Why no public option?

[FreeJoe]

Why do we need to get congress to pass a public option? Why can't the party just start it's own non-profit health care co-operative? How would that be different from a public option, except that the Democratic Party would control it rather than the congress?

[valerief]

1. Invest that kind of money for the benefit of human persons rather than corporate persons?

Not in our lifetime, unfortunately. They prove it again and again. Can't even get a drug reimportation bill moving without DLCers blocking it.

[sharesunited]

2. The Democratic Party cannot create money, which is what that kind of initiative takes.

[FreeJoe]

7. It can fund raise

Why can't George Soros and a handful of other wealthy party members lend some capital to the enterprise? Or why not start a campaign to raise $500 for 1,000,000 Democrats. That would be $500,000,000, which should be enough to start things. Once it is in operation, the fact that it is run by non-greedy, non-profit taking people should mean that the enterprise will have more than enough money to expand and eventually take over the entire marketplace. We could get to single payer just by being a better insurance company.

[sharesunited]

9. I like your enthusiasm, Joe. Welcome to DU.

Though you have already been here nearly two years!

[sandnsea]

3. Like Kaiser? edit

Or like the billions in the bill that will expand health care centers to 10,000 more towns and expand the existing clinics?

[Junkdrawer]

4. It's very surprising to me, I expected a fig leaf with "Public Option"....

written all over it with big letters in the final bill. At least, that's how I read the PR campaign.

Maybe we'll still get the fig leaf - some last-minute heroics by Obama to confound his critics would be great theater.

[DJ13]

5. The nose of the camel

One cold night, as an Arab sat in his tent, a camel gently thrust his nose under the flap and looked in. "Master," he said, "let me put my nose in your tent. It's cold and stormy out here." "By all means," said the Arab, "and welcome" as he turned over and went to sleep.

A little later the Arab awoke to find that the camel had not only put his nose in the tent but his head and neck also. The camel, who had been turning his head from side to side, said, "I will take but little more room if I place my forelegs within the tent. It is difficult standing out here." "Yes, you may put your forelegs within," said the Arab, moving a little to make room, for the tent was small.

Finally, the camel said, "May I not stand wholly inside? I keep the tent open by standing as I do." "Yes, yes," said the Arab. "Come wholly inside. Perhaps it will be better for both of us." So the camel crowded in. The Arab with difficulty in the crowded quarters again went to sleep. When he woke up the next time, he was outside in the cold and the camel had the tent to himself.



Now substitute camel for a government run single payer health care system and you'll see why the corporate owners of the Democratic party couldnt allow even the smallest of public options inside the HCR bill.

[GreenArrow]

6. The insurance companies and big pharma,

who effectively own a large chunk of our governement, do not want one.

[FreeJoe]

8. I understand why...

...they don't want it. I don't understand why we let them stop it. Just because we can't get our pharma owned congressmen to support it doesn't mean that the party (or it's members) can't create our own. We don't need the legislation to create our own non-profit health insurance company.

[berni_mccoy]

10. Public Option doesn't work without a mandate. Period.