Practical Vision: A Public Option, What it is and What it Isn't, Why it Matters

[Political Heretic]

A Public Option: What It Is, What It Isn’t, Why it Matters
http://practical-vision.blogspot.com/2009/09/public-option-what-it-is-what-it-isnt.html
by Political Heretic
September 5th, 2009

Excerpt:

So now, if we are going to advocate for actual health care reform, we should identify the things that ought to be present and that we could potentially win in this round:

• One - Prohibition on Insurance Companies Denying Coverage Based on Preexisting Conditions
  
• Two - Prohibition on Insurance Companies Dropping Coverage Because of a New or Current Medical Condition
  
• Three - Caps on Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost and Expenses Paid by Consumers for deductibles and co-payments.
  
• Four – a competitive Public Insurance Option, competing with Private Insurance as an option for consumers.
  

Of all of these, the Public Option is possibly the most important. Many people think they know what a public option, as it is being discussed by congress, is when in fact they are mistaken about some key facts.

Most importantly for people on the left, the only public option(s) even being talked about in congress are extremely limited in scope. So anyone under the mistaken impression that a public option being proposed in the house would be some kind of open-to-all public competitor with equal resources and capacity to a private insurer are gravely mistaken...

Full breakdown and more found here:
http://practical-vision.blogspot.com/2009/09/public-option-what-it-is-what-it-isnt.html

[Political Heretic]

1. I got that damn bug where my post doesn't show up in My Posts

So I have to make this reply instead so I don't lose track of the thread if there are any questions, comments or feedback.

Cheers!
PH