Ok, so I'm a (not so proud) Republican. And while some here will automatically write off me and/or my questions and concerns as some kind of trollish behavior, I have two sincere questions about the public option.
But before I get to the basis for my questions let me add something else that will hopefully make at least a few Kossacks interested in following me over the jump. I'm an Obamacon (if that term is even still used) and I'm pretty sure I support a public option for healthcare insurance. So you see not all Republicans are as crazy as "my" leaders would lead one to believe
So why would a "conservative" Republican favor the public option when even so called moderate/centrist/conservative Democrats in Congress do not support the public option? Well, there are several reasons why it appeals to me as a "conservative" but I guess one of the key reasons is that in general I favor open and free markets and I favor competition. If the government enters the health insurance market and actually provides a better "product" at a lower cost, then, to me, that's great.
In other words, if the inherit disadvantages of a government run program are easily overcome due to the greed and anti-competitiveness of the "free" market, then so be it. But here is the rub.
What protections are being put in place so that all the high cost/pre-existing condition people don't automatically favor the public option? In other words, I support the public option if it is put on a relatively even foot with all the other insurers and was not given special advantages nor disadvantages. But if the government offers low cost health insurance to all people that sign up, isn't it possible for the health insurance companies to increase prices (but still offer coverage) for people who need a lot of health care thereby driving them to the public option? If the "expensive" people overwhelming choose the public option, it will end up being a higher cost system that is doomed to fail in the market.
And a secondary related question, what are the protections that the Dems/progressives can give the American public that the public option will not be given special advantages so that system is far more likely to be successful and unfairly harm the private insurance industry.
I apologize that this isn't much of a diary but I thought this was a more appropriate forum to ask my questions than to ask questions in another diary and somewhat hijack it. These are sincere questions and "my" side has done such a poor job of engaging in the debate I haven't heard these questions asked or answered by either side. Thanks in advance.