Titanic wrote:thegreekdog wrote:Simply that the public option in the current bill would turn it into a public-only plan.
Is that actually true? I've only heard of that on here. I thought the bill said after your current plan expires your new insurance will have to meet the conditions set out in the bill, not that you have to join the public plan.
It's as true as having socialized (public plan) education has eliminated private educational institutions. In other words.. not. A public plan would, however, require insurance companies to provide more BANG for each BUCK rather than monopolize the industry with their "good ol' boys, we'll scratch each others' backs and we'll all get rich setting prices" current trend. Similarly, a private school or university that does not provide adequate educational formats for the price does not stay viable because there are public options.
The idea that "socialized health care" would put private insurance out of business is a scare tactic insurance companies are feeding so that they can continue their current price gouging trends. As proof, Medicare is a current system of public-plan health insurance which most seniors choose to participate in, yet even Medicare has spun off an entire industry for private insurance companies to provide "supplemental insurance" to those who can afford a supplemental plan. Meanwhile, Medicare also guarantees each senior citizen some MINIMUM level of health care.
But you know, I think kids are as important as grandparents; I think parents are as important as grandparents; I think aunts or could-be-aunts and uncles are as important as grandparents. In short, I'd like to see our country provide some minimum level of healthcare to everyone. Those who want more than the minimum should still be able to purchase it, just as those seniors who want a supplemental plan, and can afford it, purchase one.
One way to fund it would be the reduction of the need to process bankruptcies; most bankruptcies by private citizens are due to health care costs. If each citizen had some insurance, less bankruptcies to process; more docs get paid for their services; less costs to insure themselves against nonpayment losses; less need to hire collection agencies. That's probably why few physicians are against the idea of a public option. They'd like to make sure they get paid for what they do.