By Jeanine Molloff, truthout.org
Congressman Alan Grayson (D-Florida) has been waging his own war on corporate insurance forces determined to maintain the fiscal “slaver’s whip” by proposing a straightforward public option plan through the existing Medicare network. Rather than the 2,000-plus-page proposal endorsed by the president; Grayson’s bill is a robust … 4 pages.
In short, he proposes to extend Medicare benefits to anyone from birth to age 64 with a simple “buy-in. ” Curious to find out more, I sent an email request to interview Grayson upon receiving part of a mass email addressed to various advocacy groups, pushing for H.R. 4789, aka the Medicare buy-in. A few hours later, I was contacted by Grayson’s Congressional aide, Todd Jurkowski, regarding that request. In less than 24 hours, I had my interview. When money usually dictates access to Congress or the president, this response was refreshing.
After a few preliminary comments, I asked Grayson how this Medicare buy-in plan compares to the president’s plan as well as the single-payer plan recommended by the group Physicians for a National Health Plan.
His first response regarding the president’s plan was startling in its simplicity and direct tone. “Well, the President’s plan is lacking a public option, and THIS IS A PUBLIC OPTION. This would be a wonderful supplement to the President’s plan, BUT IT ALSO STANDS ON ITS OWN.”
In fact, the short title of H.R. 4789 is listed as the “Public Option Act,” or the “Medicare You Can Buy Into Act.”