Public Option Option?

The reports in today’s newspapers are that Maine Senator Olympia Snow’s proposal that the Health Care Reform bill contain “an option” that under certain conditions would call for the creation of a Medicare like public option. The “certain conditions” would refer to private insurers controlling yearly premium increases. Is this the basis for compromise?

On one hand, it seems elegant. More Senators could support the bill and still claim they did not vote for the public option (which is like saying I didn’t know the gun was loaded). On the other hand, it is almost certain to result in another Congressional fight when the option is triggered. But that’s politics.

Last week the New York Times released a poll they conducted with CBS which said that most people were confused about what was health care reform, were luke warm about President Obama and Democrats in their leadership, were dissatisfied with the Republican effort, and in a surprisingly straight forward question “do you favor a public options”, 65% said yes. Despite all the rhetoric, a majority plus of Americans think they are quite comfortable with Medicare-like coverage.

I am less comfortable with the public options (in competition with private insurance) because neither one addresses actual health care consumption and associated costs. A total switch to a “single payer” system, like Canada or Europe, could address health care and return it to a service like public water, not free, subject to reasonable annual rate increases, but available to everyone.  I guess I’ll have to wait for that.

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Tags: health care insurance, healthcare reform, public option, senator olympia snow, single payer

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