Today I read this garbage!
New Senate Public Option Plan To Be Unveiled
Carper has been working on variations of the public option for months. Recently, he has touted a so-called hammer public option that he believes answers centrists' criticisms that the public option in Reid's bill is government-run and government-funded. The public option would kick in for states where insurance companies fail to meet standards of availability and affordability of plans. Unlike Snowe's trigger proposal, which would give insurers at least one year to satisfy those requirements, Carper's public option would start the first year the bill goes into effect. States might be permitted to opt into the public option even if the benchmarks are met.
Under Carper's proposal, the bill would establish a national public insurance program founded by the government but managed by a non-governmental board. In addition, the plan would be unable to access any taxpayer dollars beyond its initial seed money. This public option would operate alongside private insurance and, potentially, the nonprofit healthcare cooperatives and state-based public plans authorized by Reid's bill.
Would someone please explain to me why it is not simpler to let people buy into either Medicare or Medicaid?
Both parties AGREE that Medicare and Medicaid are going to need more money in the future ESPECIALLY with the Baby Boomers coming into the Medicare system. AGREEMENT ON ANYTHING in Washington is a rarity!
The options are....
1)Raise taxes -- no one wants
2)Cut benefits -- no one wants
3)Raise new revenue -- no new ideas proposed
Why do we need all this stuff under the guise of a public option? Why do we need to create more bureaucracies? Why isn't it simpler to allow American citizens the choice of buying into Medicare or Medicaid? Wouldn't it make sense?
Let people 50+ buy into Medicare. Doing this provides new revenue and makes healthier seniors which will in the long term provide healthier seniors when they entire the Medicare system at 65.
Let people/families that make under say $25K for an individual or $50K for a family buy into Medicaid! That would really help the states out. Instead of adding to their programs they would have new revenues to help pay for the program.
There would be no new government takeovers. We could work on making both systems better and stronger to bring down overall costs and it would be totally by choice.
NOW PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME OTHER THAN THE USUAL POLITICAL CYNCISMS OR PROPAGANDA WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS IDEA!?
And if it is not such a bad idea, how can we get people like Mary Landreiu, Tom Carper, Chuck Schumer, Olympia Snowe, Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln to listen to the voice of reasonable, intelligent people who want nothing but the choice?
Seriously, someone please explain answer because the media will not answer it....not even MSNBC so-called liberals.