Politics Versus Policy

Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean told Bob Schieffer on "Face The Nation" that the health-care co-operative option is purely a political strategy.

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  News & Politics

[publicoptionbest]

Critics charge that the public plan will be subsidized by the government. Here they have their facts wrong. Under every plan that's being discussed on Capitol Hill, subsidies go to individuals and families who need them in order to afford healthcare, not to a public plan. Individuals and families use the subsidies to shop for the best care they can find. They're free to choose the public plan, but that's only one option. They could take their subsidy and buy a private plan just as easily.

[TPAUSA]

Always nice to see the Doc out there telling it like it is!

[SAYESTOHEALTHCARE1]

Private insurers say a public option would have an unfair advantage in achieving this goal. Being the one public plan, it will have large economies of scale that will enable it to negotiate more favorable terms with pharmaceutical companies and other providers. But why, exactly, is this unfair? Isn't the whole point of cost containment to provide the public with healthcare on more favorable terms?

[Mark Schmidter]

National health spending is expected to reach $2.5 trillion in 2009, accounting for 17.6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). By 2018, national health care expenditures are expected to reach $4.4 trillion—more than double 2007 spending. (Siska)

The Republicans and or O'bama plan, is just more of the same. Plenty of profit for the greedy pharmaceuticals and the health care companies. We should emulate the European Plan which is just 10% of their GDP & save 1 Trillion dollars a year.

[Dacktyl]

We all know that as soon as we get the "public option" passed, all these Tea-bagging freaks will be lining up to get it.