9 Comments

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• Judge
• Nov 13, 2009, 8:30
• Reply
Could you please provide references backing the statement that “polls show a majority of Americans support a public option?”
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• Derek Cosson
• Nov 13, 2009, 9:12
• Reply
Judge:
Of course.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2009/10/20/GR2009102000148.html?sid=ST2009101902502
Washington Post/ABC News Poll asking “Would you support or oppose having the government create a new health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans?”
Support polled at 62% in June, 52% in August, 55% in September, and 57% in October.
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/09/25/us/politics/25pollgrx.html
September poll from New York Times/CBS shows 65% favor for the question “Would you favor or oppose the government offering everyone a government-administered health insurance plan like Medicare that would compete with private insurance plans?”
I can cite more if you like.
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• Judge
• Nov 13, 2009, 9:43
• Reply
Thank you for the quick response. I didn’t think you were making it up; I just wanted to read the polls myself. I would imagine a poll of Rep. Miller’s district would show very different results. Even if one disagrees on the public option, that would justify Miller’s actions more so than someone like Eric Massa (D-NY) who openly doesn’t care what his constituents think (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXWmVBadWvU).
I’m personally about to be out $10k because my 9 month old had to be hospitalized for a week because of H1N1. It was my decision to by a cheap, high-deductible plan to save money since my family is otherwise very healthy.
My only complaint is the lack of control one has with medical care. At no point will anyone tell you how much anything cost or ask permission to perform the most useless yet incredibly expensive tests.
The less competent a doctor seemed, the more tests they would run at the cost of hundreds or thousands of dollars a piece. For example, an on-call pediatrician ordered an extra chest X-ray and whooping cough test when my son had a prolonged coughing fit even though the respiratory specialist said it was a waste of time. Everyone else knew he was just recovering from viral pneumonia. It was extremely aggravating, but I don’t see how driving the private insurance companies out of business solves this problem.
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• Derek Cosson
• Nov 13, 2009, 10:13
• Reply
Oh, I didn’t take it that way. I will concede a poll of Florida’s first Congressional district would maybe show less support for a public option. I don’t think it would really be very much less, though.
I’m sorry to hear about your hospital costs. They’re not rare, though. They’re something millions of Americans deal with all the time. My grandmother fainted last year and needed a three-day hospital stay. She racked up an $11K bill.
I imagine we probably disagree on this issue. Personally, I would favour a system like NHS in the UK where most normal healthcare services are socially-provided… just like we have already for selected segments of the population with Medicare and the VA. There would still be room for private health insurance, just like there is in the UK, when someone wanted additional coverage for elective/experimental/nonstandard care.
• 
• Judge
• Nov 13, 2009, 10:43
I’m really not upset about the cost of hitting my deductible because I weighed my options and went with a low premium. It will still work out for the best in the long run. However, the “public option” will eliminate my personal choice. It is the reduction of our personal freedoms in favor of government control that causes my opposition.
No matter what the politicians say to get this passed, a “public option” is the end of private healthcare except for the corner cases you cite in the UK. That means the end of competition. So, the arguments supporting a “public option” as a means to increase competition are obscenely dishonest.
Note that I’m not calling people in favor of public healthcare dishonest, or trying to demean them in any way. It’s a perfectly reasonable difference of opinion on how to approach growing healthcare problems. I’m just severely disappointed with the political trickery.
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• James
• Nov 13, 2009, 9:58
• Reply
I bet the majority in Miller’s district do support a public option. Those who don’t support such an option are likely already covered by government health care either active duty military, retired military & those on medicare/medicaid. They really like their care, but don’t want the rest of us to have an option.
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• Judge
• Nov 13, 2009, 10:36
• Reply
Are you the James that used to call into Pensacola Speaks all the time?
• 
• James
• Nov 13, 2009, 13:15
• Reply
Judge — no. I listened to about 5 minutes of Pensacola Speaks when I first moved here & never tuned in again. I listen to WUWF.
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• Judge
• Nov 13, 2009, 13:36
• Reply
Good. That other James was a nut case. ;)