Conrad Faces Activists Against His Health Plan
Activists Favor Public Option Oover Health Co-ops
© Jon Pike
Jul 24, 2009
A United States Senator from North Dakota, Kent Conrad is having to face down activists within his own party, or allied with his own party, who oppose an alternative health care plan being proposed by Conrad.
Even though Conrad represents a state with a small population, he is a respected member of the United States’ Senate by members of both parties. He is widely regarded for his financial and Budgetary acumen. He had been Tax Commissioner in his own state. He sits on the Senate Finance Committee that has been reviewing President Obama’s health care legislation. The Conrad plan features a type of structure familiar to North Dakotans, who live in rural area.
Conrad Plan Relies on Co-Operative Model
Many North Dakotans are familiar with non-profit agricultural co-operatives that provide services. Such co-operatives are the linchpin of the Conrad Plan: as he explained on a recent episode of PBS’ Nightly Business Report:
“…very simply, co-ops are not for profit. They are a very successful business model. Group health out in Washington is a co- operative, 600,000 members and they own their insurer, membership owned, membership controlled, not government run, not government controlled, but controlled by the membership. And it's clearly gaining momentum as an idea to provide additional competition to for-profit insurance companies but do it in a way that is not controlled by the government.” In rural states like North Dakota, many people are familiar with co-ops that provide fuel and grain elevators.
Conrad say he wants such co-ops to be “budget neutral” in that they are fully paid for in the federal budget. But, Conrad is running up against activists allied with his party who want a plan with a so-called “public option.”
North Dakotans Rally Against Conrad Plan
This last Thursday, activists who favor what’s called a “public option” rallied against Conrad’s proposal in downtown Fargo. One of the groups organizing the rally, the Northern Plains Labor Council had representative on hand. George Barnes, vice-president of the labor council said of the Conrad plan, “It wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t sustain itself. You can’t compare health care to grain elevators.” Other rallies were held in Minot and Grand Forks.
Moveon.org, a national advocacy organization that favors the public option helped organize the rallies.
Political TV ads have been peppering this state of under one-million people. Many of the ads are calling on Senators Conrad, his fellow Democrat, Byron Dorgan to pass a plan with a public option.
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