I’ve been hearing that the final health care reform bill would include a public option, a non-profit health insurance program offered and managed by the federal government to compete with private health insurance, but it would include the stipulation that states can “opt out” of any national health insurance plan.
Why?
I just don’t get that. Why would we want any state government to be able to step in and stop anyone from getting access to affordable health insurance?
States weren’t allowed to opt out on Social Security. States weren’t allowed to opt out on Medicare. Why should a public option be any different? And how would any opt out even work? Would it simply require each state’s governor to sign his or her name to special document and with the stroke of a pen, that state’s citizens will be denied access to affordable health care?
That scenario just doesn’t seem right. I would think at least some Republican governors would decide to opt out of a national public option simply because of political philosophical reasons, especially if they had their eyes on a higher office. What better way to score points with the Republican party than to deny thousands, perhaps millions of people access to adorable health insurance?
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has already said that he would opt out of any public option because, well, he says he doesn’t like “government run” health care. Coincidently, Pawlenty is routinely mentioned as a likely GOP presidential nominee. My guess is that if he didn’t have national aspirations, he wouldn’t even think about denning the people of Minnesota the opportunity to have affordable, quality health insurance.
He’s not stupid.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Amending the Maryland Constitution to prevent requiring people to buy health insurance
- I hope this man has good health insurance
- Harry Reid announces that he is for the public option, but only if states can opt out
- The current health care reform bill is a sweetheart deal for insurance companies
- Health care reform without the ‘public option’ is a waste of time
Lee B.
/ October 23, 2009While I support the goal of reform, this process and those leading it amount to the typical Washington low-quality Mongolian clusterfornication. I fear it’ll end up so convoluted and full of exceptions that it may not equsl any sort of legitimate fix to the problem…
But it’s historic, and that’s what counts. His-tor-ic.