Reply #27: Under the Edwards plan

[Time for change]

the ability of private insurance companies to profit from health care will be greatly reduced in the short term, and likely totally reduced in the long term.

All Americans will have the choice of totally bypassing the insurance companies, and they (the insurance companies) will not be subsidized by the government. They will still be able, in the short term, to profit from those Americans who choose to purchase private rather than government insurance. But, since insurance offerred by insurance companies is both more expensive and of less quality than government insurance, it is doubtful that private insurance companies will be able to compete in the system for very long, unless they greatly improve their product, which would necessarily mean reducing their profits.