Update: David Brooks and le wrath di khan…Health Insurance Update: Kent Conrad on his Compromise Plan…

Update: David Brooks agrees with MiM on Wyden Bennett option, oh noes! Someone check my brain for those bore worm things from Wrath of Khan!

If I am agreeing with Brooks something must be very very wrong….

Now you might think that in these circumstances someone might take a second look at the ideas incorporated in the Wyden-Bennett plan, which already has a good C.B.O. score, bipartisan support and a recipe for fundamental reform.

If you did think that, you are mistaking the Senate for a rational organism. For while there are brewing efforts to incorporate a few Wyden-Bennett ideas, there is stiff resistance to the aspects that fundamentally change incentives.

From the presser, more Trek talk as Jake Tapper nailed TOTUS down on the misleading claim that Americans could keep their coverage, not likely with employers dumping it to pay a govt fine instead:

…TAPPER: Is the public plan non-negotiable? And, while I appreciate your Spock-like language** about the logic of the health care plan and the public plan, it does seem logical to a lot of people that if the government is offering a cheaper health care plan, then lots of employers will want to have their employees covered by that cheaper plan, which will not have to be for-profit, unlike private plans, and may, possibly, benefit from some government subsidies, who knows.  And then their employees would be signed up for this public plan, which would violate what you’re promising the American people, that they will not have to change health care plans if they like the plan they have. So…

OBAMA:  OK.  You’re pitching; I’m catching.

TAPPER:  OK.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA:  I got the question. First of all, was the reference to Spock, is that a crack on my ears?

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER:  No.

OBAMA:  All right.  I just wanted to make sure.  No?

TAPPER:  I would never make fun of your ears, sir.

-snip-

TAPPER:  I’m sorry, but what about keeping your promise to the American people that they won’t have to change plans even if employers…

(CROSSTALK)

OBAMA:  Well, all right — when I say if you have your plan and you like it, and your doctor has a plan — or you have a doctor and you like your doctor, that you don’t have to change plans, what I’m saying is the government is not going to make you change plans under health reform. Now, are there going to be employers right now, assuming we don’t do anything — let’s say that we take the advice of some folks who are out there and say, “Oh, this is not the time to do health care.  We can’t afford it.  It’s too complicated.  Let’s take our time,” et cetera.

So let’s assume that nothing happened.  I can guarantee you that there’s the possibility for a whole lot of Americans out there that they’re not going to end up having the same health care they have. Because what’s going to happen is, as costs keep on going up, employers are going to start making decisions.  We’ve got to raise premiums on our employees.  In some cases, we can’t provide health insurance at all. And so there are going to be a whole set of changes out there. That’s exactly why health reform is so important.

REPOST: Call your Critters on the health care plan!!!! That CBS poll was designed to make them feel like tey had cover to vote for a public option, let them know how you feel before the votes go down….MiM is supporting the Wyden-Bennett plan…

Conrad has a lot to do with the purse strings so he is worth watching as health care debate unfolds:

Courtesy of Bloomberg