via News Analysis – State Coverage Model No Help for Uneasy Insurance Industry – NYTimes.com.
Conservatives, insurers and big business complain about a public option where people but into a a Medicare like option has problems:
But critics argue that with low administrative costs and no need to produce profits, a public plan will start with an unfair pricing advantage. They say that if a public plan is allowed to pay doctors and hospitals at levels comparable to Medicare’s, which are substantially below commercial insurance rates, it could set premiums so low it would quickly consume the market.
I would point out isn’t this the enitre point of health care reform? Aren’t we supposed to find ways of lowering the current ridiculous costs? Are they basically advocating that the public plan be forced to pay providers more to make it fair to private plans? I could care less if it’s fair. What’s next, rules to force the public plan to setup large departments dedicating to avoiding covering sick people? If we aren’t going to do a public option what’s the point?
