Tag: "public option"

Obama Lite

Think of it as a RINO/MINO meld. (Republican-in-name-only mates with moderate-in-name-only and produces ugly offspring.) There is no federal "public plan." There will be state public plans. There is no (Daschle-type) national health board. There will be a "quality oversight" board. HSAs are allowed. As far as I can tell, no one will be prohibited from leaving the country to get health care.

All this is brought to you by former senators Daschle, Mitchell, Dole and Baker – who even now think their opinions are so insightful they should be codified.

Jun 22, 2009 | 6 comments | by

OK, If There Has to be a “Public Plan,” Let It Be the Indian Health Service

This is from the Associated Press:

On some reservations, the oft-quoted refrain is “don’t get sick after June,” when the federal dollars run out. It’s a sick joke, and a sad one, because it’s sometimes true, especially on the poorest reservations where residents cannot afford health insurance. Officials say they have about half of what they need to operate, and patients know they must be dying or about to lose a limb to get serious care.

American Indians have an infant death rate that is 40 percent higher than the rate for whites. They are twice as likely to die from diabetes, 60 percent more likely to have a stroke, 30 percent more likely to have high blood pressure and 20 percent more likely to have heart disease…… After Haiti, men on the impoverished Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota have the lowest life expectancy in the Western Hemisphere.

Jun 19, 2009 | 3 comments | by

How Good is the French Health Care System?

Writing in the Dallas Morning News, Jim Landers paints a largely favorable picture of the French health care system. Here is the other side:

Many liberal Americans are convinced that the French system is the be-all and end-all solution to health care costs in the United States.

Elizabeth Dutertre….. was told it would take two years before her surgeon could schedule her at a public hospital. She went instead to a private hospital, where her surgeon operated within three weeks. At discharge, she got a bill for 350 euros, or about $465.

“They immediately wanted a check – no Visa card, no American Express,” she said. “If you can afford the out-of-pocket expense, you get quicker, better care.”

May 21, 2009 | 2 comments | by

Public Option Health Plan Fails Modeling Test in Colorado

The Obama administration has proposed a government-run health insurance plan generally referred to as a "public option." Some believe that government can do a better job of running a health plan than private companies can. Others argue that a government-run health insurance plan will improve Americans' health insurance choices.

The problem for public option proponents is that private insurance plans work reasonably well, at least if one defines well as good financial protection and ready access to the technologically advanced health care of one's choice at the lowest possible cost.

Proponents of the public option planned to test marketed it in Colorado. The effort was put on hold two years ago.

The reason you haven't heard of this before is that the public option cost more than private insurance. How much? According to the Lewin Group, roughly $8,547 for each of the 6,400 previously uninsured people that were expected to sign up.

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May 13, 2009 | 21 comments | by
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