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A Robust Public Option Creates Competition |
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Stopping by “The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC last night, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka discussed why the AFL-CIO supports health care reform legislation that makes sure Big Insurance doesn’t monopolize the health care field—and why the bill passed this week by the Senate Finance Committee, which does not include a public option, must be improved as it goes through Congress.
Right now as your last guest [Wendell Potter, former Cigna executive] said, American insurance companies have a stranglehold on the health care industry. In 90 percent of the markets, they’re called highly concentrated, or there’s one or two companies that control them. As a result, profits have gone up 1,000 percent and premiums have gone up 300 percent. The only way to hold them accountable is to create competition and the only way you can create competition is with a robust public option.
Alison Stewart, who filled in for Maddow, asked Trumka:
Let’s talk about the public option. Is it a make or break issue?
His answer:
Absolutely.
Watch it.
This is a cross-post from the Firedoglake blog.
7 Comments
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We definitely need a public option and I want Pres Obama to get in there and talk frankly to the democrats in the Congress and Senate. The reason some of them are in office is because of Obama and they now need to return the favor. If we dont get a public option, our health care costs will sky rocket once the decision has been made. We will have a watered down bill that will at best, only protect those with pre existing conditions but at what cost? Public option or universal health care, either one is ok with me.
Where health insurance is concerned don’t you ‘get what you pay for’? If the government creates a public option to compete with ‘big’ insurance it probably will be cheaper but just how good will it be? What kind of coverage can be expected? What about deductibles? What about co-pays?
I’ll admit I’m concerned about a public option for a purely selfish reason. I have outstanding health insurance for which I pay no monthly premium, have no deductibles and have a fifteen dollar co-pay. And I have no doubt it costs my former employer a bundle. Oh, BTW, I’m retired and still I have this great coverage. Now if the government offers a public option that will cost, without a doubt, far less than the coverage my former employer is currently carrying what’s to stop that employer from switching the coverage of it’s retirees as well as their current employees over to this new cheaper, and most likely less adequate, coverage? Like I said, my concern is purely selfish.
I am a retired USG Local 87 worker from General Motors, will loose my excellent Blue cross/Blue Sheild the first of the year. Signed up for Veterans benefits, was told GW Bush signed into law Jan 2003 new rules that disqualify most pre 1975 vets including myself,priority 8. So, if you think you have all bases covered, then think again!! Insurers premium rates going up 300% a year will get you sooner, than later! Public option is the only way to lower cost. Gm is offering us $2500 deductible at $95. per month for singles and $4500. $140 per mo. family ,take it or leave it they said! The 5000 union retirees of local 87 are not alone, IUE, some 40,000 members in the Dayton,O. area are in the same boat. Ohio’s unemployement rate at 11+% and climbing since Bush sent most of are companys overseas, they will not be coming back…it does not look good but we must remain vigilant an push for public options!
Lack of competition in so many markets is reason enough for a public option. But there is another reason, as well. Stuck right in the middle of the public option (Sec. 224 of HR 3200) is a “fly it before you buy it” provision that uses the public option as a test bed for just the kind of experimentation we need to develop more efficient and effective approaches to payment and delivery of health care. This provision hasn’t received much attention, but works in tandem with competition. This is America, after all — the land of the “can do” attitude, not the “can muddle through” attitude. The public option is a critical piece of making health care reform work.
What I want to know is when will Trumka get the AFL-CIO and partner with ALL of the pro-health reform groups and call for a major march in DC and get millions of people to show their support for health care reform and single payer or public option. It’s time for a showing of people in DC. There are groups around th US that are eager to do. We need Trumka to be the leader in this effort or is the 9-12 Project and the Tea Party stronger?
What happened to the AFLCIO government complaint pertaining to the Anti -Trust Act concerning the health insurers monopoly?? Does anyone know??
I fear we of organized labor and the retiree groups might be a little too late in this fight. Labor should have stood up when the single-payer folks were excluded from Healthcare talks of Obama and the senate. Labor should have educated its members and we could go on and on.
Indeed, not all options were ever considered. That they were is a lie, pure and simple.
Time to get all labor onboard and fight. Time to remind politicans that their reelection efforts might not be funded by labor and workers in general if they betray their trusts yet once again.
Alas, even now some of the organized labor groups are still awaiting Obama to ride to the rescue. That is unlikely to occur.
I always hate politicans claiming victory that is flawed and false. I suspect this is exactly what will occur and I hope I am wrong.
Alas, I even suspect some of the unions will claim victory when this is done. That is a falsehood that will be contested within and without the labor community.