This whole Health Care plan is a FAILURE without a public option!!!

[KansasVoter]

The insurance companies and Hospitals and doctors are all in the business to make as much money as possible and there will be no changes to the core issues without a non-profit public plan that can keep them honest!

There will be backdoor deals and under the table deals between hospitals/doctors/insurance to make sure the profits are huge and the CEOs still get their 10 million dollar bonuses!!!

Same old, same old!!!!

And in 2 years we will be sorry we did not hold out for a public option!

I hope Obama fights for this hard like I thought he would when I voted for him.

I think those who feel something is better than nothing are giving in too easy.

The public wants a public option. Lets not give up so soon!

[Hugabear]

1. Public healthcare should be the ONLY option

We don't need to have one tier for the wealthy, and one tier for everyone else. Everybody should be on the same playing field.

[Peacetrain]

11. The rich always always have another tier the average person does not have

Not matter what country they live in..

[Oregone]

13. Cept for single-payer countries

I have the same public insurance plan my MP has. We can both go to the same doctors, if we so choose. And if he is in town and get injured, Id see him in the same hospital waiting room.

[Peacetrain]

18. But if you are rich.. you can go anywhere you want to.. Switzerland, Us, England

even in single payers.. money talks.. thats all I am saying. The rich will always have better access.

[Oregone]

22. Thatd make sense...

But recent studies show next to zero healthcare tourists for Canada, so go figure. Regardless, its much more equitable any way you cut it so it would be one hell of a starting point

[eridani]

16. True, but they don't rob the public to support it.

If Bill Gates can afford an alarm and sprinkler system that's way beyond my price range, I don't really care--as long as we both get the same fire engines in the event of fire. Now if Bill Gates went to the county council and demanded a property tax refund from his fire district to subsidize his alarm system, that would be different. That's what the rich do in this country, and what they are not allowed to do in any other developed country.

[redqueen]

2. And not just any public option, a strong public option.

No watered-down co-op BS, which only serves to give a helping hand to greedy private insurance fatcats.

[vaberella]

3. What's with the rant?! Is there some news we haven't heard?

I mean this is a bit ridiculous...considering there are so many threads like this already. Next to the Obama=Bush threads, or the "holding Obama's feet to the fire threads, or the "I'm leaving threads, or the "all or nothing vs. give us something" thread---this type of thread makes the top five.

[KansasVoter]

5. The public option possibility is dropping daily! Is that not news enough??

10 days ago the Public Option was still a 80% possibility. I would say it is a 10% now. Sorry if that is not important enough to post about. And this is not a rant about Obama or the title would have said it!

[Hippo_Tron]

15. How do you figure it's dropped from 80% to 10%

Everything that's coming out is rumors and hearsay at this point. They are talking about a lot of options because Senators have egos and like to believe that their ideas are being listened to by the White House. Just because somebody is talking about something doesn't mean it is policy.

[karynnj]

24. Both of those numbers reflect your perception at the two points in time

and likely do not reflect what was real at either point. The real probability comes down to the opinion of 100 people and it is not clear that any Senator has shifted his/her opinion. Your earlier estimate was likely inflated, the latter too low.

[karynnj]

25. Both of those numbers reflect your perception at the two points in time

and likely do not reflect what was real at either point. The real probability comes down to the opinion of 100 people and it is not clear that any Senator has shifted his/her opinion. Your earlier estimate was likely inflated, the latter too low.

[donco6]

19. We'll run our posts by you first for approval.

Or not.

[liberal N proud]

4. It's all smoke and mirrors

They will call it reform. We will all need proctologist when they are done.

[Bluenorthwest]

6. A strong public option at least

a rejection of the profit system at best.

[TomCADem]

7. Would Be Nice If There Were Some Demonstrations In Favor Of Public Option

The single payer demonstration was somewhat helpful, but it could also have been construed as being against President Obama's public option plan.

[uponit7771]

8. I am saving up some vacation days to do such....

[DrToast]

12. There was one last week

http://blog.healthcareforamericanow.org/2009/06/26/health-care-09-what-did-we-accomplish/

[TomCADem]

26. Technically - That Was For Single Payer, Not Public Option

Yes, the demonstration did not really emphasize the differences between President Obama's proposed public option and the single payer idea, but these does lead to mixed messages. Are the demonstrations supporting President Obama's public option or opposing it?

Personally, I think the demonstrations should clearly back a stong public option, but be flexible as to whether it is single payer or a public option similar to what President Obama opposed.

[DrToast]

27. That was not a single payer rally

What does HCAN stand for?

HCAN believes that everyone in this country should have accessible, quality health care they can afford. We are fighting for a uniquely American solution that gives you a guarantee of coverage and real choice: keep your private insurance plan or join a new public health insurance plan so you are no longer at the mercy of the private insurance industry.

No matter which you choose, you are guaranteed standard, comprehensive benefits that meet your needs, and you’ll pay for insurance based on your income. Government will advocate for you, setting and enforcing rules so private insurance companies will have to put our health before their profits. We will eliminate the enormous inequities in the health care system for people of color, and health insurance will be affordable for American businesses, both big and small.

http://healthcareforamericanow.org/site/content/about_us/

[rucky]

9. Now you just stop that thinking and be grateful they pass anything.

:sarcasm:

[KansasVoter]

10. How true that seems to some people!!!!

[Oregone]

14. exactly

[donco6]

20. *snicker* n/t

[Vinca]

17. It's not reform without a public option.

[LWolf]

21. "Something" without a public option

is worse than what we've already got.

[harun]

23. I thought the system was bad until my wife started working at a hospital

and then I found out is was much worse, it was down right criminal. Once I heard the Insurance Companies were paying the doctors I just about lost it.