Where's The Public Option ?

Amazingly, the gutless branch of the Democratic Party is still waffling on whether to include a public option for health care insurance in the reform legislation. Even sadder, President Obama is going along with them -- thus abandoning millions of Americans who cannot afford private insurance.

The President has now said he would prefer a "trigger mechanism" that would kick in if the private insurance doesn't meet certain goals after a few years. That's because he thinks "it's the more bipartisan way to go", and he doesn't want to alienate Senator Snowe (who opposes the public option).

I really thought the president was smarter than that. A bill that gets only one Republican vote is not even in the neighborhood of being a bipartisan bill. In addition, it gives that lone Republican way too much power over what goes into the bill. The dream of a bipartisan bill died a long time ago, and the president needs to stop flogging that dead horse.

Democrats need to forget Senator Snowe, and craft a bill with a real public option so all Americans can be covered with insurance. A trigger wouldn't just delay the public option for years, but would probably kill it. Because years from now the Republicans and insurance companies (along with some spineless blue dogs) will just delay it again (and again).

The other idea some Democrats-in-name-only are suggesting is to put a public option in the bill with a provision that each state could kill it if they wanted to. I suspect that more than half the states would kill the public option -- I know Texas would (where one out of four citizens is without private insurance, and would remain that way).

I know some are going to suggest that a government subsidy would help these people to buy insurance. Don't believe it. With the paltry subsidies that have been suggested, most of the working poor and lower middle-class will still be unable to afford private insurance -- at least any policy that covers everything a medical insurance policy needs to cover.

I am starting to get disgusted with the Democratic Party. What is so hard about passing a public option insurance plan that covers everyone with adequate health insurance? Anything less will be going back on their word.

There are those Republicans and spineless blue dogs in Congress who think the public option will drive the rich private insurers out of business. WHO CARES? If they can't compete and provide Americans with inexpensive and adequate health insurance, then they should go out of business.

The purpose of health care reform is to provide all Americans with access to adequate health care -- not to protect the fortunes of the rich private health insurance companies. Congress needs to get it's eyes back on the prize!