Momentum behind a new government-run health care plan appeared to slow considerably Sunday, as a lead Democratic negotiator called the option a “wasted effort” and President Obama’s health secretary suggested the White House is ready to accept a health care reform package without it.
Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., one of six negotiators trying to hammer out a bipartisan compromise measure on the Senate Finance Committee, told “FOX News Sunday” that the so-called public option simply does not have the votes to pass.
“The fact of the matter is there are not the votes in the United States Senate for the public option. There never have been,” he said. “So to continue to chase that rabbit I think is just a wasted effort.”Conrad and other negotiators on the finance committee are instead pushing a system of nonprofit insurance cooperatives, as an alternative to the public plan.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,539873,00.html
The ‘nonprofit’ insurance co-ops aren’t a guaranteed improvement, either. What if those co-ops run into the red? Obama’s kleptocracy has set a precedence for taking public funds and bailing out unsuccessful businesses in addition to exerting control over their operations. Expect the co-ops to be no different.
The townhall/tea party protesters (the American rank and file) sent a clear message to Obama and his motley crew of Democrats. We do not like even the remote possibility of the government seizing complete control over our health care system. We do not want the government deciding which doctors and medical treatment we receive, and how much it will spend on our behalf. We like the real option of choice. We happen to think that even though Medicare/Medicaid needs an overhaul, those truly in need are best serviced by those programs. By the way, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are in dire straights because the government has a habit of taking money meant for those programs and spending it elsewhere.
Now comes the nitty gritty: Any proposal of government health “reform” requires financing. (READ: TAX INCREASES) Whenever claims of “cost savings” are made, pay close attention to the part which discusses “revenue increases”.
One of the quickest ways to reduce medical costs on this country is tort reform. Put a reasonable limit on malpractice/punative lawsuits, and private insurance costs will plummet.