The Facts

The Case for Public Plan Choice in National Health Reform

Key To Cost Control and Quality Coverage

By Jacob S. Hacker, Ph.D.
Berkeley Law Center on Health, Economic, and Family Security
12/16/2008
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Public plan choice, when public and private insurance compete side by side to attract enrollees on a level playing field, rewards plans that deliver better value and health to their enrollees. According to opinion polling, most Americans want public and private insurance competing side by side so that they can choose the best option for themselves and their families. Both should have a chance to prove their strengths and improve their weaknesses in a competitive partnership. Read the report from Prof. Jacob Hacker. read more »

Health Care For America

A proposal for guaranteed, affordable health care for all Americans building on Medicare and employment-based insurance

By Jacob S. Hacker
Professor at Yale University
01/11/2007
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Health Care For America allows people to keep the health care coverage they have and offers Americans the choice to buy into a public plan like Medicare. It combines personal responsibility and an employer contribution to create a new framework ensuring that everyone is covered. read more »

Terrance Heath's picture

More Uninsured Children

Submitted by Terrance Heath
August 28th, 2007

In 2006, 11.7% of children, or 8.7 million kids, went without health insurance. That's up from the previous year, when 10.9%, or 8 million children, were uninsured.

Source
U.S. Census Bureau, Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division August 28, 2007
Alex Carter's picture

Americans Lack Health Insurance

Submitted by Alex Carter
March 11th, 2008

47 million Americans lacked health insurance in 2006, up from 38 million in 2000.

Source
Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica Smith. “Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006,” United States Census Bureau. August 2007. Available from: http://www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/p60-233.pdf

Trigger Troubles—And Why the Senate Can’t Fix Them

A persistent bad idea in the debate over the public health insurance option is the so-called trigger. In theory, a trigger would make a public health insurance plan available to Americans receiving coverage through a health insurance exchange if private health plans did not sufficiently hold down costs. In practice, however, a trigger inserted into either of the two Senate bills now being merged (the Senate Finance Committee bill and the Senate HELP bill) would not be able to work. read more »

Sources Promoting Conservative Health Policy

Reports Promoting Free-Market Health Care:

• Conrad F. Meier. Extending Affordable Health Insurance to the Uninsured. The Heartland Institute. Heartland policy Study Number 91. 27 August 1999. read more »

Eric Lotke's picture

Voters Want Guaranteed Health Care More than Tax Cuts

Submitted by Eric Lotke
February 27th, 2007

If you had to choose, which do you think is more important for the country to do right now, maintain the tax cuts enacted in recent years or make sure all Americans have access to health care?

Cutting taxes 18%
Access to health insurance 76% read more »

Source
CBS News/New York Times Poll, February 2007
Eric Lotke's picture

Doctors support universal health care

Submitted by Eric Lotke
April 1st, 2008

More than half (59%) of U.S. doctors now favor switching to a national health insurance program ; fewer than a third (32%) oppose the idea, according to a new survey published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Source
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN3143203520080331

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