Do You Want the AIG Option, Or The Public Option?

[Joanne98]

This is a follow up to dday's excellent diary, which talks about the Baucus bill and Trojan Horse of "allowing people to buy insurance across state lines": http://www.dailykos.com/...

While they didn't realize it, the Republicans and their Big Insurance enablers have actually given us a rhetorical sledge hammer. "Allowing people to buy insurance across state lines" is code for insurance deregulation, and what just happened the last time when an insurance company was allowed to do business in a deregulated environment?

grannyhelen's diary :: :: Yup - AIG. AIG was able to stick a hedgefund on top of an insurance company and create a deadly explosive shell game of "hide the risk" that eventually blew up in all of our faces.

And now the GOP wants to turn your private health insurance carrier into AIG.

That'll work out well.

Just so we're all clear: the public option is bad because it's a government takeover, but the AIG option is good because it creates the conditions for next summer's hit movie, "Health Insurers Run Wild".

Um, I'll pass on that AIG option. And I bet a lot of folks - if they had to choose between the AIG option and the public option - would as well. The Republicans didn't realize it, but they just gave us a big, old rhetorical Christmas present wrapped up in dayglow paper with a huge bow that says "here's a gift, and I hope you use it against us."

I think we should.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/9/779277/-Do-You-Want-the-AIG-Option,-Or-The-Public-Option

DEREGULATION! Now they can buy more derivatives!

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Or how about taking insurance claims and turning them into AAA bonds?

[endless october]

1. no public option is worse than no bill.

if no public option, scrap it and put single payer on the table. force it through.

[FiveGoodMen]

2. Amen!

:toast:

[offog]

3. You gotta have a public option ...

... otherwise there's not much reason for private insurance companies to shape up.

Don't listen to the scare tactic arguments. Public health insurance will not mean the government standing between you and your doctor. The decisions are between you and your doctor, even more than with private insurance. With private health care insurance, you have to worry about some bean counter coming up with a dumb-ass excuse to deny you benefits. Also, you still get to keep or go to the doctor(s) of your choice.

Some people will argue that private companies can't compete with a government enterprise, and the private health insurers will go out of business if a public option is brought in. My initial gut reaction is "Tuff sh*t! If you weren't charging sky-high premiums for cruddy service, you wouldn't have to worry about that!" Besides, we have private health insurance companies in Canada, and they're doing fine selling supplementary health insurance.

And a public option does not mean a socialist/communist takeover. Even the most hard-core, right-wing Conservative in Canada wouldn't dare mess with our Medicare.

Keep on fighting! Don't let the Dems wimp out on the public option.