Health Care Co-Ops: NOT the Way to Go

Radio Commentary, WMVV 90.7 New Life FM, September 4, 2009
By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Good morning, Jim. We’ve heard a lot about government controlled healthcare, but do you know the difference between a public option and a co-op? As used in the healthcare plan, the “Co-Op Compromise” is, simply, the public option in disguise. Eagle Forum’s August 17th press release says, “Make no mistake, any Democrat health care bill will include both mandates and subsidies for ‘eligible’ or ‘qualified’ health insurance [meaning] Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Tom Daschle, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel and the like, will have the power to decide who gets what medical care. …Any attempt to rename or rebrand the public option as a ‘co-op’ or something other than government-run is [just a sneaky way] to lessen grassroots opposition.”

If you’re confused about the “public option,” you’re not alone. Many think “public” refers to private businesses. But that’s not the case. As used in H.R. 3200, the word “public” means “government”. The term “public option” refers to a federal government health insurance policy that will be created to compete with private insurance companies that sell policies to individuals, as well as to companies that provide health insurance benefits to their employees.

When a public option gets going, private insurance companies that must make a profit will go out of business. The public option will undercut private insurance companies with a cheaper plan, but the level of care will be “on-the-cheap”, too. Doctors won’t decide how to treat patients. A panel of government officials will set minimum standards and doctors must comply.

Then, Eagle Forum summed it up this way: “‘Co-op’ is nothing more than [another term] for ‘government-run health care,’ just like ‘undocumented worker’ was [nothing more than a] concocted, less obvious term for ‘illegal alien’.” Don’t be fooled when they switch terms. Just keep telling your senators and representative to vote NO. Call Senators Chambliss and Isakson at 1 877 851-6437* and call your Congressman toll-free at 1 877 762-8762*. Then, to be connected with his office, give your nine-digit zip code you’ll find on your junk mail. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol Correspondent.