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BALLYHOOED PUBLIC OPTION WOULD COVER LESS THAN 2 PERCENT OF AMERICANS
USA Today - A proposed government-run health insurance program, among the most divisive issues in the health care debate, would cover less than 1.5% of the population, new estimates show.
The latest version of the "public option," included in the 10-year, $848 billion health care bill headed toward an initial Senate vote Saturday, would cover up to 4 million people, according to the Congressional Budget Office report released late Wednesday night. . .
Paul Ginsburg, an economist with the Center for Studying Health System Change, questions the impact the public option proposals would have on families seeking health coverage.
"The type of public option we're talking about today … is all about ideology and symbolism," he said. "It's not going to have any impact on our health system.". . .
The public plan was conceived as a separate insurance policy that would operate like Medicare, the government-run health program for seniors. President Obama has said a public option would "keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable."
Under the House and Senate bills, the government option would be available only to people who shop for insurance on their own - meaning they don't get coverage through work - or who work for small companies. The plan would be offered alongside private policies in online "exchanges" that would let people compare coverage and prices.
The latest version of the "public option," included in the 10-year, $848 billion health care bill headed toward an initial Senate vote Saturday, would cover up to 4 million people, according to the Congressional Budget Office report released late Wednesday night. . .
Paul Ginsburg, an economist with the Center for Studying Health System Change, questions the impact the public option proposals would have on families seeking health coverage.
"The type of public option we're talking about today … is all about ideology and symbolism," he said. "It's not going to have any impact on our health system.". . .
The public plan was conceived as a separate insurance policy that would operate like Medicare, the government-run health program for seniors. President Obama has said a public option would "keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable."
Under the House and Senate bills, the government option would be available only to people who shop for insurance on their own - meaning they don't get coverage through work - or who work for small companies. The plan would be offered alongside private policies in online "exchanges" that would let people compare coverage and prices.
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