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The Public Option is Nothing to Worry About
One of the most controversial parts of President Obama’s healthcare proposals is the public option. It’s also badly needed. Nonetheless, the insurance industry and conservatives and Congress are fighting it tooth and nail.
The public option makes sense economically. Healthcare costs, as Obama noted in his press conference last week have risen 50% in 10 years. This is a crushing burden for businesses, large and small. Even in good times, high premiums cut into wages for workers. They also increase the cost of doing business, which make American companies less competitive with foreign firms. That’s the last thing a company needs in the midst of these challenging economic times. Why do pro-business Republicans want to oppose something that would lower costs for businesses?
Even people who choose private insurance will benefit from a public option. In order to draw people to their plans, private insurers will have to do one of two things. Either they will have to offer more affordable premiums, or they will have to offer greatly expanded services at current rates to convince consumers that their plans have an added value. That could mean reduced instances of private insurers doing all they can to deny legitimate claims.
I can understand concerns about expanding the size of the budget deficit at a time when we have so much debt already. But the money we currently spend on healthcare is a huge burden as it is. In 2008 alone, we spent $2.4 trillion on healthcare. That number is expected to rise to $4.3 trillion by 2016. In fact, the US spends six times more per capita on healthcare per person as western European countries that provide universal healthcare.
A good public option that provides more affordable premiums and coupled with other reforms like comparative effectiveness research can reduce that number to a more sustainable level.
Of course conservatives say that the public option will mean the end of private insurance in the US. But that need not be the case. They are most likely to point to Canada and the UK in making these arguments. But in the Netherlands and France, private insurers do exist. In France for example, 80% have supplemental private insurance to help cover co-pays.
There is a chance that government ends up being as wasteful and inefficient as conservatives claim. In that case, people will turn to private insurers. And to win over consumers, those insurers will have to offer either cheaper premiums, or better services. True we might have wasted a fair bit of money, but then the way we do healthcare currently is bankrupting us. And at least we’d cover everyone even if costs are high; as it is, we don’t even do that with our high costs.
Then of course, there is the argument about rationing. A government option will lead to some federal bureaucrat in Washington DC deciding whether Grandma gets hip replacement surgery. What those making this argument frequently fail to mention is that we already have rationing. Millions of people a year receive no health insurance because they can’t afford it. Unless Grandma has a gold-plated insurance plan, or lots of extra money lying around, she isn’t getting the hip replacement under the current scheme.
Exploding costs also make us ration in other ways. Having to pay $10,000 a year for family coverage means that working and middle class families must cut back in other ways, such as saving for a child’s college education. A public option could relieve the strain on these families.
The public option is truly nothing to fear.
-Marcus Gadson
Check out my blog here
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LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY. (Thomas Paine)
We have the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed world. Conservative estimates are that over 120,000 of you dies each year in America from treatable illness that people in other developed countries don’t die from. Rich, middle class, and poor a like. Insured and uninsured. Men, women, children, and babies. This is what being 37th in quality of healthcare means.
I know that many of you are angry and frustrated that REPUBLICANS! In congress are dragging their feet and trying to block TRUE healthcare reform. What republicans want is just a taxpayer bailout of the DISGRACEFUL GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance industry, and the DISGRACEFUL GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare industry. A trillion dollar taxpayer funded private health insurance bailout is all you really get without a robust government-run public option available on day one. Co-OP’s ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR A GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION. They are a fraud being pushed by the GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance industry that is KILLING YOU!
YOU CANT HAVE AN INSURANCE MANDATE WITHOUT A ROBUST PUBLIC OPTION. MANDATING PRIVATE FOR PROFIT HEALTH INSURANCE AS YOUR ONLY CHOICE WOULD BE A DISASTER AND UNETHICAL, CORRUPT, AND MORALLY REPUGNANT. AND PROBABLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL AS WELL.
These industries have been slaughtering you and your loved ones like cattle for decades for profit. Including members of congress and their families. These REPUBLICANS are FOOLS!
Republicans and their traitorous allies have been trying to make it look like it’s President Obama’s fault for the delays, and foot dragging. But I think you all know better than that. President Obama inherited one of the worst government catastrophes in American history from these REPUBLICANS! And President Obama has done a brilliant job of turning things around, and working his heart out for all of us.
But Republicans think you are just a bunch of stupid, idiot, cash cows with short memories. Just like they did under the Bush administration when they helped Bush and Cheney rape America and the rest of the World.
But you don’t have to put up with that. And this is what you can do. The Republicans below will be up for reelection on November 2, 2010. Just a little over 13 months from now. And many of you will be able to vote early. So pick some names and tell their voters that their representatives (by name) are obstructing TRUE healthcare reform. And are sellouts to the insurance and medical lobbyist.
Ask them to contact their representatives and tell them that they are going to work to throw them out of office on November 2, 2010, if not before by impeachment, or recall elections. Doing this will give you something more to do to make things better in America. And it will help you feel better too.
There are many resources on the internet that can help you find people to call and contact. For example, many social networking sites can be searched by state, city, or University. Be inventive and creative. I can think of many ways to do this. But be nice. These are your neighbors. And most will want to help.
I know there are a few democrats that have been trying to obstruct TRUE healthcare reform too. But the main problem is the Bush Republicans. Removing them is the best thing tactically to do. On the other hand. If you can easily replace a democrat obstructionist with a supportive democrat, DO IT!
You have been AMAZING!!! my people. Don’t loose heart. You knew it wasn’t going to be easy saving the World.
God Bless You
jacksmith — Working Class
I REST MY CASE (http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/why-markets-cant-cure-healthcare/)
Republican Senators up for re-election in 2010.
* Richard Shelby of Alabama
* Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
* John McCain of Arizona
* Mel Martinez of Florida
* Johnny Isakson of Georgia
* Mike Crapo of Idaho
* Chuck Grassley of Iowa
* Sam Brownback of Kansas
* Jim Bunning of Kentucky
* David Vitter of Louisiana
* Kit Bond of Missouri
* Judd Gregg of New Hampshire
* Richard Burr of North Carolina
* George Voinovich of Ohio
* Tom Coburn of Oklahoma
* Jim DeMint of South Carolina
* John Thune of South Dakota
* Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas
* Bob Bennett of Utah