A gentle reminder to my Representative, Senator and President
Dear President Obama, Senator Sherrod Brown, and Representative Mary Jo Kilroy,
The Baucus bill amounts to giant subsidies to the private insurance industry, while saddling middle-class taxpayers with a mandate to buy over-priced, under-covering policies, or to pay a hefty fine for the right to not be fined again that year.
This does not help Americans already struggling under the cost of health care. This does not reduce health insurance premiums. The private health insurance industry needs to be (1) regulated, to keep Executive compensation under 5%, and (2) frightened, by a Public Option which does not play by the unwritten rules of the Private companies.
Private insurance companies will not compete with each other, just as gasoline retailers don't really compete: gas prices do not vary a great deal, across all retailers, because a retailer which undercuts the rest of the industry is "not playing along", and gets frozen out or bought out. Same goes for private health insurance: prices are kept as high as the market can bear, maxing out the cost/benefit ratio. All insurance retailers keep their prices/customers the same across the board, so they cannot be accused - by their "competitors" - of hogging too much of the market.
A government-run insurance option would - hopefully - not be looking to maintain the status quo of the Private Insurance Club. Rather, it would - hopefully - determine REAL market prices, and would show compassion and cover everyone in America.
Signed,
The Baucus bill amounts to giant subsidies to the private insurance industry, while saddling middle-class taxpayers with a mandate to buy over-priced, under-covering policies, or to pay a hefty fine for the right to not be fined again that year.
This does not help Americans already struggling under the cost of health care. This does not reduce health insurance premiums. The private health insurance industry needs to be (1) regulated, to keep Executive compensation under 5%, and (2) frightened, by a Public Option which does not play by the unwritten rules of the Private companies.
Private insurance companies will not compete with each other, just as gasoline retailers don't really compete: gas prices do not vary a great deal, across all retailers, because a retailer which undercuts the rest of the industry is "not playing along", and gets frozen out or bought out. Same goes for private health insurance: prices are kept as high as the market can bear, maxing out the cost/benefit ratio. All insurance retailers keep their prices/customers the same across the board, so they cannot be accused - by their "competitors" - of hogging too much of the market.
A government-run insurance option would - hopefully - not be looking to maintain the status quo of the Private Insurance Club. Rather, it would - hopefully - determine REAL market prices, and would show compassion and cover everyone in America.
Signed,
posted by batguano at 9:07 AM
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