience." One thing has become clear over the last 24 hours: When it comes to his conscience, he does a lot of flip-flopping. His changing positions on the Medicare buy-in is but the latest example.
When he was running for Vice-President and as recently as three months ago, he supported the Medicare buy-in idea he's now rejecting:
Meet Joe Lieberman, Medicare buy-in advocate. It's the winter of 2000, and Lieberman is pressing flesh and kissing babies in Bangor, Maine as the presidential election approaches. After holding a town hall meeting with voters at Bangor's opera house on Main Street, Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, sits down with the local paper to discuss the upcoming election and his ticket's plan to improve the nation's health care system by allowing some younger Americans to "buy in" to the government run program.
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It's not clear exactly when the Lieberman of 2000 turned into the Lieberman of Dec. 14, 2009, but it looks like it wasn't too long ago. In a Sept. 8, 2009 interview with the Connecticut Post, Lieberman outlined his opposition to a public option but suggested a way coverage could be expanded without one:
…By allowing citizens who are not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid to buy in for a rate below the private market, the government can extend coverage to more of those who are currently uninsured, he said.
To arrive at his position, Lieberman said he reached out to "every conceivable group" in the state, including residents, providers, doctors and hospitals.
Here's the video (h/t Greg Sargent):
And just last week, he said, "I don't know how anybody can decide until you see the actual language," before deciding without seeing the language yesterday:
CAVUTO: Which way you going to go on this?
LIEBERMAN: Good to be here. Well, the direct answer is, that Joe doesn’t know, because Joe doesn’t know what — nor do most other members of the Democratic Caucus — know what’s in the compromise proposals that came out of the group of 10 senators that Senator Reid sent to the Congressional Budget Office. [...]
The announcement, really, is that I don’t know how anybody can decide until you see the actual language of these compromise proposals. And, on the Medicare buy-in, I have increasing concerns, as I think a lot of other colleagues in the Democratic Caucus, including some of those who were not concerned about the public option.
There is no "matter of conscience" there. So why the flip-flop? Here's a few other things we know:
Joe Lieberman has taken $448,066 from the health insurance industry in the last 10 years, and he seems intent on giving his corporate paymasters everything they want.
We also know that Lieberman is holding up health care reform. That means that Lieberman will go to any length to make a political point against the left, even if it means killing his fellow Americans. As Ezra Klein over at the Washington Post wrote:
At this point, Lieberman seems primarily motivated by torturing liberals. That is to say, he seems willing to cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in order to settle an old electoral score.
As has become clear, that is the depth that Lieberman will sink to. And there's no reason to believe he won't go lower.
Would it be possible to allow the moderates to have their way without the public option on this bill, and then later push through a public option on budget grounds with reconcilliation?
Traitor Joe
Ok… I get it! Now where do I go to donate money towards the Lieberman Attack ads? He's gone too far this time.
Taking half a million dollars from health insurance companies is what needs to be outlawed!!! Campaign finance reform is the key to any future progress for the people, it's very painfully obvious that these "representatives" no longer represent US! Outlawing these type "contributions" is what can really make a difference. We need to FIGHT for that, now!
OMG! Who is this Joe Leiberman? Single handedly stopping the progress of Healthcare Reform in this country. And the whining and posturing that goes on with this guy. The Insurance companies must be jumping up and down everytime the Democrats give in to this ridiculous act of his. Bought and paid for Insurance Companies, while his state is overwhelmingly for the public Option. Please, Enough.
As an Insurance Agent I can tell you with 100% certainty that without a strong public option we have just given United Healthcare,Cigna,Aetna and other Health Insurers a massive dividend increase and while the Medicare buy in was not the best alternative (as it only affects those over age 55) it was at least a start but now that is off the table.
Thanks Joe Lieberman for giving Insurers and their stockholders a payraise for Christmas while you screwed the American people who basically get nothing.
Sure it will get rid of pre-existing conditions(Under certain circumstances only)and lifetime maximums which were rarely used up.
Joe Lieberman gets a campaign donation for in excess of $400,000,Health Insurers and stock holders get millions if not billions and the average American worker still goes without affordable healthcare,windows and widowers still find themselves without the finances to afford medicare supplements if they are even elgible.
IS THIS THE CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN???
The American public should be lighting up the switchboards all over Washington today and demanding that a viable,affordable public option be made available to the people who pay the bills.THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!
The Democratic Party is being laughed at today by every republican,Conservative talk show host and commetator across this Country because even with a majority nothing is being accomplished.
The Democratic Party leadership is a joke and is a disappointment to all who voted to give them a real shot at truly making a difference.
I am ashamed to be a member of such a useless group.
Thanks Joe Lieberman for giving the American people a real Christmas present this year.
Lieberman is absolutely right. It is his conscience that has caused him to obstruct the public option and the healthcare bill and that is within his right. After all how can he vote for a bill when he has assured his health insurance sponsors that he would not. His sponsers have agreed to provide him with many resources over the coming years.
It is also within our rights to have Lieberman investigated for corruption and greed, formally and informally.
Obama is a coward for not calling him out. Obama is a coward for not standing up for anything and letting senators whittle away at the few good things about this health care bill.
Gee…Joe's phone mail box is full and his email won't work from his web site. He's trying to not listen so he can pretend to be for the people. He is so off course he should just quit. We need real leaders with heart and vision to get a public option in health care and get us out of all wars.
Joe, go home and take your twisted ideas with you.
We need somebody who cares about the unemployed and in my case the underemployed. My income is based on commission and so my income is down $25,000 this year. I'm about to lose my health insurance because I pay it myself. I work 3 part time jobs.
Do something here at home to solve these problems and stop spending our money on foreign wars.
Karen,
Before you lose your Health Coverage be sure to take a look at short term medical Insurance.
I do not know what carriers are in your area but you might log on to http://www.celtic-net.com as they seem to have fairly good rates for this type of coverage.
The biggest flip-flopper of all is Barak Obama who promised to say "thanks but no thanks" to high priced pharmaceuticals and the sold us all out with his back room deal with the drug industry prior to the debate even beginning on healthcare reform. One of the countless broken campaign promises. THIS IS NOT CHANGE it is business as usual inside the beltway
The pharmaceutical industry has supported federal elections to the tune of $130 million in the last 10 years. So if you beleive that campaign donations drive the decisions being made on healthcare reform how much influence do you suspect $130 million buys????