What good does a Public Option that covers only the poor do to

[saracat]

force insurance companies to be competitive, especially since the rest of the HCR "forces" other folks to buy insurance or be "fined" creating a whole new forced market for the insurance companies, who don't care about the "poor' as they wouldn't have purchased insurance anyway?

Looking over some of these proposals it seems to me that we aren't being offered anything! The only way the Public Option encourages competition which would contain price is by being extended to ALL Americans.Any thoughts?

[Warpy]

1. I'm not poor

but I can't get insurance at any price.

As I understand it, it forces insurance companies to take all comers. It also limits the difference in policy premiums to 5X according to age. It also limits the percentage people have to pay out of pocket both for insurance and for copays.

All of this will help me and a lot of other people who either have pre existing conditions or have been priced out of individual plans.

We'll see if they also prevent the insurance companies from committing fraud to avoid paying claims and to pad their profit.

If not, I'll pay the fine.

Like I said, I'm not poor. Even with a corneal transplant 3 years ago, a chronic illness that's a lulu, and an intensive care hospitalization in July, I'm WAY ahead of where I would have been had I gotten a policy at the rate quoted to me fifteen years ago and had paid it for the same 3 year period.

[saracat]

4. I was thinking about that and while I agree with the necessity to eliminate the

preexisting condition disqualification or charging exhorbitant premiums to those with chronic disease but I do not see any provision to "enforce" such demands if the competitive Public Option isn't available.
I do not believ the so called "Free Market" will regulate itself.

I too have a preexisting condition and have had to raid my husbamds retirement fund to pay our rising premiums. And we carry a deductable so high the policy is just about unusable!

Supporters of the Public Option, myself included, as well as the president have continuously stated that it is necessary to have the PO to create competition in order to ensure low rates as well as compell the industry to meet these standards
.
My point is that a Public Option only covering the "poor" does not do that.

[grantcart]

2. the Public Option has nothing to do with covering 'the poor'

Everyone who is eligible to enter the "Health Care Exchange" could pick any of the plans.


Subsidies would be given to people who need assistance purchasing health care and not tied to the Public Option.


Having the public option included in the exchange (originally open to all of those who do not have insurance and small businesses who do not qualify for employer based plans) will do a number of things.

1) It legiimized the principle that the government not only should be involved in providing a health care insurance for the general public can do so effectively.

2) It will give an opportunity for people to "vote with their feet" to demonstrate their preference for it.

3) The cost structure advantage of the Public Option over the Private Companies will be in public view.

4) Those that will not have access to the Public Option can start agitating to have access increased.

5) It is much easier to expand a proven plan than to try and get everything for a plan unseen, it is a wedge that will lead eventually to single payer.

The people who came up with the Public Option did so specifically on the principle that it is the only path to a single payer system.

Canada did not change their whole system to single payer with a single piece of legislation either.

[saracat]

6. The president specifically said the Public Option would not be available to everyone

and they expected it to only affect 5% of the people.He said it would not be extended to everyone. At least it isn't in the current proposals being tossed around.

[grantcart]

10. that point was addressed in my reply

[Oregone]

3. What good? What good?

Why, now, it distracts the public while they shove mandates down everyone's throat

[Old Hob]

5. I wonder if car insurance prices came down appreciably when people were forced to buy it?

:shrug:

[blogslut]

7. I just love how you put me in scare quotes

"poor"

I never realized I needed them.

[saracat]

8. I only put "poor" in quotes because I have no longer any idea

what the defintion of the word "poor" currently is!

[scubadude]

9. Don't fret, we'll all be poor soon enough! LOL

Once again I must put a happy face on a very bad situation. Forgive me,

Scuba