- In 2007, Americans spent $2.7 trillion on healthcare
- The Baucus bill, one of the leading bills, will cost an estimated $829 billion
- The Senate HELP bill, another leading bill will cost an estimated $1 trillion
One of the big things that I, personally, want out of healthcare reform is a public option. To me, this is the best of both worlds. We get the benefits of socialized medicine such as that in Canada or the UK, but we can also get the benefits of private insurance. It seems like a very happy meeting place, in my eyes. But, of course, that brings us back to the cost. $1 trillion dollars seems like a lot of money.
But consider this: if Americans spent $2.7 trillion in 2007 for overpriced, unreliable and discriminatory healthcare, should we then have a problem spending even the same amount on healthcare that no one can take away from you? Healthcare that could not be lost to job loss or pre-existing medical conditions? To me, this security is worth it. Let's assume for a moment that the public option is just as good as any private insurance. But instead of paying some insurance company who will ditch you at a moment's notice, you pay the government in the form of either higher taxes or upfront premiums.
Obviously, you don't want to pay for both, and I'm sure this is a concern for those who intend to keep their private plans. Which is why I don't want to see them pay for it with cuts to Medicare or by tax hikes. I'd like to see it paid for with upfront premiums so that only those who are using the public option have to pay for it. And in doing so, the cost of private insurance may be driven down by the fact that they now have to compete with the government.
What are your feelings on a public option? Do you think this is a good idea, or as some say, a very bad one?
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