THE FIGHT OVER THE PUBLIC OPTION? WHAT PUBLIC OPTION?
As the leaks from behind senate doors have it, the progressive and conservative forces within the Democratic party have struck a deal that could permit passage of health care reform legislation. The leaks have played like a jolt of shock therapy to legislators and to the millions of citizens who have invested their hopes in the possibility of reform. The key point of contention is that the deal would completely eliminate what has widely been considered as the most critical and controversial element of the reform package - the creation of the government-run system known as the public option, which would act as a cost cutting competitor to private insurance. In place of the non-profit public option, the legislation would expand eligibility for Medicare to those age fifty-five and older.
The talking heads echoing through the halls of the Capitol have presented a picture of fracturing opinions on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party that were completely unexpected. Many vocal advocates for the public option quickly began blasting the new proposal as a sell-out to the insurance lobby while others cheered for what they perceived as a first step on the road to what has been the favored position of ardent progressives all along - the creation of a single-payer government-administered health care system for the entire country.
That the leadership of the Dems would so easily drop what had been widely seen as the battle standard for health care reform after months of fighting for its inclusion in legislation struck many. The viability of the new proposal is in the hands of the Congressional Budget Office, which will spend several days evaluating its potential costs. It is important to note that mandates for individual coverage will mean that the insurance companies will financially benefit from the addition of millions of new customers. They will also be required to accept a commitment that 90 percent of premiums will be spent on actual health care.
As the politicians sit behind closed doors horse-trading, haggling over the details, picking apart the dubious rights to affordable health care in the richest nation in the world, one thing becomes manifestly clear: the fight over health reform is nothing less than a fight over who owns America; it has become a sad - and in many ways disgusting - spectacle.
As the leaks from behind senate doors have it, the progressive and conservative forces within the Democratic party have struck a deal that could permit passage of health care reform legislation. The leaks have played like a jolt of shock therapy to legislators and to the millions of citizens who have invested their hopes in the possibility of reform. The key point of contention is that the deal would completely eliminate what has widely been considered as the most critical and controversial element of the reform package - the creation of the government-run system known as the public option, which would act as a cost cutting competitor to private insurance. In place of the non-profit public option, the legislation would expand eligibility for Medicare to those age fifty-five and older.
The talking heads echoing through the halls of the Capitol have presented a picture of fracturing opinions on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party that were completely unexpected. Many vocal advocates for the public option quickly began blasting the new proposal as a sell-out to the insurance lobby while others cheered for what they perceived as a first step on the road to what has been the favored position of ardent progressives all along - the creation of a single-payer government-administered health care system for the entire country.
That the leadership of the Dems would so easily drop what had been widely seen as the battle standard for health care reform after months of fighting for its inclusion in legislation struck many. The viability of the new proposal is in the hands of the Congressional Budget Office, which will spend several days evaluating its potential costs. It is important to note that mandates for individual coverage will mean that the insurance companies will financially benefit from the addition of millions of new customers. They will also be required to accept a commitment that 90 percent of premiums will be spent on actual health care.
As the politicians sit behind closed doors horse-trading, haggling over the details, picking apart the dubious rights to affordable health care in the richest nation in the world, one thing becomes manifestly clear: the fight over health reform is nothing less than a fight over who owns America; it has become a sad - and in many ways disgusting - spectacle.
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