| Follow us on Twitter |
Last Sunday, prior to the Senate Finance Committee vote, the health insurance industry released PriceWaterhouseCoopers study that claims the price of private health insurance for a family today would rise 79% over the next 10 years under the current system, and 111% under the Senate Finance Committee bill, because it lacks a strong coverage requirement, because its directly taxes health insurers and other health providers, and because of cost-shifting from Medicare.
A spokesperson for Senate Finance Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) immediately called the study "a health insurance company hatchet job, plain and simple."
The White House called it "an insurance industry analysis that is designed to reach a conclusion which benefits the industry, and does not represent what the bill does."
Later, the White House issued a detail, point by point rebuttal. This is a good example of monopoly power and of how adroit monopolists can be in defending their exploitation of the American public.
In the interview today, on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," when Axelrod was asked whether or not the President should listen to the majority of the Democrats who want a public option rather than a single Republican vote [Olympia Snowe], Axelrod said:
“The President has very consistently and clearly articulated his support for a public option. He thinks that having competition within the health care system is healthy. There are some markets where one insurance company can dominate 90% of the market. We see that in some states. So he supports that…I think the final bill will achieve those goals, and a public option would help in that regard.”
While the Senate Finance Committee voted for the Baucus plan, the House has another health insurance version (HR 3200) which was placed on the Union floor on October 14, 2009.
HR 3200 includes a new government-run insurance plan (a.k.a. a public option) to compete with the private companies, a requirement that all Americans have health insurance, a prohibition on denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions and, to pay for it all, a surtax on households with an income above $350,000.
Clearly both plans have a lot of flaws, and there is a big gap between the two plans. In order for the Congress to pass a plan to present to the public and President Obama, there remains a lot of work to be done. Both Houses of Congress will have to make a lot of compromises. It remains to be seen how many compromises will be made on either side of the aisle.
It is very likely that the version that is ultimately passed will represent a first round of legislation to correct many of the injustices in the current health insurance industry.
As with so many bills with massive reforms, that are passed, especially those passed quickly, the flaws will shout out for reform, and Congress will be back at it, again tackling the subject of health insurance reform in the coming years.
As one commenter wrote on the website about the House proposed bill:
"Let me get this straight.
We're going to pass a health care plan written by a committee whose head says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it but exempts themselves from it, signed by a president that also hasn't read it, and who smokes, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's nearly broke.
What possibly could go wrong?"
Yes, Congress will likely to be looking at health insurance reform for years to come.
But, as of today, the public option is still alive. As you can see from the polls (Photo attached), the American public has shown in 4 different polls, that the public option is favored.
Other stories you might want to read about health insurance:
Obama offers health insurance reform
Baby denied health insurance for being too fat
Public option for health insurance rejected by Senate
Resources:
Senate passes health bill
HR 3200
Written by Shelby Bateson
Posted October 18th, 2009 by Shelby Bateson
