What Do We Get in Return?

Posted on 12/07/2009 at 11:18 am by Bob Cesca

Clearly the Senate version of the public option is being compromised. If the end result is a triggered co-op or similar, we’re in really bad shape. If it’s this Swiss thing, it might not be so bad.

However — and this is a huge however — Jon Cohn asks a good question:

But that raises a key question: If liberals give yet more ground on the public option, what should they ask in return?

How about this. The Swiss Plan has to be based on Medicare rates, the plan has to be available within a year and anyone can buy into it regardless of employment status. In other words, the premiums are based on Medicare premiums and it’s a free choice plan. So it’d be like a robust public option, but with private insurance companies providing the risk and the government keeping them regulated and honest.

That would make the whole thing infinitely more digestible to me.

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  • ec

    The regulated part is key. I think that insurance companies, particularly health insurance companies, should be regulated like utilities.There should be a huge amount of disclosure, assured service, and regulated rates in areas with no competition.No one has expressed any worries about the profitability of Duke Energy or AEP as of late.

  • Jan

    This won’t be cheap. So I think subsidies (sp) need to go up and the individual mandate needs to go away.Since originally alot of this came to be was to make your health insurance portable. I think not allowing folks to quit their employer based insurance and sign up for this should be thought about.So if the democrats are really going to give away the store, some big time negotiating needs to happen.Are the dems up for it? Is Reid tough enough? Will Pelosi cave? What will the progressives say about all of this?

  • http://politicalpartypooper.wordpress.com/ Political Party Pooper

    Maybe if you swallowed their plan with some Fruit Loops, it wouldn’t taste so bad?

  • eljefejeff

    what about the GOP proposal that members of congress and the administration have to enroll in the public plan? If that’s what it takes to get a public option(or the compromise mentioned above), I think it’s a great idea.

  • hollyglightly123

    Best healthcare system ever.I’m an independent contractor living in NYC. Which means I have horrible insurance. Today I had a physical (trying to squeeze it in before my plan stops paying for laboratory work in 2010) and my doc, based on my EEG results, recommended I get an EKG. Only problem is that this falls into the category of diagnostic testing which is subject to a deductible AND THEN 30% coinsurance rate. And how much is this test? $1700.Oh, by the way, my maximum out of pocket for 2010 is going up to $18,000 (30% coinsurance) and my monthly premiums are going up 22%.And meanwhile, these a$$wipe Senators are dithering (yes, I said ‘dithering’) over whether people like me deserve to be able to buy into a healthcare plan that they f’ing get for free.I absolutely hate this country right now.