If you've clicked this diary, you're probably filled with rage, thinking I'm going to push a trigger or co-op or some other thing you hate. But that's not what this diary is about. This diary is about a proposal that could get the insurance companies to accept a robust, Medicare-like public option.
Despite many people deriding him, I remain a fan of Ezra Klein. I read his blog @ the Washington Post daily. He has a link to this report from the Center for American Progress. The reports discusses ways to finance health care reform, whether it be cutting fraud from federal health programs, sin taxes, etc. And, of course, they mention how a stong public option that uses Medicare reimbursement rates would drive down costs for consumers across the nation. But the insurance companies don't want that, right? Well, maybe they could, if this interesting proposal is accepted:
The extension of Medicare rates to a public plan for the non-elderly might be coupled with a proposal to allow private health insurance companies to access Medicare rates, again requiring health care providers to accept those rates. In many markets, the concentration of health care providers makes it difficult for insurers to limit rates. This authority would simply override the market power of health care providers to set prices for their services. Assuming that private premiums fall by 10 percent, this would raise an additional $109 billion in revenue through less tax-sheltered income.
Isn't this the ultimate leveling of the playing field? Let the insurance companies pay Medicare rates! It's so simple, yet so brilliant. Now, I know many doctors would hate this, as they are sometimes shafted by the Medicare rates. So you can play with the numbers. Have both plans pay Medicare plus 5 or 10 percent. As long as it's the same for both, why wouldn't the private comanies go along?
There are others more expert on this subject than I, so I'd love to get your thoughts.