As talk of a "trigger" was flooding the airwaves in the last week, my hopes for a public option are dimming. We caved on Single Payer, were thrown a bone with the public option and now they want to put into place a key element that felled reform in the early 90's. I am simply flummoxed.
I would like to rename the public option "American Option" perhaps that will calm some of the Town Hall loons.
Here is yet another rant on health care reform from the perspective of a cancer survivor with no health insurance and no money for out of pocket.
When I was only wee and in elementary school, a trend was started when something didn't go right. A Do-Over would be called, in sports, spelling bees and mostly in anything that required a contest of some sort. Usually the losing party would ask for it and as it was a bunch of annoying 8-year-olds with a tired middle-aged teacher, it would be granted.
I never liked those, I always accepted defeat as gracefully as I knew how and always hoped that the next time would see me the winner. I don't think I like that idea any more, I want to be the winner this time, along with the other 47 million of us out here. The major corporations get to have a do-over? I am not getting it, but I am the one who is sick and struggling, not them.
Now this trigger business: Essentially, as I understand it the insurance companies would be given a set amount of time (I've heard 2 years) to clean up their act, reduce premium costs and out of pocket expenses and generally try to behave so they can continue to play with the big boys.
They are asking for more time to be good? If this is one of the ways the early 90's reform was shot down, hasn't that meant that 15 years or so have passed for costs to get lower? I'd have to do some more research on what went on back then, as I was young and stupid and probably cared more about what was happening on Thirtysomething than health care reform, but we are repeating something that was already discussed. Oh wait, I guess we are recycling now.
If the Presidents speech this week contains an announcement that he is caving to the rightwing and the insurance industry, I may pop a gasket. I will of course try hard not to implode, it might require a trip to the Emergency Room that I won't be able to pay for, but hope is indeed fading quickly. I haven't given up yet, but day by day it is eroding with every bit of information out there.
Lowering costs and heartfelt compassion from the insurance industry? Really? If this is allowed someone needs to look behind the pharma and insurance executives as they promise these things and check to make sure their fingers aren't crossed