Cenk Uygur: Four Reasons Why the Public Health Care Option is Irrefutable

[marmar]

Four Reasons Why the Public Health Care Option is Irrefutable

By Cenk Uygur, The Young Turks. Posted June 12, 2009.

Politicians who talk about compromising on it have no policy ground to stand on. Without the public option, there is no health care reform.



If Fox News is going to continue to traffic in hateful, vigilante-style rhetoric, then folks at Fox News, as well as their apologists in the GOP Noise Machine, are going to have to come up with better talking points to spin away the consequences of the right-wing madness they're so eager to incite.
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I'm not a healthcare wonk. Of course, I want the 46 million uninsured Americans to get coverage, but they have not been my primary concern in healthcare reform (even though I have been among the uninsured many times in my life). I have to admit I'm being a bit selfish here because I mainly want to have less expensive health insurance that still gives me decent coverage.

Why? Because these healthcare costs are killing us. It significantly impacts our family's life. We're just like everyone else, getting crushed under these bills. And what drives me crazy is that after paying more than any other country in the world, we get the 37th best coverage. That's unacceptable. We need to change this system.

This is why I'm in favor of the public option. I need lower bills. Republicans are saying that the public option is unacceptable because it will be too cheap and too efficient, so private companies cannot keep up with it. Great!

Frankly, I don't give a damn what happens to private insurance companies, I just want less expensive coverage that does the same job (or better). And that's what the Republicans are telling me is going to happen.

Mitch McConnell literally said this weekend on Fox, "The private insurance people will not be able to compete with a government option." Doesn't this prove that the private insurance companies will not be able to do as good a job as the government? Then step aside, Butch. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/140609/four_reasons_why_the_public_health_care_option_is_irrefutable/

[drm604]

1. I am so frustrated.

I think what's going to happen is that we'll get some kind of token watered down "public option" that doesn't help anything. A public option done right could be a godsend, but I don't see it happening.

Mailing them doesn't seem to work. Calling them doesn't seem to work. Having the facts on our side doesn't seem to work.

Even if you ignore the good of the people, it would be good for business and it would be good for the economy, but there doesn't seem to be any way to fight the power of the damned insurance companies. Instead of being able to fight them, I have to send them a large check every month. :grr:

Why aren't other businesses that could benefit from this doing anything? Why aren't GM and Chrysler fighting to cut their health insurance costs? :banghead:

[ihavenobias]

3. I'm not sure we'll even get a watered down public option.

Cenk interviewed Rep. Adam Smith (D) Washington the other day (it's posted in the video section) and Smith was completely uninterested in a public option (much less singler payer). He even tried to rip Medicare to shreds.

It was pretty disheartening.

[Wednesdays]

2. K&R

:kick: