Ladywriter 7,783 Report post Posted August 18, 2009 Option may be more politically palatable to conservatives, some Democrats As prospects fade for a public, or government-run, option as part of health-care reform, key senators are considering another model to create competition for private insurers: member-owned, nonprofit health cooperatives.*sigh*Cooperatives would face potentially greater difficulty getting off the ground and obtaining discounted rates from doctors and hospitals, observers say."It's very difficult to start up a new insurance company and break into markets where insurers are very established," said Paul B. Ginsburg, president of the Center for Studying Health System Change. "I don't see how they're going to obtain a large enough market share . . . to make a difference." Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, a foundation focused on health care and social policy research, said co-ops may not enroll enough people to negotiate favorable rates with health-care providers. [sarcasm] no really? [/sarcasm] Look at the flowers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pchan 5,162 Report post Posted August 18, 2009 (edited) That's just stupid ... Off Topic: in a separate issue - we're about 7 months into this Democracy/ Democratic party, and what was impressed on Day 1 on a probable early solution to the entire health insurance model is yet to be resolved. And, there hasn't been much distraction by war or famines or hurricanes, etc. Yes, the economy was a distraction, but money was pumped into the system in those early months, so what's the government busy with now? Edited August 18, 2009 by Godgrave I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ladywriter 7,783 Report post Posted August 18, 2009 Dean wants Obama to stand by public option Former DNC chair among liberals upset over apparent health care shift Dean, a physician, argued that a public option is fair and said there must be such a choice in any genuine shake up of the existing system. "You can't really do health reform without it," he said. Dean maintained that the health insurance industry has "put enormous pressure on patients and doctors" in recent years. He called a direct government role "the entirety of health care reform. It isn't the entirety of insurance reform ... We shouldn't spend $60 billion a year subsidizing the insurance industry." His remarks were echoed by lawmakers as well as a top labor union official, John Sweeney, who said the option was the only way to force "real competition" on the insurance industry. The United States is the only developed nation that does not have a comprehensive national health care plan for all its citizens. About 47 million of America's 300 million population are without health insurance. Look at the flowers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ladywriter 7,783 Report post Posted August 18, 2009 so what's the government busy with now? loonies racists bigoted repugs Look at the flowers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ladywriter 7,783 Report post Posted August 18, 2009 interesting and as usual interesting comments It's Now or Never for a Public Option: Why We Need to Take a Stand Against the Insurance Industry's Greed Joshua Holland, AlterNet We are at a crucial moment in the health care debate -- Obama needs pressure from all of us to keep the public option as part of his agenda. Look at the flowers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
