Senator Graham (R) says house public option will destroy private insurance!?

[andym]

Looks like there will be quite a fight in the Senate over any PO. Interesting to see how even the weak public option is anathema to Republicans. I would love someone to ask Graham and his ilk how health care costs can be contained or near universal health care provided (besides tort reform, which has been calculated to save about $4 billion/year out of the $1.5 trillion annual health care spending).

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/08/ftn/main5576519.shtml?tag=contentBody;featuredPost-PE

Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the health care bill passed last night by the House of Representatives is "dead on arrival to the Senate." Graham argued that the House bill was "written for liberals, by liberals. "Just look at how it passed; it passed 220 to 215. It passed by two votes. You had <39> Democrats vote against the bill," Graham told "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer Sunday.

He also admitted that if it were to come down to it, he would join his independent colleague Senator Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., in filibustering a bill including the so-called public option should it come to the Senate floor.

"The House bill is a non-starter in the Senate," he added. "I just think the construct out of the House and what exists in the Senate is not going to pass, and I hope and pray it doesn't because it would be a disaster for the economy and health care," Graham concluded.

Graham believed a public option would "destroy" private health care, saying that insurance companies could not compete against the lower premiums of a government-backed plan. "It will be a death blow to private choice," he said.
---------------------
How could a public option that the CBO says will insure 6 million people by 2019 destroy the insurance industry?

[SPedigrees]

1. One can hope... nt

[emulatorloo]

2. Because the insurance companies are worried the public option is going to get bigger

They look at medicare and social security and see how those were expanded after initial passage.

They are still trying to kill this bill, they don't like it.

[Aramchek]

3. the Repukes know what will happen. It's just the 'Single Payer or bust' types who are blind to this

[DBoon]

4. and why is this a bad thing? (nt)

[Mz Pip]

5. The Repukes

can't seem to make up their mind on how to play this. One minute they are going off about how ineffective any government run program would be, what a mess it would be, what a disaster it would be. If that's really the case then they should just let the disaster play out and then point to the Dems and say, "We told you so."

The next minute they complain that it would be sooo successful that everyone will want it and private insurance companies will be destroyed. Me thinks this is their real concern - that it will work and their cash cow insurance company donations will disappear. Poof!

Can't have it both ways.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

10. Not to mention how *concerned* they are about Medicare

all of the sudden. :eyes:

[Vinca]

6. If a public option offers lower premiums and the same or better service,

why should big insurance be supported? That's the real question. You either represent the citizens or the insurance companies.

[theoldman]

7. I believe that Germany has a public option and it has not destroyed

the German insurance companies. People forget that the purpose of a public option is for those who do not have company insurance.

[BklnDem75]

8. Graham should go to DU

He'll be happy to know that the PO is really a huge corporate payday for insurance companies. After talking to a few people here, he'll feel much better.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. we want private health insurance companies destroyed and buried!