(Blog Post) Without a public option, the other parties that comprise America's non-system of health care -- private insurers, doctors, hospitals, drug companies, and medical suppliers -- have little or no incentive to supply high-quality care at a lower cost than they do now. Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala
To:
Separate email addresses with commas.
25 recipients max.
Note:
Insightful defense of the public option for health care reform. Good kicker -- a strong recommendation for Obama. Refreshing to read.
As a practical matter, the choice people make between private plans and a public one is likely to function as a check on both. Such competition will encourage private plans ... More »
As usual, Secretary Reich makes a very eloquent case; well-organized, concise, and insightful--good use of parallelisms and refuting arguments ("Critics say...")and such.
Critics say the public option is really a Trojan horse for a government takeover of all of health insurance. But nothing could be further from the truth. It’s an ... More »
I like and respect Robert Reich's opinions, but this article makes one argument repeatedly that is subject to question. He insists that the public plan option will put pressure on the other plans to clean up their acts and improve their efficiencies. He also notes that the public "Medicare's administrative costs per enrollee are a small fraction of typical private insurance costs", and this after many decades of its existence. Where, then, is the pressure on the private insurances to ... More »
Overall, a very good summary of the advantages of having a public option for financing health care. Saying that "It's the only way we have a prayer of taming health-care costs" ignores the very real savings that would come from having a Patient-Centered Medical Home.
It would be nice if he would have included health care reform, and not just changing the financing, in the discussion.
Well stated. He omits the flip side that would address why the critics of private health insurance are right.
This is a subjective but properly thought-out and rather convincing opinion article. i think it is an important contribution to the health care debate.
I share the view that it should not be profit but care which shapes the health care system, so a public option is important.
Not exactly quality journalism, but an argument. My own bias happens to believe Reich is correct in his argument, though.
Insurance companies need to be removed from health care. Health care in the USA is crippling the non-health care related economy and individual ... More »
A good summing up of the political arguments for and against a "public" health care option. However, it doesn't really discuss how a public option ... More »
The insurance model is actually at odds with the general delivery of health care. The theory of insurance posits relatively rare payable events ... More »