Best LTTE I've read about the public option - from a Small Biz Owner here in Delaware

[LynneSin]

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090904/OPINION10/90903086/1111/Carper-s-public-health-option-is-small-business-friendly

I commend Sen. Tom Carper on his Aug. 25 town-hall-by-phone health care forum. Apparently 1,000 people from Wilmington to Selbyville, joined in from the convenience of their homes.

I personally like the idea of the public option Carper is proposing. As a manager of a small business (20 employees), I have seen premiums we pay for each full-time employee increase from under $300 per month four years ago to almost $400 per month. For the longest time, our company absorbed the increases, but we finally had to require employees to pay a percentage through payroll deductions. In addition, our plan's co-pays increased from $15 for primary care and $25 for specialist care to $30 and $50, respectively, over the same four years. The employee portion of outpatient tests, such as X-rays and CT scans, has also risen, causing our employees to put off getting the care they need. Clearly, for us, the costs are out of control.

By allowing small businesses and individuals to join the 8 million federal employees and their dependents already in the program, administrative costs will drop to 3 percent. From a patient perspective, the federal program allows employees to choose a plan from the “exchange,” my employees would have greater choice than we do now.

The plan does not have the paperwork requirements that my current plan does, and that’s a big plus. Additionally, this federal plan might help reduce the profits now realized by private insurance companies (as seen in multimillion dollar executive salaries) because of increased competition.

__________________________________________________

Clearly this woman read what the public option is all about and explains every clearly how the public option will benefit small businesses.

I am so happy Carper is supporting the public option that I'm sending him this picture in a frame as a gift:



madinmaryland made that for me - I was actually in the picture too. From left to right is Rep Mike Castle, Sen Ted Kauffman, what was me, Sen Tom Carper and I have no clue who the last one is

[Wetzelbill]

1. k and r

[progressoid]

2. We need more people like this to speak up. n/t

[pansypoo53219]

3. i STILL do not understand why

it is not pointed out to THE RITE WING BIDNESS FOLK, that NO PUBLIC OPTION and taking it off bidnesses back, makes us LESS competative against european companies that don't have to DEAL with health care. why aren't car companies demanding it, UNIONS should be demanding. it's only the health insurance industrial complex that wants it.

[havocmom]

4. Evidently, many business owners are blinded by their foolish ideology

just as badly as many working class people. They will bleed out for the status quo rather than apply methods which will staunch the losses THEY incur from the status quo. Hate is a rather superior motivator, evidently.

[LynneSin]

5. What amazes me is these folks will BENEFIT from what Obama is doing...

but they'll still go and try to shoot themselves in the foot.

[havocmom]

6. Yep. Daughter's boss would benefit. Instead, he sends anti-reform talking points

which is not only working against his own best interests, but is creating a hostile politicization of the workplace. Shooting himself in BOTH feet.

[HughBeaumont]

7. I never understood that either.

I can only boil it down to "They don't want to step on their fellow country-clubber's toes"?

Or that they'll waste money if it means keeping the wealth inequality between the rich and poor at mountain-high levels?

[TxRider]

8. I'm a similar small businessman..

I pay 100% for my employees, but our costs actually went down last year.

If reform or anything else raises my costs significantly it will cost me an employee or two in this economy as revenue is down and I'm on the edge now.

I'm watching this debate closely.

Bush promised us he would get legislation passed to allow small businesses to group together into coops to buy insurance in his second term, he never followed through on it and I heard nothing about it after the election.

I would love to go into a larger pool, as long as my costs aren't significantly higher and it stabilizes costs so I can plan better into the future.

Going into the federal employee system would probably be great, my father was a federal employee all his career (FAA) and even in retirement is in the federal employees system. It seems to be a good system, they choose their provider from a pool of providers.

But having read the house bill, I haven't read any senate proposals, I don't see a public option defines as entering the federal employees system. In fact the public option is not really defined well at all.

That IMO is a lot of what allows the anti health care people so much latitude for FUD, because the details just aren't out there.. Too much room for speculation.

My hesitation on this reform is about taxing the benefits I provide as that might cost me an employee, and the lack of detail. As well as the fact I have zero faith in congress to actually do the hard work of saving the $500 billion from medicare they say will pay for it. I believe if the bill passes, they will shirk and never realize those savings when it comes time to make those cuts.