public plan

We're headed into the end game for health care reform. The president has put himself in the arena. The insurance lobby is unleashing the scare campaign. A strong bill will pass the House. But at this point, too many senators are still standing in the way.

read more »

More »»

Third Way, an organization of so-called centrist Democrats, is promoting what it calls a "hybrid" proposal for a health insurance public plan option that it says progressives should be able to support. No, we shouldn't. It's an unacceptable attempt by people too wedded to the status quo to protect the tail ends of the health insurance industry. read more »

More »»

Most people attending the America's Future Now conference are clear about one thing when it comes to health care: They are not prepared to compromise away the choice of a public health care option in order to get other reforms. read more »

More »»

Is Medicare the right model for a public health insurance option, or is the Veteran's Administration hospital system better? Both sides of that argument make good points. But before we wade into the details that will be hashed out in the coming weeks, don't lose sight of the goal of the public health insurance option.

More »»

Recently, some policy experts have called for a “compromise” approach on universal health care that would involve state-based public plans designed to mimic state self-insured health plans or a government contract with one or more private insurers to administer claims. Neither approach would achieve the cost savings nor delivery system changes that a truly national public plan could.

More »»

David Sirota's post Tuesday asks why Washington political leaders won't even discuss a single-payer health care system, with a leading Democrat going so far as to exclude single-payer advocates from participating in a Senate Finance Committee hearing last week at which read more »

More »»