Many private companies successfully compete on the same playing field as public services

[eridani]

Public libraries have not put bookstores out of business. Fedex and UPS compete successfully with the US Postal Service. The introduction of Social Security survivors’ benefits left plenty of room for many different kinds of private life insurance. If private health insurers are worried about competing with government financed health care, they are admitting that they add no value to the health care system whatsoever.

[SteelPenguin]

1. I love the argument

a) Government is inefficient and corrupt. If we put them in charge of our health care it would cost everyone more, and we'd get less service.

b) If people were offered a government plan alongside private plans they'd choose the government one because it would be cheaper, and offer more services than a comparably priced private plan.

*blinks*

What?

[ejpoeta]

2. i know. it is so ridiculous. and the first question asked of every

rep who is against even a public option should be asked why a public plan is good for them and why they haven't instead opted for a private one.

[eridani]

3. I just used this in an LTE to the Seattle Times

Feel free to rip of parts of it.

All kinds of private companies successfully compete on the same playing field as public services. Public libraries have not put Elliott Bay Books out of business. Fedex and UPS compete successfully with the US Postal Service. The introduction of Social Security survivors’ benefits left plenty of room for many different kinds of private life insurance. If private health insurers are worried about competing with government financed health care, they are admitting straight out that they add no value to the health care system whatsoever.

Which, come to think of is, is pretty much the case. A business model predicated on profiting from bankrupting or killing people by refusing to pay claims and by refusing to cover actual sick people adds negative value. They've publicly said as much to congressional investigators. A subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee recently held a hearing intended to bring a halt to this practice. But at the hearing, insurance executives told lawmakers they have no plans to stop rescinding policies. Odd, but I've never heard of that happening with Medicare.