I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
The U.S. Senate appears to have reached a deal, although the New York Times reported that the agreement isn’t final, according to officials who could not speak on the record. The AP wrote that the officials said “Democrats had technically agreed only on submitting proposals to the Congressional Budget Office for their impact on the bill’s cost and other analysis.”
The removal of the public option goes down like this according to the New York Times’ Prescriptions blog:
Democratic aides said that the group had tentatively agreed on a proposal that would replace a government-run health care plan with a menu of new national, privately-run insurance plans modeled after the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, which covers more than eight million federal workers, including members of Congress, and their dependents.
The Associated Press confirms that lowering the age of eligibility for Medicare is included in the agreement.
Additionally, the emerging agreement calls for Medicare to be opened to uninsured Americans beginning at age 55, a significant expansion of the large government health care program that currently serves the 65-and-over population.
Talking Points Memo, after speaking to “an aide briefed on the negotiations” describe the new privately-run insurance plans:
Insurance companies will have the option of creating nationally-based non-profit insurance plans that would offered on the exchanges in every state. However, according to the aide, if insurance companies don’t step up to the plate to offer such plans, that will trigger a national public option.
Exact details on the bill will not be available until the Congressional Budget Office scores the bill.
