Public option and abortion - the debate rages on. Sure, Joe Lieberman is fun to take stabs at, and many are doing just that, but the real problem is not Joe, it’s the entire healthcare reform mess. It’s a mess, and no matter what side of the House Lawn you’re on, politics is getting the best of everyone.
If you’re still wondering what the public option is, here’s a brief update from an earlier posting we did:
Of the 1,018 pages of the health care reform bill, 12 of them are dedicated to the public option. The public health insurance option is basically a government run healthcare program that could provide more affordable options to consumers and businesses who need an alternative to the big insurance companies.
Any private insurance company could offer a plan in the Exchange, but they’d have to adhere to certain standards:
- There would be a minimum set of benefits for all plans, no one could be turned down on the basis of pre-existing conditions.
- There would be guaranteed renewal of policies (no dumping a customer because they got sick.)
- You would not be charged a different price because of gender, health status or type of employment.
- You would be charged a different rate for age, but it would be more restricted than the Wild West of premium rates today.
- If you couldn’t afford the full premium and you made less than 400% of the federal poverty line (about $43,000 for an individual or $88,000 for a family of 4), you’d get a subsidy so your premium would be pegged to a fixed percentage of your income.
- Everyone would have a cap on out-of-pocket expenses. And finally,
- All of the information and presentation would be transparent — you would be able to compare standard benefits across companies to find the one that works for you.
The healthcare debate rages on in the Senate, after passing the House a few weeks back, and it’s the public option, as well as abortion, that is keeping it from moving in any productive direction. According to the New York Times, talks within the Senate have turned to completely removing the public option and opting for an alternative.
A deal would remove perhaps the biggest obstacle to passage of the health care bill by setting aside for now the creation of a government-run plan. Instead, private insurers would be invited to create national health plans modeled after those offered to federal employees and members of Congress.
While taking the public option off of the table does remove government controlled healthcare, it also leaves a lot in the hands of the big insurance companies. And yet there are other Democrats and Senate leaders who are looking into an alternative where Americans under the age of 65 can opt to ‘buy in’ to Medicare, getting that government healthcare at a younger age.
No matter how you look at it, it’s a mess and things are not improving. Americans are continually concerned with the talk of rising costs for families who are paying insurance rates.
So while the Senate argues over the public option and abortion funding, every day Americans are struggling to get by with the insurance they have. There are market based solutions for these healthcare problems, and some that cost no more than the messed up system that this country already has.
For more information on some healthcare solutions that you and your family can truly afford, check out http://www.noinsuranceclub.com. These are true alternatives to healthcare that are making waves around the country. The No Insurance Club is a market based healthcare solution that is affordable and reliable.
