Sackets Harbor surgeon and longtime political idealist Dr. Robert Johnson has contributed to JD another very strong piece on healthcare and the public option.
Without the public option, there is no healthcare reform. It is business as usual. What has come out of the Senate Finance committee will not accomplish universal coverage nor will it reduce costs. It is nothing less than political smoke and mirrors: an attempt to create a perception of reform without doing anything of substance
The insurance cooperatives created to cover the uninsured will turn their customers into CINOs – Covered in Name Only. Those joining, or forced to join, a cooperative don’t have the money now to afford conventional insurance. By definition, their premiums will be less and, since they will be a separate insurance pool consisting of relatively few numbers, i.e. about 15% of the total pool available, there will not be sufficient funds for meaningful coverage. If their premiums are less, the cooperative will cover less and insist upon very high deductibles.
Continued on our sister blog
