Originally, the public option was supposed to be set up to allow anyone to enroll into a Medicare-like plan. However, the current versions have it looking like just another choice on the same level as private insurance — where it won’t give them much, if any, competition. And, it’s limited only to people who don’t have insurance.

The number I’m seeing is that only 10% of Americans would even be able to choose the public option. And these are the ones who have been sick, haven’t been able to get insurance, or have been denied coverage — so they will be very expensive to cover.

In any case, the public option:

+ Won’t control costs.

+ Won’t cover everyone. Millions will still be without coverage/care!

+ Won’t stop the wave of medical bankruptcies. The under-insured will still find themselves in financial trouble.

+ It leaves the unethical and highly profit-driven insurance corporations in the driver’s seat.

+ Looks like the public option will probably even strengthen private insurance companies by taking the sickest and most expensive patients off their hands.

So, it doesn’t matter much about whether states opt out or opt into this toothless public option … it’s not going to address the crisis.

And, as Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is saying tonight, it’s being set up to fail. That’s probably why they don’t want it to go into effect until 2013 … which will be after the next presidential election.

We need to agree as a country that healthcare is a human right and then simply expand the program we have that is working — we should expand an improved Medicare for All to cover everyone from birth to death.

We’d be building on an already existing and trusted system. Everyone goes into one big risk pool. And we’d save money by removing the private insurance companies — which cost us $350-400 billion per year in administration costs.

This is why we need to continue to demanding Medicare for All / Single Payer. Everyone in, nobody out.

Be sure to read the two following articles about why the public option is doomed to fail. We’ve tried it before.

Linda