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I think a public option would be a step toward universal coverage that will eventually have to happen. Frankly, I think health care should be recognized as a right of all Americans. I would favor a Constitutional Amendment to that effect. The whole health care issue should be resolved by non-profit organizations. The Pharma industry should be profit driven, to enable product development. The Food Industry needs a lot of cleaning up. It is fundamentally responsible for much of our health problems. Somehow we need to be able to purchase healthy food at a lower cost than the poisonous options so readily available now. That would be a major undertaking and if you think the Insurance lobbyists are a problem, can you imagine what the Large Food lobbyists would do. Could these things be done, yes, but it would take a national willingness and representatives that would actually represent their constituents.
If Congress is serious about giving people choices, they'll include a public option.
If Congress is serious about encouraging competition in the health care insurance field, they'll include a public option.
If Congress is serious about a health care reform package that would cover virtually everyone, they'll include a public option.
If Congress is serious about a health care reform package that would cost less (a public plan based on Medicare rates would save $110 billion over 10 years), they'll include a public option.
And if Congress is serious about listening to their constituents, they'll include a public option.
But if Congress decides to listen more to the health insurance lobby than to the people who elected them, there will be no public option.
If there was a public option,why would there be a need for private health insurance?
It's good that you make this question. In every European country with UHC, private clinics and hospitals are alive and well. They are mainly used for minor surgeries (eg, plastic and cosmetic which are not covered by the public health system) and they are usually more comfortable than public hospitals. However, when people need serious surgery (such as brain, heart, etc) or cancer treatment they stick to public hospitals.
That is not exactly true....people have private insurance in European nations to get better and quicker care I believe.
Would any of you continue to have private health insurance if there was a public option?
It's not like the public option will be open to every single American.
If you have insurance through your employer, you will be prohibited from getting insurance through the public option.
The public option is mainly for those who can't afford private insurance.
The “health insurance exchange” and its “public option,” the only new structural features of these plans, will affect little more than 10% of the population and will have no significant impact on the overall health care system. Those who receive insurance through their employer are not permitted to access the exchange or the public option.
Still private insurers are trying to fight the public option tooth and nail.
We'll be back to the drawing board in about 5-10 years once again. Hopefully more people will stand up for single payer.
I am insured through my employer. I have been insured by employers for most of my career. If I could purchase affordable (or better yet free) government insurance I would have been running my own business as I was several decades ago until Ronnie Raygun killed the alternate energy subsudies. I do not like working for other people and liked providing a service while working for my own profit. Too bad it ended.
I might start another business after I retire with a big enough pension to live on and still recieve reasonable cost health insurance.
I think a public option would be a step toward universal coverage that will eventually have to happen. Frankly, I think health care should be recognized as a right of all Americans. I would favor a Constitutional Amendment to that effect. The whole health care issue should be resolved by non-profit organizations. The Pharma industry should be profit driven, to enable product development. The Food Industry needs a lot of cleaning up. It is fundamentally responsible for much of our health problems. Somehow we need to be able to purchase healthy food at a lower cost than the poisonous options so readily available now. That would be a major undertaking and if you think the Insurance lobbyists are a problem, can you imagine what the Large Food lobbyists would do. Could these things be done, yes, but it would take a national willingness and representatives that would actually represent their constituents.
the problem is the COST of an 'universal' coverage
medicaide is a single payer system......and it costs 300 BILLION a YEAR. to cover about 30 million people.....1/10 of the population.............now EXPAND that to 300 million people, and you could be looking at 3 TRILLION a YEAR to provide medical covergae to all.......where would the money come from??????
according to the IRS there were 105 million 1040's filed last year......3 trillion DIVIDED by 105 million comes out to......28,000 PER YEAR PER TAXPAYER.....can you afford a 28k tax....I sure cant
It's not like the public option will be open to every single American.
If you have insurance through your employer, you will be prohibited from getting insurance through the public option.
The public option is mainly for those who can't afford private insurance.
Why would your employer continue to offer it's employees health insurance considering the costs?
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