The introduction of health care cooperatives into the reform debate is a dangerous distraction. Health care co-ops will not increase competition in a business dominated by giant insurance companies, but rather fail in the most critical need of health care reform: cost control.
Co-ops have been around for a long time in the United States and have been successful in some industries—grocery stores, community credit unions and electricity. However health care co-ops have a very different record.
Conservatives herald co-ops because, during the 1930s and 40s, health insurance co-ops covered hundreds of thousands of Americans, in large part due to the financial support of the federal Farm Security Administration (FSA). But this and other health care co-ops have a history of failure without tight federal regulation and significant taxpayer investment.
A local health insurance co-op, as described by many conservatives in Congress and the media could not grow large enough or quickly enough to compete with health insurance industry behemoths and near-monopolies that control the majority of the market.
The only entity large enough to create an organization capable of introducing competition into the health insurance market is the federal government.
A public option capable of competing with Big Insurance will force insurance companies to lower premiums and improve quality of service.
The public option will provide an affordable, basic coverage plan to all who want it. For those who prefer to buy insurance from a private plan, competition from the public option will aid in lowering the costs of coverage.
Claims that the public option will simply overrun the health insurance market and eliminate private companies are absurd. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that, even among those with incomes that make them eligible for assistance that will aid in paying for a public option, just one-third would chose that public option. Moreover, under the reform proposal in Congress, three million more people would have primary medical coverage through an employer than under current law, according to the CBO.
The public option creates competition in a market dominated by a few massive conglomerates. It lowers health insurance premiums across the board and increases quality of care. As the debate in Congress and throughout our nation rages on, we must be a clear for voice advocating for the public option. It the only true reform that can control costs and provide health care insurance for a greater number of Americans.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s vile how one party has demonized this issue for their own political gain… Basically, this this is about providing medical treatment to the poor, needy, and sick uninsured and the uninsurable (ie pre-existing conditions). Those countering this healthcare measure in essence wants to deny/bully others in society that typically can’t fend for themselves and who need medical attention.
Regardless, we already pay via for their healthcare via surprize, more costly 911 emergency calls from uninsured. Plus we pay via general health of the society being lower due to less regular check ups/treatments.
Speak out and reach out online and to your reps. This is the right thing to do in a rich, advanced society like ours…
Check out: http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/
jacksmith, where is the data to back up the 67% claim of single payer? Is that a DailyKos poll?
Robert, you’re quite right, single payer combind with full adoption of EMRs will neccesarily lead to the government record of every abortion. Kiss any right to privacy goodbye.
Mark wants more that a public run option, so does the president, Barney Frank, Pelosi, Harry Reid and Pete Stark. All of them want single payer, all of them have also said the public option is the first step to get there.
To the Editor:
Two huge dangers are associated with a public-option component of unversal health care.
First, as is true with Medicare, the government would have access to Form 1040, the federal income tax form. For Medicare patients, the government examines a patient’s Form 1040. If a patient’s income is above a certain level, the monthly Medicare premium goes up. Do people want the government examining Form 1040? Blue Cross would not have access to Form 1040.
Second, the government might want to know if a woman has had an abortion, giving the government the option to eject a woman from publicly-run health care.
Richard S., Colman
Orinda, CA
Aug. 30, 2009
OBAMA SAID HE’D CUT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE TWICE, MARK
Despite the dissembling of David Axelrod, Mr. Obama told a Montana town hall that he’d pay for health-care reform by “eliminating . . . about $177 billion over 10 years” for “what’s called Medicare Advantage.” And it was two days before Mr. Obama told a Colorado town hall he’d cover “two-thirds” of the “roughly $900 billion” of his plan’s cost by “eliminating waste,” again citing Medicare Advantage.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203706604574374584177632694.html
NO CO-OP’S! A Little History Lesson
Young People. America needs your help.
More than two thirds of the American people want a single payer health care system. And if they cant have a single payer system 77% of all Americans want a strong government-run public option on day one (86% of democrats, 75% of independents, and 72% republicans). Basically everyone.
Our last great economic catastrophe was called the Great Depression. Then as now it was caused by a reckless, and corrupt Republican administration and republican congress. FDR a Democrat, was then elected to save the nation and the American people from the unbridled GREED and profiteering, of the unregulated predatory self-interest of the banking industry and Wallstreet. Just like now.
FDR proposed a Government-run health insurance plan to go with Social Security. To assure all Americans high quality, easily accessible, affordable, National Healthcare security. Regardless of where you lived, worked, or your ability to pay. But the AMA riled against it. Using all manor of scare tactics, like Calling it SOCIALIZED MEDICINE!! :-0
So FDR established thousands of co-op’s around the country in rural America. And all of them failed. The biggest of these co-op organizations would become the grandfather of the predatory monster that all of you know today as the DISGRACEFUL GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance industry. And the DISGRACEFUL GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare industry.
This former co-op would grow so powerful that it would corrupt every aspect of healthcare delivery in America. Even corrupting the Government of the United States.
This former co-op’s name is BLUE CROSS/BLUE SHIELD.
Do you see now why even the suggestion of co-op’s is ridiculous. It makes me so ANGRY! Co-op’s are not a substitute for a government-run public option.
They are trying to pull the wool over our eye’s again. Senators, if you don’t have the votes now, GET THEM! Or turn them over to us. WE WILL! DEAL WITH THEM. Why do you think we gave your party Control of the House, Control of the Senate, Control of the Whitehouse. The only option on the table that has any chance of fixing our healthcare crisis is a STRONG GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION.
An insurance mandate and subsidies without a strong government-run public option choice available on day one, would be worse than the healthcare catastrophe we have now. The insurance, and healthcare industry have been very successful at exploiting the good hearts of the American people. But Congress and the president must not let that happen this time. House Progressives and members of the Tri-caucus must continue to hold firm on their demand for a strong Government-run public option.
A healthcare reform bill with mandates and subsidies but without a STRONG government-run public option choice on day one, would be much worse than NO healthcare reform at all. So you must be strong and KILL IT! if you have too. And let the chips fall where they may. You can do insurance reform without mandates, subsidies, or taxpayer expense.
Actually, no tax payer funds should be use to subsidize any private for profit insurance plans. So, NO TAX PAYER SUBSIDIZES TO PRIVATE FOR PROFIT PLANS. Tax payer funds should only be used to subsidize the public plans. Healthcare reform should be 100% for the American people. Not another taxpayer bailout of the private for profit insurance industry, disguised as healthcare reform for the people.
God Bless You
Jacksmith — Working Class
Twitter search #welovetheNHS #NHS Check it out
(http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/why-markets-cant-cure-healthcare/)
Senator Bernie Sanders on healthcare (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSM8t_cLZgk&feature=player_embedded)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbWw23XwO5o) CYBER WARRIORS!! – TAKE THIS VIRAL