Health Care Poll: Majority Wants Public Option Over Bipartisanship

The Plum Line:

Okay, this is important: The new Washington Post poll finally asks people about their cravings for bipartisanship in the right way, and its finding really challenges the conventional wisdom that people want bipartisan health care compromise at all costs.

Specifically: A majority wants a Dem-only bill rather than a bipartisan one if the Dem-only one includes a public insurance option and the bipartisan one doesn't. A majority of Independents wants the same. From the internals:

Read the whole story: The Plum Line

Comments

[DestinationsUnknown]

PUBLIC Option-

Ben Nelson - the Blue Dog stated it correctly although I am not sure this truth was intended but here it is:

BENDING THE COST CURVE? (I wonder how many Americans truly understand what this means-unfortunately not enough)
According to Nelson- Public Option ' would drive the price down '

Exactly Nelson- Thanks! Does Nelson think his GOP voters will vote him in regardless of how he votes?

This is the moronic mentality of too many policy makers on the take!

We all know a public option is to bring health costs down-

That is what the Public Option is for- to bring costs down

Now Nelson states-
“…if we went with a full public option -- which he called a government plan -- it would drive the price down and hurt private companies.”

Yes Senator- DRIVE THE PRICE DOWN!

THAT IS IT SENATOR- THAT IS WHAT we call BENDING THE COST CURVE

A term that those on the take do not want to educate the American people on-

Bending the Cost Curve?

[DestinationsUnknown]

Public Option?

I think the fear of the unknown is the greatest barrier to entry for the good of the people.

An oligopoly familiar to most people-The Airline Industry, look at the cost reduction in San Diego when Southwest Airlines- ‘a low cost carrier’ was allowed to enter that market.

In the early 90's - Chicago was home of two of the biggest carriers- American & United Airlines in the industry.

Both carriers operated out of O’Hare Airport.

Midway Airport was old- decrepit and sitting idle.

Southwest Airlines overcame laws in Texas that restricted entry into an industry that already had one of the greatest BARRIERS to ENTRY in the world.

Midway Airlines " with limited destinations " eventually failed, however- Southwest flourished.

Southwest entered the market with more destinations to where they competed with United and American.

For decades American & United offered business travelers 3 flights per day from Chicago O’Hare Airport to Providence RI.

A round trip fare “on United or American-i.e. depart Tuesday, return Thursday, ranged between $700.00 “$900.00.

Southwest offered comparable service from Midway Airport to Providence, RI – offered a round trip fare of $200.00. Guess what United and American did?

United/American began to charge $199.00 for the exact itinerary they charged $900.00, pre- southwest.

Public Option into the Health Industry Oligopoly is our Southwest of the Airline Oligopoly!

[solarian]

who in congress who try to stop public option will not be in congress next year they will be given the boot

[ThesagaciousOne]

The only justification I've heard for the Public Option is that it is needed to promote competition. Without the public option, the proponents claim, there will be no competition. Well, let's see how effective it would be.

1. I live in a state where 21 companies are licensed to offer healthcare insurance.
So that means that I could now can choose between 22 sources. That's about a 5% competitive increase.

2. Instead of a public option, suppose that the Federal Anti-Trust Exclusion for insurance companies were lifted, and federal law stated that no state can bar a recognized insurer from offering insurance. From my current 21 companies, I would be able to chose from any of the approximately 1300 recognized health insurance providers. That is about a 6000% competitive increase.

Ah, excuse me. Tell me again, why do I want a public option to lower costs by increasing competition?

[jwredd]

Using your state as an example doesn't seem to accurately represent the country as a whole. Many if not most of us live in states with only one, two or three options at best.

[ThesagaciousOne]

O.K. laets say 3 current options. With the Public Option you will have 4 entities. With the Elimination of the anti trust exemption you would have 1300 options. You can't do price fixing across that many entities. Prices will fall dramatically - just as a result of competition.

[RTIII]

In addition to the correct comment from jwredd, so far where I live we've only seen a medical insurance cartel. They all echo each other - not exactly the same, but not significantly different, and whatever rip-off innovation one of them devises, the others quickly copy. This is not choice. It's very much like the price structure of OPEC: there is only one.
.

[ThesagaciousOne]

See reply to jwredd.
You can't have a 1300 member cartel.

[Awake-and-Sing]

You are confusing "collusion" with "competition".

[ThesagaciousOne]

No I am not. You can't have "collusion" amongst 1300 entities - there can only be competition.

[Harry Scrote]

How the hell are you gonna find time to check the price with 1300 different companies. How the hell is the doctor supposed to keep up with the billing. Single-payer would cut paperwork in half and the doctors could get back to healing, instead of doing the insurance companie's work.

[Patriot86]

Do you know what a cartel is? Also, insurance companies don't take sick people and often cancel coverage when you become ill.

[BlueSkyPilot]

Here's a new slogan for the Democratic Party:

A day late and a dollar short.

Get it togrther. Please.

You have been given the power and yet you refuse to plug it in.

[Grunty1]

I am perfectly happy with the bipartisanship attempt made. Democrats extended their hands and the Rushpublicans failed to take them.

The failure is on the Rs, like always.

[SizeMatters]

Are you going to change your moniker to "Trigger" after the proposed legislation is passed? Hahahahaha

[itys]

Over 55% of people polled OPPOSE the health care bill.

55%...And Rising Everyday. Thank GOD!

[max hp]

Thank you for putting your dreams and wishes into words.

4 out of 5 bills have a Public Option.

THERE IS JUST NO WAY ANYONE CAN REALISTICALLY OPPOSE THAT.

Now, that is NO DREAM.

[sc300nc]

I can, and the majority of americans do oppose the public option.

[Jamie Kowalski]

Reading comprehension is a serious problem, but it's one you can overcome. Do you need help in perhaps selecting an adult education course for yourself?

[Awake-and-Sing]

What color is the sky in your world?

Don't worry. When the public option lowers the cost of your insurance premium, you can thank us later.

[Patriot86]

You are wrong...people overwhelmingly support health reform. In fact this is why the GOP wants to start over...they know this is true. To bad the GOP is so over because of their refusal to fight for average Americans but only the wealthy.

[timberdoodle]

Why would only 51% support a health care proposal with a public option?

In other words what is in the culture of the American people that they have no concern for their fellow humans who fall victim to not having medical treatment?

Every Industrialized Nation in the world provides their citizens with the opportunity to live as long and with the least amount of suffering as is medically possible yet barely half of the American people seem to feel this one basic right of mankind should not apply in what they term the "greatest country in the world".

[SizeMatters]

Many of the ones who oppose are the ones who would "fall victim". They would rather take their chances than have the government running their lives. What part of that don't you get?

[RTIII]

Nearly all of the ones who oppose are the ones who the lying Rs have scared into believing that they'd have the government run the actual health care. They wouldn't None of the proposals include anything like that. All that has been proposed is that insurance companies have to abide by certain new rules and with a public option, they could choose a plan where there is no for-profit motive and doctors and patients get to run the day - all paid for by premiums as before.

The operative word here is fear: The Rs have been trying to muddy the waters and have been very disingenuous - that is, they've lied - at every turn. Someday, possibly very soon, we won't have to worry about that any more as the Rs slip into political oblivion. ...Of course, the media may take some time to adjust, but that's a different problem.
.

[jwredd]

The part where it's all about you. You poor victim.

[Harry Scrote]

Once again, Rpub fear. Biggest chickens ever!

[mimigrammy]

Bi-partisanship has to do with a good faith attempt to get people to come together on something. That process has been exhausted, lets get on with the voting.

[janiceh]

Quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: "Our friends show us what we can do; our enemies teach us what we must do."

[Levonsky]

Surely the dems must know that tort reform is not about fixing health care as it is about defunding trial lawyers. who give heavily to the dem party.

Just like school vouchers are not about fixing education, but about breaking the teachers unions who give heavily to the dem party.

So the question is are the dems naive in not understanding this or are they being knowingly stupid and going along with it because they also dip their beaks in the corporate campaign funds?

The other question is why does the gop consistently choose politics over the good of the country?
Just asking.

[sc300nc]

Nice to selectively pull out one question in the poll without reading them all.

Here are some other facts from the survey.

63% oppose a law that would require everyone to have health insurances
68% think it will increase the deficit
54% think the country is headed in the wrong direction
48% oppose and 45% support the healthcare being developed

[Peter007]

That sounds like the people are against the Democrats health care bill that is currently in the Senate..

[max hp]

No wishes.

Just the facts, Ma'm.

[givesflack]

You mean like the 90% of the people felt when Bush was ruining our country. Hi, we're headed in the wrong direction because we're headed nowhere if Republicans keep obstructing US. Republicans continue to hold this country hostage to corporations and banks while preventing us from progressing as a nation. Buy a clue corporate boy.

[Patriot86]

When you include a public option 70 % of people support health care...a fact you omitted.

[janiceh]

We should have pushed for single-payer from the start. This is what we get for "compromising."

[RTIII]

There was no "we" involved; who was it, please, who decided single-payer was off the table?
.

[JSW1948]

As far as I am concerned, every congressman/congresswoman and senator are owned by BIG INSURANCE with the exception of Rep Grayson and Senator Weidner (sp ??). Notice how all of them are afraid to speak out.

[janiceh]

You're right. They don't want to reveal who they really stand for. They don't want everybody to find out how many contributions they received from the insurance industry.

[Hallucinocynic]

Then go to Common Cause and join the effort to reform federal campaign laws that would effectively segregate K Street from Congress.

http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4773589

[Jamie Kowalski]

I would add Sanders and Franken to the list as well. But I agree with your point.

[JSW1948]

Agree wholeheartedly. The heck with the so-called bipartisanship, which by the way, one vote does not equate to bipartisanship. I'm glad the heat was put on the White House to leave Sen Snowe out of this week's negotiations.