So the public option will 100% pay for itself? That is the only way it works long term!

[KansasVoter]

Has everyone said the Public Option will 100% pay for itself and will not need any funding except from dues from the people who use it?

If the government is going to need more money than the monthly fees to pay for it then the insurance companies have a legitimate complaint. Taxpayers who do not participate and choose private companies over the public option should not have to fund the public option through taxes.

I can see why the insurance companies are worried about taxpayer funded insurance and not 'dues' funded insurance. It would not be fair not matter how much you hate insurance companies.

[harun]

1. If insurance companies don't like it, let them all shut down. I never voted to allow

for-profit insurers to run wild in this country. It was stopped in every other industrialized country because it is morally reprehensible to gain profit from denying people care.

[newinnm]

11. Thats not true

Australia had mandatory hospital insurance that is run by private for profit insurers. Also France has for profit supplemental health insurers.


-nnnm

[JayMusgrove]

14. Supplemental health insurance exists in many nations

Most of it is a waste of money.

Unless you insist upon private rooms in hospitals for non-critical patients, nurses caring for you at home when a home health aide could be trained in 15 minutes to do the same job. Stuff like that is what Canadian, French, and other nations' private health insurance pays for.....not for essential care.

[harun]

22. Fail

http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/about/whatwedo/health-system/index.jsp

The Australian Health System

The Australian health system is widely regarded as being world-class, in terms of both its effectiveness and efficiency. The system is a mixture of public and private sector health service providers and a range of funding and regulatory mechanisms:

* The Australian government with the primary role of developing broad national policies, regulation and funding.
* State and Territory and Local governments who are primarily responsible for the delivery and management of public health services and for maintaining direct relationships with most health care providers, including regulation of health professionals and private hospitals.
* Private practitioners including general practitioners, specialists and consultant physicians.
* Profit and non-profit organisations and voluntary agencies.

The Australian Government’s funding includes three major national subsidy schemes, Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the 30% Private Health Insurance Rebate.

Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme cover all Australians and subsidise their payments for private medical services and for a high proportion of prescription medicines. Under Medicare, the Australian and State governments also jointly fund public hospital services so they are provided free of charge to people who choose to be treated as public patients. Australian Government funding of the 30% Rebate and other key incentives support people’s choice to take up and retain private health insurance.

People make their contribution to the health care system through taxes and the Medicare levy based on their income, and through private financing such as private health insurance.

The aim of the national health care funding system is to give all Australians, regardless of their personal circumstances, access to health care at an affordable cost or at no cost, while allowing choice for individuals through substantial private sector involvement in delivery and financing.

[newinnm]

23. Fail?

Explain to me what you mean by that?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. Chuck Schumer is that you?

To put it bluntly, who the f!@k cares if it's "fair" to the insurance companies? Those same companies that practice death by spreadsheet and make profit by denying care - those companies?!

A public option is publicly funded - that's what MAKES it a public option. And just like Social Security and Medicare, it will be there for you when you need it, like when you lose your job sometime in the future when your co-workers realized what a selfish nitwit you are. (I almost NEVER make personal comments, but I have to make an exception in this case. If you are in fact NOT a selfish nitwit, all evidence to the contrary, I apologize if I hurt your feelings.)

[grantcart]

3. unblock has answered your point of 'fairness' in this brilliant thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8491325

[thunder rising]

4. The fact that there is not a clique of extremely overpaid execs

will be quite difficult to compete with. And, consider the savings of not having hundreds of claim fighting/denying agents; again difficult to compete against.

[Uncle Joe]

5. People that send there children to private schools, still fund public ones

via their taxes as do people without children.

Also today people choosing private health insurance; are already funding those without coverage as are the tax payers, medical costs have far outstripped inflation in large part because with 40+ million Americans; without coverage having been denied by for profit health insurance corporations either by decree or cost, emergency rooms have become the peoples' medical treatment of first and last resort. This combined with the profit motive for their shareholders, bonuses for upper management and lobbying money, has only served to increase the cost of their premiums to the insured.

I believe the for profit "health" insurance industy is not a fair business, they profit from the American Peoples's illness and injury.

[newinnm]

10. How do you feel about Non-profit insurers?

[Uncle Joe]

12. I view the nation's health care as a national security issue and

nothing is better suited for that multi-pronged task than the government.

I believe non-profit insurers may be one step above in some respects than for profit insurers, but they can't equal the government as to negotiating power via sheer numbers, and accountability to the American People.

All branches of the government swear an oath to represent the best interests of the American People, no corporation whether profit or non-profit is held to such a strong fiduciary responsibility.

[Romulox]

6. There is no "fairness" argument for forcing Americans to buy mandatory, for profit insurance.

This thread must be a put on? :shrug:

[Spazito]

7. Wow....WOW!

I can see why insurance companies are worried too! No more gouging, no more 'free lunch' from the US taxpayers, no more multi-million dollar bonuses for the CEOs.

US tax dollars are ALREADY paying for their private, for-profit piece of crap, think what will happen when those dollars actually go out to care instead of paying CEOs, paper pushers to file tons of different claims to the many different insurance gougers.

They should be worried, hopefully most will be out of business soon.

[DrToast]

8. I wouldn't go backing the insurance companies quite yet

I can see why the insurance companies are worried about taxpayer funded insurance and not 'dues' funded insurance. It would
not be fair not matter how much you hate insurance companies.

They're opposed to any form of a public plan.

[asteroid2003QQ47]

9. Greedy death merchants might get treated unfairly? Boo friggin hoo! n/t

[bertman]

13. It's called a Public Service, and like police and fire protection and garbage collection,

and sewage treatment, etc., etc. it is paid for by our taxes. Except that right now our taxes are going toward TWO wars and the largest military machine in the known universe, and gifts of TRILLIONS of dollars to financial wizards, so we are being told that there's no money to pay for this Public Service.

[Doctor_J]

15. have you lost your mind?

this is about providing health care for Americans, not making a profit. If you think it's about profit, you're on the wrong discussion board (on not in your right mind)

[lindisfarne]

16. Medicare pays for itself. Why can't a public option? People have said it will need an infusion of

money initially but after that, no.

I don't understand why it really matters. Taxes paid to the government come from the people. If the government uses those taxes to fund a health care program, that's one thing governments do. Many of the health care programs in developed countries are funded at least in part that way, esp. to subsidize costs for people making less money.

The OP seems to support the position of private insurance companies. They have been gouging the American public for decades. The playing field is not even now. Why can't we tilt it in the other direction? Realistically, it's unlikely to end up like that, because of the power of insurance lobby money, but it seems pretty fair to me to give them what they've been giving us for decades.

[TomCADem]

17. Two Points In Response...

First, there is no reason why the public option can't be structured like the U.S. Postal Service, which some folks on DU have used as a model, where the public option is funded solely by premiums paid into it. This is a gigantic strawmen created by insurance companies that the public option would be heavily subsidized, and be run at a deficit.

Second, the public option WOULD eat into the profits of private insurance companies even if it were 100% self-sufficient, because the public option is not trying to generate huge profits. However, private insurance companies can always lower fees and improve service to compete, but this will eat into their profits, which is why they oppose the option so vehemently.

[uponit7771]

19. YEAP!! What are they afraid of? If they were offering a good product they have nothing to worry abou

[uponit7771]

18. FUCK THE INSURANCE COMPANIES!!!! eom

[Romulox]

20. I just don't get how a Democrat can believe this:

"Taxpayers who do not participate and choose private companies over the public option should not have to fund the public option through taxes."

I thought the idea that the well off amongst us should assist those who struggle was a foundational belief of Democrats, not this free market fundamentalism...

[uponit7771]

21. It hasn't been since RayGun, a loved one does taxes and shakes her head everytime

...she looks at the tax code and the burden the uber rich have passed down to the middle class is gobsmacking

[Clear Blue Sky]

24. I actually like my private insurance and want to keep it.