Public Option for Everyone!

In the past, I have communicated that I prefer a universal health care reform with one payor, viz., the government. It is the only way to achieve care for all with some way to control costs, even if viewed exclusively as rationing (which it is).

The bills offered by the Senate and the House do extend coverage, but at a severe cost. There is no health care reform. It is more or less the same system with more people. It surely will be a mess while driving up costs without any mechanism to establish control (I know that there is a provision for a group of specialized individuals to establish controls that will achieve higher quality, but I am not convinced that it will be capable of achieving its goals).

The only way to achieve universal access while controlling costs is to provide for the public option that is open to all (cf. Robert Reich). It surely will attract tons of people who will find that the private insurance more costly without higher access to care. And then, we will be able to proceed to the goal of reforming our health care system.

Robert Reich,