Two independent organizations that are widely respected for objective fact-checking on topics of political controversy are FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and Politifact, a Pulitzer-prize winning project of the St. Petersburg Times. Their research into critiques of the health care legislation pending before Congress was cited Tuesday in a memo from staff to two Democrats who are helping to shape the legislation ??? Reps. [1]
David Certner: My name is David Certner, the Legislative Policy Director for AARP. We hope to have a lively and informative discussion about issues related to health care reform. Scottsdale, Ariz.: Mr. Certner: Do your loyalties lie with seniors' best interests or with AARP's insurance sales? I had a very bad experience with United Healthcare in 2000 when they kicked out individual policy holders. (7,500 of us in Arizona alone!) As a breast cancer survivor, I could not buy health insurance at any price.[2]
Although not formally insurance, the program is tantamount to a public option of comprehensive health insurance, with the caveat that services are covered only in the city of San Francisco. Enrollees with incomes under 300 percent of the federal poverty level have heavily subsidized access, and those with higher incomes may buy into the public program at rates substantially lower than what they would pay for an individual policy in the private-insurance market. To pay for this, San Francisco put into effect an employer-health-spending requirement, akin to the "pay or play" employer insurance mandates being considered in Congress. [3] Businesses can meet the requirement by paying for private insurance, by paying into medical-reimbursement accounts or by paying into the city's Healthy San Francisco public option. There has been great demand for this plan.[3] The public option has also passed the market test, while not crowding out private options. The positive changes in San Francisco provide a glimpse of what the future might look like if Washington passes substantial health reform this year.[3]
Health care demonstrators gather at the president's event in Phoenix, Ariz. This Sunday, Team Obama attempted to allay Americans' fears, but also backed away from whether a final health care reform bill had to include a "public option", which has become a sticking point in bipartisan cooperation over health reform. President Obama has stressed the need for a public option, envisioned as a government-run health insurance system that would provide affordable health insurance to almost 50 million uninsured Americans, and cause private insurers to lower their costs in order to compete.[4] "The president has thus far sided with the notion that can best be done through a public option," Gibbs said, but added, "The bottom line again is, do individuals looking for health insurance in the private market have choice and competition? If we have that, the president will be satisfied." Both Gibbs and Sebelius left the door open for an alternative to a public option.[4]
Interestingly, in a recent survey of the city's businesses, very few (less than 5 percent) of the employers who chose the public option are thinking about dropping existing (private market) insurance coverage.[3] At issue is a proposed "exchange" or "marketplace" in which a new government plan would be one option for people who aren't covered at work or whose job coverage is too expensive. The exchange would offer some private plans as well as the public one, all of them required to offer certain basic benefits.[1]
Most respondents said the effort is likely to lead to a "government takeover of the health care system" and to public insurance for illegal immigrants.[1] Today, almost all residents in the city have affordable access to a comprehensive health care delivery system through the Healthy San Francisco program. Covered services include the use of a so-called "medical home" that coordinates care at approved clinics and hospitals within San Francisco, with both public and private facilities.[3]
I'm the health reporter at the StarNews and cover everything from the way the local hospitals run to area residents coping with illness to public health concerns that affect everyone in the community.[5] Today, rhetoric in favor of a public option gave way to the importance of "choice" and "competition." "That is not the essential element," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on CNN's "State of the Union" when asked about a public option.[4] Press Secretary Robert Gibbs deflected when asked whether a public option was a "deal-breaker" for the president. "What the president has always talked about is that we inject some choice and competition into the private insurance market," he said on CBS's "Face the Nation".[4] Far, around 45,000 adults have enrolled, compared to an estimated 60,000 who were previously uninsured. Among covered businesses, roughly 20 percent have chosen to use the city's public option for at least some of their employees.[3] The public option has been used largely to cover previously uninsured workers and to supplement private-coverage options.[3] For several years I had to be without insurance -- SCARY! Needless to say, I'm extremely thankful for Medicare and I am hoping that we will pass STRINGENT regulations against discriminating for previous disease AND that we will have a public option.[2]
Do we really need to invoke God, whose name when invoked in public policy debate, generally adds more heat than light to any issue?.[6] Thursday's discussions focused on driving that cost lower, the sources said. The senators also shared tales from their home states, where some lawmakers have been besieged by protesters angry about a potential government takeover of the nation's health-care system.[7] Entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site.[2]
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(7 source documents numbered in order of appearance in text)
