One of the factors which makes the Democratic Party in Congress less cohesive than the Republican Party is a strong division between the liberal wing and the Blue Dog Coalition.
According to this CQ story, the Blue Dogs seems to be in a position to determine the direction that any health plan will go. They lie somewhere between the liberal Democrats who prefer a "public plan" and conservative Republicans who do not.
Democratic Party leaders must make the Blue Dogs happy if they are to pass anything:
It is not clear whether Republicans would support a public plan even with a host of restrictions — or if liberals would support a bill with the kind of restrictions demanded by the Blue Dogs.
Among their requirements: The public plan must negotiate payment rates with providers; participation in the plan must be voluntary for both providers and patients; premiums and copayments under the plan must pay for its operations; and the plan must follow the same actuarial standards and regulations required of private insurers.
The Blue Dogs claim to have 51 members, as opposed to 78 liberals.
- The official web site of the Blue Dog Coalition.
- Wikipedia: Blue Dog Coalition.
- Bluedogdems.com.