Wyden to offer free choice proposal, optomistic after Obama's speech

[ProSense]

Wyden's optimistic take and other Oregon followup to Obama's health care speech

What Obama didn't say, however, is that his approach would give more choice to Americans who have an employer-paid plan with which they may not be happy. And that's the case Wyden hopes to press on the Senate Finance Committee when it takes center stage later this month on health reform.

The senator plans to introduce his "Free Choice Proposal" as an amendment to the committee's bill. Essentially, it would allow employers or their workers to go into an insurance exchange - which other bills would restrict to those without employer-based coverage - and choose among a wide range of options.

Wyden called it the "sweet spot" between keeping workers tightly chained to employer-based plans and "blowing up" the nation's system of providing insurance through employers. He said his plan would provide incentives for employers to go to the exchange to offer a wide range of options for their workers.

Transition to the Free Choice System

Year 1- People who are currently in the individual market plus small employers with up to 10 workers and the
uninsured have access to the exchange.
Year 2-- Add small employers with up to 25 workers to the exchange.
Year 3-- Give State Medicaid programs the choice to be in exchange.
Year 4-- Open up the exchange to medium sized employers with up to 250 workers using the Free Choice
approach.
Year 5 - Open exchanges to all employers.

As long as it includes a public option:

Health Insurance Exchange is opened to small employers first (those with 10 or fewer employees in the first year, and 20 or fewer in the second year) and to larger employers over time.

Otherwise it's simply giving people more choice between insurance companies.

[liberalpragmatist]

1. Giving everybody access to the exchange is the only way to make the public plan universal

I don't know why you can't understand this. The public option - in EVERY BILL - is limited to the insurance exchange. People with access to the exchange would have a choice of several private plans OR a public plan (if one is included).

If Wyden's amendment doesn't pass, then the exchange - and therefore the public plan - would be limited to a very small number of people. Just the long-term unemployed, the self-employed, and employees of small businesses. The present House bill would allow larger businesses to sign up for the exchange over time, but if your employer does NOT join the insurance exchange, you would NOT be able to buy coverage from the insurance exchange, including the public plan.

All that Wyden's proposal does is allow ANYBODY to join the insurance exchange, which, again, would include the option of a public plan. If you didn't like your employers' coverage, you could receive a voucher from your employer to buy a plan from the exchange - either a private plan or a public plan, if one is included.

[ProSense]

5. Why can't you understand this:

Year 1- People who are currently in the individual market plus small employers with up to 10 workers and the uninsured have access to the exchange.

That is not universal. Businesses with over 10 workers are excluded. How is this different from the exchange with a public option?

Also what about the uninsured, is currently in the individual market the same?

[Cant trust em]

2. I'm really happy about this.

I want more choice, not just Kaiser.

[kestrel91316]

3. Obama came right out and said the exchange wouldn't exist for FOUR YEARS.

In the meantime, there will be some sort of plan for the people who can't afford private insurance.

[Oregone]

4. This amendment is nothing but good for the bill

In the old plan, if the employer didn't choose the "public option" or "exchange", the employee is screwed. This allows the employee to go straight to the source. Universal access for everyone.

The result would essentially be a Medicare-For-All option, funded primarily by employers or subsidies. Now this is something I could get behind because of what could come from it!

Have your Congress critters support this amendment!

[Trillo]

6. Sounds good. Better than Obama's limited public option.

Maybe Obama really is playing 10th dimensional chess, and we're just too stupid to understand the game.

[ProSense]

7. It's really ironic that people lambasted Obama for not daily stating support for a public option

claiming that without it, the bill amounts to a giveaway to private insurance.

Now, in the face of a bill that is a giveway to private insurance because it offers no more access than the bills with a public option, the bill becomes a better alternative.