Daily Loaf

House Democrats unveiled their 1,990 page health care reform bill in Washington yesterday, and the entire House may vote on it within the next 1o days.

The Dems are already playing some fiscal tricks in stating its costs,  saying it will cost “only” $894 billion.  That does not include  provisions to increase Medicare payments to doctors. Those provisions, which would cost more than $200 billion over 10 years, were put into a separate bill, were introduced separately yesterday.

There were grumblings from some members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who are unhappy that though there is a public option in the bill, it is not a ‘robust’ one.

The Chair of the Caucus, Arizona’s Raul Grijialva, said this yesterday:

“I am not rolling over. I will insist on a Medicare-plus-five amendment on the Floor so that the full Caucus can vote on it. We are hopeful that the Rules Committee will allow this amendment, which has tremendous public support, to be voted on for the record.”

An interesting take on the massive bill (which no, I haven’t read yet) comes from the New York Times Paul Krugman, who writes today that though far short of a perfect piece of legislation (as if that could ever happen in something so massive), people concerned about health care reform should rally around it.

The Pulitzer Prize winning columnist writes:

As a result, everyone in the political class — by which I mean politicians, people in the news media, and so on, basically whoever is in a position to influence the final stage of this legislative marathon — now has to make a choice. The seemingly impossible dream of fundamental health reform is just a few steps away from becoming reality, and each player has to decide whether he or she is going to help it across the finish line or stand in its way.

For conservatives, of course, it’s an easy decision: They don’t want Americans to have universal coverage, and they don’t want President Obama to succeed.

For progressives, it’s a slightly more difficult decision: They want universal care, and they want the president to succeed — but the proposed legislation falls far short of their ideal. There are still some reform advocates who won’t accept anything short of a full transition to Medicare for all as opposed to a hybrid, compromise system that relies heavily on private insurers. And even those who have reconciled themselves to the political realities are disappointed that the bill doesn’t include a “strong” public option, with payment rates linked to those set by Medicare.

In the group photo shot yesterday with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and old war horse John Dingell commenting, Tampa’s own Kathy Castor was standing in the back row.  Since she has gone on record as saying she would only vote on a bill that had a public option (never specifying on how ‘robust’ it need be), one can safely count her in as supporting the bill, that ultimately will be voted on before Veterans Day.

Meanwhile, the group Florida Health Care for America Now coalition will “deliver a giant treat” to GOP Congressman Gus Bilirakis “highlighting the thousands of dollars he has received from health insurance companies” today at 4p.m., at 35111 U.S. Highway 19 North, Suite 301, in Palm Harbor.

And in Tampa, members of MoveOn.org will be demonstrating in front of Florida U.S. Senator Bill Nelson’s local office in front of the Federal Court House, also at 4p.m. The former astronaut has been somewhat all over the map in terms of his support for a public option – and his vote will be heavily courted by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and quite possibly President Obama himself.

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