For once, I am happy to cite FAUX news. The opt-out clause is conditional.

[pnwmom]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/26/reid-offers-details-public-plan-health-care/

"Under the proposal, states would have to prove they can provide comparable coverage in order to exit out of the federal plan."


Good luck with that, Red states!

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Good call

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. Nice

Even if they oppose it. Good provision.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Politics are local takes on a whole new meaning

:-)

[HughMoran]

4. How does one cite Faux "news"

That would imply that one would have to watch them or go to their website - I'd slit my throat before doing that :puke:

[pnwmom]

7. By google-newsing "health reform." That article popped up, and I'm glad it did.

[HughMoran]

8. Of course no other source would have this info

I'd kill myself before using Faux as a source. I can't think of a more awful thing to do - promote the enemy.

[pnwmom]

9. Don't worry. No one here will become a faux news convert. n/t

[harun]

5. Don't underestimate them, if they include an opt-out it won't be "free". They can

make it very very difficult for them to do so.

[laughingliberal]

6. Good news! And AHIP just hates it

From the link:

But the health insurance industry bristled at Reid's announcement. America's Health Insurance Plans, which has fought against a public option, released a statement Monday saying the new plan would "underpay doctors and hospitals" rather than drive reform and bring down costs.

"The divisive debate about a government-run plan is a roadblock to reform," AHIP President Karen Ignagni said. "It's time we focus instead on broad-based reforms that will ensure the affordability and sustainability of our health care system."

If Karen Ignagni is against it, it must be a step in the right...er...correct direction

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Ah this is the perfect place for Annie's rendition at AHIP's Annual Meeting

by the Billionaires for Wealthcare...

Damn, my portfolio will suffer!

http://www.billionairesforwealthcare.com/

Scroll down for the second video. It is the one Rachel is showing, but with lyrics.

[drm604]

12. Since when does AHIP sincerely care about doctors and hospitals being underpaid?

The insincerity is breathtaking.

[Canuckistanian]

16. Anything that makes Karen Ignagni unhappy makes me happy

:thumbsup:

[Windy]

11. I think the stategy is genious! Puts the oweness on the states

The effect on business alone is huge. Small businesses will relocate to states where public insurance is available for one. That alone would probably prevent most states from opting out. And I have also read that the states will have to meet a pretty stringent criteria to opt out...

[drm604]

13. How strong a public option is it?

Who will be able to buy in?

[KharmaTrain]

14. It's First Priority Will Be The Uninsured

No mention of costs yet...depends on the CBO scoring and what parts are added or removed from the bill once it goes to House/Senate conference (after versions are passed out of the House & Senate)...and a reason Nancy Pelosi was pushing strongly for the Medicare + 5% solution...which may very well now make it to the final bill.

Surely once a system is set up then it will be open to all...including millions who will prefer to self insure rather than rely on an employer.

[drm604]

15. If it's only open to the uninsured then it won't be competing with the insurance companies

and therefore won't drive down their prices. Wasn't that supposedly the whole reason for the existence of a public option?

"Surely once a system is set up then it will be open to all...including millions who will prefer to self insure rather than rely on an employer."

I wish that I could be as sure as you are.

[KharmaTrain]

17. It's Going To Take Time To Gear Up

You just don't start a new insurance program with millions of beneficiaries overnight. Thus why discussions have revolved around it taking 5 years to get a full public system operational. Again, the devils are in the details that we won't know until the House and Senate hammer out a final bill in a couple weeks.

Lowering costs will happen as more people "opt in"...no one promised premiums would fall the day a bill is passed. And it's not a perfect bill...NPR did a great report on this tonight...as it doesn't address big pharma, tort reform (dealing with superfluous lawsuits that keep doctors malpractice rates high) and other waste...but it starts us on the road. Just as SSI and Medicare needed fine tuning over the years, so will a public program.

Also, I expect many employers to either drop their programs or only offer supplemental coverage, thus the pool of unisured will grow that will go to the public system.

Right now the priority is to insure those who are totally on the outs...and then expand. Competition will come from the growing number of people who will be eligible and enroll...including millions who now self insure (such as myself) who will be cost shopping.

I've been told we wouldn't get this far in the process...that Public Option was dead or that unless it wasn't Single Payer then it should die. I have confidence that starting next year the decades of insurance company deceit and monopoly will start to end...and with it prices will come down as those companies fight to keep people paying their premiums to them rather than to the government.

[pnwmom]

20. What you say sounds reasonable to me. n/t

[pnwmom]

18. As the public option succeeds with lower costs, it will put pressure

on its competitors to prove the need for their existence.

[Vidar]

19. Thanks for the clarification.