“If private insurers say that the marketplace provides the best quality healthcare, if they tell us that they're offering a good deal, then why is it that the government, which they say can't run anything, suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That's not logical.” - President Barack Obama
Oh, Barack, you and your silly logic. Don't you realize nearly half the country isn't ready for a rational leader?
Despite the right-wing's senseless opposition to a public option in President Obama's healthcare reform plan the majority of the country seems to support such an option. In a recent poll by NBC/Wall Street Journal 76% of respondents said it was either “extremely” or “quite” important to “give people a choice of both a public plan administered by the federal government and a private plan for their health insurance.”
This seems to suggest, even as Fox News inexplicably dominates the cable pseudo-news channels, that much of the country is finally ignoring a crusade from the right-wing fear machine. Americans may finally be ready to shake off the panic dust tossed at them from above by the wealthy GOP elite, dust they've used for decades to coat an average American's capability for rational discourse in order to terrify them into supporting whatever pro-corporate, anti-worker initiative they've cooked up to make themselves richer while the bottom 40% watch their wages and dreams curdle.
This may just suggest that Americans finally want something that's good for them, and to hell with their predisposition for right-wing panic and propaganda.
And that's not just a good thing, that's a world-changing thing.
Granted, passionate liberals and progressives aren't exactly thrilled by this public option “compromise.” We all know that a universal, single-payer system is within the realm of American possibility, the cost argument is just the red herring. But in the case of healthcare, a system that has been a for-profit, corporate-run institution since its inception, any plan that would at least give the poorest among us access to not just emergency room care but actual doctor's visits and preventive treatments(!) without the fear of losing everything they have when that bill comes, well, that's just about the most inspiring thing a government can do for its citizens.
Because the poor of America have always been the forgotten many. In America there is nothing worse than not being rich. We're taught this every day. Our “Christian Nation” has such an overwhelming thirst for personal wealth that Jesus himself, if he ever does decide to return, may give the United States a dismissive fly-by on his way to worthy parts of the world.
But maybe America is finding its conscience again, if only for this one issue. If 76% of us support a public option for healthcare maybe we're realizing, a little late, that the poor and working-class in this country have gotten the shaft for far too long. Maybe we're finally realizing that even the lower class (because class warfare is all this is) deserves a choice in life; a choice between continuing to slave and die for the top 1% or to have their own glimmer of a chance at health and happiness.
And that's what a public, government-paid healthcare option would be: a choice for the poor. Finally. And no Republican fear-mongering can ever tell you different.
Comments
"then why is it that the government, which they say can't run anything, suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That's not logical. President Barack Obama
How disingenuous!!What is not said is that the government will subsidize the whole venture. That is what the private insurers are afraid of that the government with its ability to tax and print money will undercut them!!
I hope I am wrong.. what will end up happening is this along with hair brain ideas like taxing employer payed health care benefits will undercut private insurers and force everyone into a public plan and then we will all be screwed!
And please save me your crap about class warfare bullshit it is the system led by the government in bed with industry that is screwing us all!
If we had a truly free market for health care an improvement but this is just going to lead to a nightmare of a situation!!
How is the Health Insurance Industry screwing anyone?
even though 85 percent of the country already has health care, 80 percent are satisified with it. Of the remaining who have no health care, 47 million, roughly ten million are illegal, and though they have no insurance are still treated at hospitals. 17 million make between 65 and $70,000 a year and choose not have health insurance. The leaves roughly 20 million, or 7 percent of the entire country left. Of those are included the 20somethings who think they are invincible and choose to not have insurance. So, I vote democrat because I believe in spending close to TWO TRILLION DOLLARS to fix a "problem" that effect 6 percent of the country!
Get your facts straight...do some reporting...
Joe: Do you have one fact to back your statements? Smerls: Would you protect private insurers at the expense of people?
Are only the wealthy entitled to "protection".
Where are your best interests?
Harry,
Why would you frame it as an either or proposition...protecting the rich at the expense of the poor, when it is not, or do you really believe it is an either or proposition??
I think you need to re-examine your assumptions and what I wrote.
I am for everyone having the best quality care. I just don't believe in government providing it at the expense of everyone else!
Health insurance provides medical coverage when needed. .
But unlike businesses that provide a product to make money, health insurance companies make money for themselves when they restrict and do not pay claims.
Read the 50 pages of a health insurance contract.
Pay attention to limitations and exclusions.
People’s health is not a product that needs to be left to the whims of money motivated CEO’s.
If that is your thinking, you might as well have your police and fire dept protection based on insurance premiums you pay.
Then you can go to the police and fire protection insurance page for ‘limitations and exclusions’ on whether or not the police or fire dept would come out to your house in the event of an emergency.
The point is, you would never think of discriminating against another citizen if he was the victim of a fire or crime.
So why would you be ok with health insurance companies discriminating against fellow citizens who have pre-existing medical conditions?
Scott,
I am not sure what you are trying to say... and I don't know if your analogy really fits.
Anyway do you really believe that a government run system would have no limitations on services and not deny any claims??
Instead of being constrained by the market, decisions will be made based on politics and political whims. Instead of greedy CEO's you are going to have power hungry bureaucrats making those decisions.
At least with private insurance companies you can try and sue if they deny a claim, try suing the government!! Personally I would trust a greedy CEO over a Power Hungry Bureaucrat any day!!
First off, with a public option, you have an opportunity for employers to stop offering health benefits as part of their compensation package. They can do that because their employees will be able to get health coverage through the government.
As the list of employers who stop offering health benefits gets longer, more people will be in the public health plan.
The Obama administration talks about competition, with the public plan competing against private health plans. But they are not competing because the public plan costs an employer nothing. Where is the competition there?
Obama also says that employers that don't offer health benefits to the level specified in their legislation will be forced to pay a penalty.
However, the level of coverage specified in the legislation is higher than many employers offer and to increase coverage to that level would be a significant increase in costs to the employer. The penalty to be paid would still be much cheaper to the employer.
The case you present is actually quite pathetic. You don't talk about the economic effects of a public plan.
I think if you polled Americans, giving them complete information as to how the plan is to be run, you might get significantly different results.
The fact is that the Obama administration (as well as the Democrats in congress) won't give out all of the details before legislation is voted on.
The Cap and Trade bill that passed in the House is a perfect example. 300 pages of amendments were added at 3:00 am in the morning on the day it was to be voted on. Doesn't quite give it a chance to be debated on does it? Or even scrutinized in any way, for that matter.
So why should we suspect that the health care plan would be any different? They'll load it with all kinds of waste and inefficiencies that will be nothing more than political paybacks to everyone that helped them get into office. Who are we kidding Here?
I like your comment: "Don't you realize nearly half the country isn't ready for a rational leader?"
Is it rational to have a federal budget deficit over 1.5 trillion a year?
Is it rational to cut back on missile defense while north Korea is lobbing missiles towards Hawaii?
Is it rational to use stimulus money to fund a corrupt organization such as ACORN?
Is it rational to close Guantanamo when you don't even have an alternative plan yet?
Is it rational to have coverage for illegal aliens as part of a health care plan?
Is it rational to increase the number of personnel "guarding" the Mexican border while not allowing them to be armed? Especially considering the increase in violence as a result of the drug traffickers.
Is it logical for the Obama administration to be so heavy handed with an ally like Israel and yet so friendly with tyrannical regimes like Iran, north Korea and Venezuela?
Is it rational for Obama to do absolutely nothing about North Korea or Iran's
How much Kool-Aid do you drink anyway?
One of your many problems is the fact that you take everything Obama says at face value. Like when he says it's not his intention to have complete government control over health care.
That is his every intention. Like when he said that he had no intentions of running the automobile industry. Then he appoints a car czar.
Obama said he would put every bill he was going to sign up on the Internet for everyone to read before it would be signed. He hasn't done that.
We won't even get a chance to see what is in the health care legislation before it is voted on. In fact, neither will our representatives.
Could our government possibly be any more dishonest?
What is so honest about adding hundreds of pages to legislation just hours before it is to be voted on? Like Cap and trade? Where is the "transparency" in that? It is all deceptive, dishonest garbage.
Obama is nothing but a liar. Just look at what he says and what he actually does
If the health care plan is as effective as the stimulus plan, God help us all!
The stimulus plan was just wasted money used to pay back the special interest groups that put the Democrats in power. That's why it didn't really create any jobs. it wasn't designed to.
So we're to trust them with health care next? okay, just tattoo "Sucker" once again on our foreheads and give us a free lifetime supply of Kool-Aid.
Wow, guys, relax. You seem to all be screaming about a "single-payer" system, something I only mentioned in passing in the article. The public option would keep the private insurers in the game. And, I admit, this wasn't an article designed to explain the entire process of a government-paid system, i.e. costs, that could fill twenty articles. I was only commenting on the poll and Obama's comment that private insurers are scrambling over the prospect of a public option while they claim such a system would be a cataclysmic disaster. So where's the problem? They should welcome the challenge to run a government-paid option into the ground. That's all I was commenting on.
I think the best approach is to provide more incentives for employers to provide coverage. Tort reform would be nice too but that's not going to happen. The fact is that neither party can really be trusted with anything anymore.
The Republicans had their chance and they spent like drunken sailors. Now the Democrats spend like drunken sailors on steroids. The unfortunate truth is that no matter which party is in control or who presents a plan, it is usually only the special interest groups that get what they want; all while everyone else foots the bill. Both parties stink. We need a strong third party.
I have to say that I agree much with what Shane said. Both parties have really failed the American people. Unfortunately, I don't think it's realistic to believe that we'll ever have a strong third party in this country. I might be wrong but I don't think so.
The corruption in American politics is so rampant, it is just impossible to reign in. The thing is that no matter who crafts this bill, it will probably be a mess anyway.
The economic mess we are in is as a result of members of both parties. Let's not forget the Democratic members of the banking committee that tried to increase home loans to people who really couldn't afford them. Also don't forget how Bush signed off on TARP. There are no innocent parties on either side of the aisle.
We get so caught up in picking sides that we often forget how much both parties are really screwing us. Always being forced to pick the slightly lesser of two terrible evils. It's a shame.
Scott, the problem, at least as far as the private insurer's see it is that it will not be a fair fight.
The government with its massive resources i.e ability to tax, and its ability to impose mandates like taxing private employer health care benefits (even though that proposal may not be politically feasible at this time) will undercut private insurer's. I hope I am wrong but the effect could be to drive the average person/employer onto a "public" plan so that only the rich can afford private plans.
Also I think folks are nervous that this would be the beginning of a single payer health system.
Also I agree with Jim, it is both parities who have let us down, more accurately I would say it is the system that has screwed us. A public option is a nice idea but in the end no matter who is in charge it is going to turn into a mess, and the average guy will end up getting screwed.
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