Public Option Gone: Peanuts for Healthcare, Billions for Insurance Companies

Senate Democrats are ready to drop a full-blown government-run insurance option from health care legislation, AP reports. Advocates for a Medicare for All plan called it a concession to Democratic party moderates whose interests lie in protecting corporate interests over true health care reform.

Women's rights activists were somewhat heartened when Senate abortion opponents failed to inject tougher restrictions into proposed Senate health care legislation. Legislation proposed by Congress includes the Stupak amendment which would ban the use of federal funds to pay for abortion services under insurance plans with few exceptions. It is unclear what will happen to abortion rights when the Senate and House get together to reconcile on a final plan. Any sort of restriction of a woman's right to abortion is unconstitutional, said Ruth Robertson of the Raging Grannies Action League, a group of elderly women who have been protesting against what the Grannies say is a war against women and the poor.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-North Dakota, proposed legalizing the importation of prescription drugs from several countries; consumers in large numbers already travel across borders in great numbers to help with their overwhelming prescriptions costs. This idea is, of course, opposed by the pharmaceutical industry, as they wish to protect their profits from competition from Canada and abroad.

Now, with sources reporting that the public option will likely be gone from the Senate bill, all that remains may be some small attempts at banning insurance industry practices such as denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions. Commenting on the Senate discussion of possibly decreasing the eligible age for Medicare to 55 from 65, demonstrators at a rally for health care in Palo Alto, California said this evening said they "won't be happy until Medicare is for every age".