Public Plan

Just 18 months after the health reform debate killed the potential for a national “public option” in health care, one of the 50 U.S. states is poised to breathe new life into government-run insurance systems. Despite its fiercely independent reputation, the State of Vermont is forging a path towards single-payer health care, and its newly elected governor is determined to succeed.

“Everyone else in the developed world has done this, and we haven’t,” Governor Peter Shumlin (D-VT) told an audience at a recent health care forum sponsored by The Atlantic. The event brought together health care leaders, policymakers, and representatives from dozens of DC policy shops for a daylong discussion of the “next steps” during implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Connecticut could become the first state to offer its own public-plan option, even before most of national health reform unfolds.

Our own Joanne Kenen, Senior Writer for the Health Policy Program, has two articles in the American Prospect this week. The first looks at different responses to health reform on the part of the states, and groups the responders into three general categories: The Ready and Able (like Wisconsin), The Willing but Broke (California) and The Resisters (Georgia, for example). The second article takes a look at Connecticut's effort to make a public health insurance option work. Yes, you heard us -- the public plan. Efforts are already underway to "tweak" the plan into compliance with current federal law -- at this rate, Connecticut could have a public option in place before the rest of the country gets their health insurance exchanges up and running.

You can read more here, and we'll have something more in depth available tomorrow.

Efforts to implement federal health reform are starting in earnest. Industry stakeholders are already looking closely at a number of key provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) that will strengthen the quality and efficiency of health care in the United States.

I'll admit that like almost everyone in this town, I thought the public option was dead. In late October when Joe Lieberman announced he'd filibuster any bill that included it, I figured it was time to conduct an autopsy (cause of death: blows administered in quick succession by an obstinate insurance industry and "centrist" senators), commence the mourning process and move on.

As we were thinking about what might happen at the nationally-televised bipartisan health summit President Obama offered, we clicked over to Nate Silvers www.fivethirtyeight.com blog for some insight. He, alas, is still analyzing the Saints coaching and that gutsy onside kick... But maybe there's a parallel after all.

We don’t write all that much about Congressional process – and when we started to write about process yesterday, we immediately remembered why we don’t write about process. But during this past year we’ve read a lot of other people’s opinions on process. And as frustrating as process can be to those who understand it, it’s probably unbearably aggravating to those who don’t. So a few quick thoughts:

It's a snow day here at New America and we're still digging out, so it will be a light blogging day. But it won't be a silent blogging day. Not after we stayed up way past our bedtime watching that Senate vote.

Howard Dean is apparently not done screaming.

The outspoken former chairman of the Democratic National Committee begins his op-ed in Thursday’s Washington Post boldly stating: “If I were a senator, I would not vote for the current health-care bill.”

Health care reform is beginning to feel like a season of Project Runway. What’s true on the catwalk also holds on the Senate floor, where one day you’re in and the next day you’re out.