WOW, what a super powerful and robust public option we got in the House. Here is an article by AP published on NPR stating that after all the fuss and energy spent by democrats on public option only 2% of the population less than 65 years old will be covered under the public option as presented in the House bill.
This public option is a joke and spare us the other joke in the bill that says it will be open for everyone in 2015, making something to start five years in the future is a total delusion in the world politics.
Moreover the public option is dead in the Senate in it is current form of opt-out public option so if they agree on a trigger it will be a trigger of a very insignificant public option similar to that of the House bill.
What's all the fuss about? After all the noise over Democrats' push for a government insurance plan to compete with private carriers, coverage numbers are finally in: Two percent.
That's the estimated share of Americans younger than 65 who'd sign up for the public option plan under the health care bill that Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is steering toward House approval.
The underwhelming statistic is raising questions about whether the government plan will be the iron-fisted competitor that private insurers warn will shut them down or a niche operator that becomes a haven for patients with health insurance horror stories.
Some experts are wondering if lawmakers have wasted too much time arguing about the public plan, giving short shrift to basics such as ensuring that new coverage will be affordable.
"The public option is a significant issue, but its place in the debate is completely out of proportion to its actual importance to consumers," said Drew Altman, president of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. "It has sucked all the oxygen out of the room and diverted attention from bread-and-butter consumer issues, such as affordable coverage and comprehensive benefits."
Read more at http://www.npr.org/...