Well, one difference is that one is called the Public Option, while the other is called Co-ops. That's the obvious difference, and when I've asked this question in comments, it's about the only thing anyone has come up with. First off, I'm not talking about Health Care Co-ops as they presently exist. Those don't work very well, if at all. Next question: Why don't they work?
Answers I've gotten:
- They're not big enough -- not well enough funded.
- They're not prohibited from becoming For-Profit.
- They have poor structure. Nothing prevents their administrators from being overpaid or even controlled by the Health Care Industry.
In my humble opinion those are pretty damned good answers.
So, lets fix those.
- They're not big enough -- not well enough funded.
Give them sufficient PUBLIC start-up funds. Make them immune from State laws designed to weaken them.
- They're not prohibited from becoming For-Profit.
Easy! They must be Non-Profit! Done!
- They have poor structure. Nothing prevents their administrators from being overpaid overstaffed, or even controlled by the Health Care Industry.
The legislation creating these Co-ops also has non-negotiable requirements for their bylaws. There are limits on executive pay. There are requirements for their governance (the make-up and powers of their governing boards).
Now. What do we know about the Public-Option now in play (or that we HOPE is still in play)? Nothing. Well, we know it is called "The Public Option". We fear that whatever makes it through Congress will be a Public Option in-name-only... doomed to failure. We fear that all it will do is get lawmakers off the hook. Truth is, there is really only one thing that separates the Public Option from Co-ops (the kind of co-ops we want), besides their having different names:
Co-ops would not have Government Employees administering them and Co-ops would not be collecting government money. In the comments, I'm certain I'll receive a lot of "Co-ops suck because they suck." Instead, I encourage you to come up with reasons Co-ops suck. What's wrong with them? Can it be fixed?
Because if we can come up with a good, strong Co-op plan that satisfies all our requirements, there's not a damned thing our opponents could do to prevent its passage.