So reports Time today.
Democrats generally are standing behind their position that a health care system overhaul must include a government-sponsored plan that would be available to middle-class workers and their families.
New York Senator, Democrat Charles Schumer, said this option now seems even more of a necessity in view of unsuccessful behind-the-scenes attempts to get a deal with Republicans on nonprofit co-ops as an alternative to a public plan.
Schumer’s remark about a “nonprofit co-op as an alternative to a public plan” is the first time I’ve heard of it. A separate Time article says an “approach that is suddenly starting to emerge on Capitol Hill as an alternative to a public plan — nonprofit, consumer-run health-insurance cooperatives.”
The Time article does say that “the Senate Finance Committee appears to have tentatively signed on to the concept” of a “nonprofit co-op” proposed by Democratic Senator Kent Conrad.
Time tries to explain what it is.
Conrad’s basic plan calls for the creation of 50 separate cooperatives, one for each state. Each cooperative would be nonprofit, run by a board of directors elected from within the ranks of co-op members. They would essentially act as self-insurers, meaning premiums paid in by members would cover the cost of claims. The theory is that co-ops would be able to offer health insurance at lower costs for individuals and small businesses — who now must pay some of the highest rates for commercial insurance — because they would create larger risk pools. States with smaller populations could join with nearby ones to form regional alliances with larger pools of members. (Conrad has also suggested the idea of a national cooperative, which many experts believe would have more power to pressure doctors and hospitals to lower prices, but he says that concept would face the same political opposition that a public plan would.) State or regional co-ops would ultimately be self-sustaining, but at least in the beginning, the Federal Government would have to play a role. Washington would likely have to provide $3 billion to $4 billion in seed money for set-up costs and initial capitalization, according to a Finance Committee Democratic aide. The co-ops would be available on a so-called health exchange, where consumers could review and choose from various insurance-plan options.
But, the Time article continues by indicating such co-ops have had a dismal success rate in the past. Doesn’t sound too appealing to me.
I did notice, however, no mention of single-payer in either article. I just cannot understand why Democratic members of Congress are so opposed to single-payer. Except, it appears that both Democratic and Republican members of Congress are dead set on not disturbing the healthcare industry’s giant insurance companies. Yet, it seems to me those insurance companies are part of the reason we have the healthcare crisis. They spend, I read, 31 cents out of every dollar they receive on overhead expenses, having no impact on medical care. [Physicians for a National Health Program] Because they are in business to make a profit us premium payers have to pay for their TV ads, CEO salaries, etc., so they can stay in business. Doesn’t help our healthcare problem one bit.
Republicans seem absolutely fixated on keeping corporate profits as part of the healthcare mix. It seems they don’t give a fiddler’s damn about the uninsured and underinsured people who can’t afford corporate insurance coverage. Single-payer would end all that. Doesn’t matter to me whether it’s called socialized medicine or not. Labels are meaningless. It is the result that counts.
Yet another article on Time today shows:
The US spends far more on healthcare than any other nation. $7,026 per capita, projected to reach $13,101 per capita by 2017.
That is what Obama is getting at when he keeps telling us we’re going over a financial cliff unless we get healthcare costs under control. The Republican leadership scoffs at his assertion, determined to keep corporate profits for the insurance industry intact—ignoring people.
One glimmer of good sense I took from the article is the apparent recognition by Democrats in Congress that they just ignore the Republican opposition to healthcare reform and go ahead and pass it through on their own.
That is what Democrats should do, only switch to single payer healthcare and quit wasting their time in kissing Republican and healthcare industrial butts. I know they just can’t bring themselves to forego all those campaign financing contributions they receive, but we ordinary people can relieve them of their worry. Those that don’t look out for us ordinary folk can be voted out of office at their next election despite all that money. That is, if we all stick together and demand Congress enact single payer healthcare else we’ll find someone who will. Can we do that? Yes, We Can! if we stick together.
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