Purely Hypothetical Question Time! Choose Between Strong And Weak Public Option!

[BlooInBloo]

Poll question: Purely Hypothetical Question Time! Choose Between Strong And Weak Public Option!

DU wind-testing time!

a) Strong or "robust" public option, but with state opt-out clause.
b) Weak public option, but with everyone in - no holdouts.

If - purely hypothetically - those were the only two options, which would you go for?

There are rational, not-stupid arguments to be made either way. There are also irrational, stupid arguments to be made either way.

Again this question is PURELY HYPOTHETICAL (= I'm completely making shit up) - **IF** those were the only two options.



EDIT: Changed "welchers" to "holdouts".

Poll result (28 votes)
Given those two choices and no others, I choose a).	(20 votes, 71%)	Vote
Given those two choices and no others, I choose b)	(6 votes, 21%)	Vote
I don't know what 'if' means.	(2 votes, 7%)	Vote

[yourout]

1. Going with A but if the only people that can get the public option are the poor.....

what good will it do as far as driving down rates?

The only way the insurance companies will lower rates is the threat of losing there "Cadillac" customers.

[Ms. Toad]

13. The public option is one in the exchange,

In HR 3200, the exchange (which includes the public option as one plan) is open not only to "the poor" but may be offered by all employers to their employees about 4 years after it starts being offered to uninsured and micro-employers in 2013.

[Shagbark Hickory]

2. How much weaker can it get? I choose "b". Refer to avatar.

[BlooInBloo]

6. Understood.

[SpartanDem]

3. A

States don't opt out of Medicaid and for all the bluster from teabagger governors they took the stimulus money. So it's very very unlikely that any state will opt out, if it takes an opt provosion in order to start with a stonger public option so be it.

[ecstatic]

4. What does "robust" public option mean?

[BlooInBloo]

5. A lot of things, but the ability to negotiate at Medicare-Plus-x-percent is a key component.

[Ms. Toad]

14. Under HR 3200, the rates to providers are presumptively set

at Medicare rates initially. Medicare providers are automatically in, unless they opt out.

[BlooInBloo]

7. Morning kick - moar sample plz!

And to all those who HATE Obama unanimously winning the Nobel Peace Prize:

[Time for change]

8. A

If a strong public option is offered, state legislatures will be forced to stay with the plan even if they don't like it. Can you imagine a state opting out of Medicare?

[el_bryanto]

9. That's a tough choice - because if states opt out you can expect

much of the south and the west to opt out and a lot of people who need it not to get it.

Bryant

[Are_grits_groceries]

10. That is a "Morton's Fork." nt

[BlooInBloo]

12. "Scylla and Charybdis" is the phrase I typically use...

But I like learning a new one (to me) - thanks!

[TexasObserver]

11. Weak public option, but with everyone in - no holdouts.

The first choice is not tenable to Democrats who live in states that would opt out. That's at least 10-20 states, and that means a lot of congressional members from those states.

Because Texas would opt out, I doubt any Democrat from Texas in congress would vote for a public option that would not help their constituents.

I consider that first option utterly unpassable.

[Soylent Brice]

15. a. if we do the opt out and repigs opt out for their state,

they'll get voted the fuck out of there for good in the following election cycle. people will see how well the other states are doing that opt in.

[Brickbat]

16. I would like, once and for all, for Republicans to get what they vote for and pretend they want.

I'm not saying it's rational or fair. And yes, PEEPLE WULD DIEEEEE.

ETA: So, I picked a.