"PUBLIC OPINION" MAY MAKE THE FINAL DECISION ON A PUBLIC HEALTH OPTION

Actions by the GOP continue to be "too little too late".

It took a long time, but public opinion on a public health care plan has finally gotten to a point that the current momentum could actually overcome the billions spent by the private insurance company lobbyists.

Today, the majority of the polls say that 72% of all Americans, and 87% of all Democrats would prefer a "public health plan".

This situation has become even more obvious because some of the big private insurance companies have, in their desparation, actually sent a letter last week to Senate Health Chairman, Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.). The letter stated that expanding the government's role in health care would lead to "devastating consequences," including steep reductions in employer-sponsored health coverage.

What they are really concerned about is that for the first time, they may have competition that might give the small business owners an option to provide their employees with "affordable health care" instead of telling their employees that they can no longer afford to provide the service.

I recently heard a conservative caller on a talk show trying to say that a "public health care option wouldn´t work", because it would put the private companies out of business. Well, from my point-of-view, when companies such as United Healthcare, can afford to pay their CEO a $1.7 billion annual salary while continuing to cut insurance benefits for people with pre-existing conditions, perhaps they should all go out of business.

But perhaps the real reason that public opinion is against the private companies and the lobbyists is that they finally just went way too far. Today, the average American worker´s income has shrunk by over $1000 per year since 2000. While, during that same period, the average health insurance premium has increased by 36%. They "pushed the envelope" just a bit too far and the people have just had it with private insurance companies.

Now, let´s look at just how strong that "public opinion" for a "public option health plan" is today:

>>> The Washington Post wrote this week that: "The ´public option´ has emerged as the crux of the unfolding debate over health-care reform on Capitol Hill, an ideological flash point that has become perhaps the greatest challenge for the Senate negotiators attempting to reach a compromise that could actually become law."

>>> Even President Obama had this to say at his recent press conference: "The notion that all these insurance companies who say they're giving consumers the best possible deal, if they can't compete against a public plan as one option, with consumers making the decision [as to] what's the best deal, that defies logic."

>>> MoveOn.org is running ads criticizing Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.), a moderate Democrat, for voicing objections to a government-sponsored health care plan. And President Obama has countered that a federal presence in the marketplace is the only way to ensure that all Americans will have access to affordable coverage and that spiraling health-care costs will be contained.

>>> Former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, will lead a coalition of advocacy groups to Capitol Hill this week to rally for the public plan cause.

>>> On the right, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has delivered at least 10 speeches in recent weeks blasting the public plan idea, and has pledged unified Republican opposition if the Democrats proceed. But very few expect that the GOP will be very successful in the end.

>>> Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), a health care co-op advocate over a "public plan", said the goal was to make the co-ops "strong, significant competitors to private insurance." However, so far they have become less and less appealing, even to the Republicans, many of whom had initially welcomed the concept of a co-op as a promising compromise.

>>> Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), said: "I'm losing confidence that Senate Republicans would ever agree with the types of changes to a co-op that could make it a viable [public plan] substitute. We can only bend so much to win over opponents of health care reform. We cannot say we're putting something else out there and not have it being able to do the job."

>>> Senate negotiators appear to be moving forward. Members of the Finance Committee said they had drastically reduced an initial $1.6 trillion price tag for the 10-year health care bill that the panel will debate in July. Senator Conrad said the cost is now "in the range" of less than the $1 trillion target set by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.).

>>> "We have wanted to do a bipartisan bill," said Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.). "That's not saying we need half the caucus to come with us. We only need about three or four Republican senators to join with us to have a bipartisan bill." But a bipartisan bill is not a requirement to make it pass.

It must be understood that of the bills that were passed just after the Great Depression had begun in the 1930´s, such as Social Security, the FDIC insurance for savings accounts and many other bills that are still in force today, none at that time were voted "yes" by the Republicans.

Public opinion and the Democrats may have to go that route again in 2009 on health care.

Copyright G.Ater 2009

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