Public Option

The public option is an alternative to the current supposed pricing gouging and denial of coverage by private insurance companies. Well, belatedly, this week, we see reports that insurance industry profit margins are well below many other industries. So providing a tax funded alternative to compel private insurance to lower their costs will insure the insurance industry will fail. What we will have left is tax funded non-competitive government single payer system without any incentive or ability to lower costs. The without any competition costs will spiral out of control or medical services, at the same or higher price, will be rationed; another form of denial of service, just more systemic.

So what is it will have we gained by the program now being pushed by the democrats? Certainly not lowered medical costs. Cost of medical services in this country are attributed to state regulations that limit national competition, defense medicine wherein doctors order up tests and procedures to limit malpractice suits and the cost necessary to support the best medical system in the world. Of these three factors, the first two are not even addressed by the bills now in congress and the third is something we ought to be proud to have. We will then have taxed, borrowed and spent trillions of dollars to insure a small fraction of the population who can afford but don't want to pay for insurance or can't pay for it but now have access to public health alternatives.

The question is why is the administration and the congress doing this? Certainly not to lower medical cost because they are in fact not even addressing the real cost issues. The driving force in this “reform” is a mix of increased governmental control, muddled economic thinking, kowtowing to their emotional, illogical democratic base and just giving into closely held Marxist leanings. This whole effort of the administration and the democratic congress is just plain stupid and very destructive and on some level, with some people, consciously doing this, treasonous.