Reply #8: I am 100% with you here and I am the other vote for other

[karynnj]

In addition, because there will be a mandate to buy insurance, it is important that the cost be driven down - and the public option was one tool for doing so.

My reason is based on my own experiences. I realize that I am among the fortunate people who has had employer provided health insurance since I left college and supposedly will have it for life. But, a few years ago, my oldest left college for a year, partially because of medical problems. Neither my plan, through the company I retired from, or my husband's plan would cover a child her age who was not in school. We researched how she could be covered and found that there was no reasonable option except COBRA on the plan she had been on with us. We paid for that, as we couldn't take the risk of having her not insured. As it was, she returned to college before COBRA expired.

What that did show me was the importance of the provisions likely to be in the bill on pre-existing conditions. Additionally, it showed me the importance of being able to buy into a group plan - which is effectively what we did with COBRA.

I also have a more positive view of insurance companies. We have incurred very large medical bills and have had the insurance company pay the bulk of the charges. This includes open heart surgery to pay for a mitral valve repair needed because of a freak accident my husband had falling on ice and high medical costs at various times for my kids. It is true that I spent hours on the phone getting approvals and making sure they paid what they should, but they ultimately did pay.

The third important thing likely to be there is the subsidies for people up to 4 times the poverty level.

These three things are not "nothing". I think the Democrats should have done a better job communicating what the public option was. I suspect one problem was that until legislation is written what is meant is not completely known - and to my knowledge, supporters in the House and Senate did not work together to agree on one detailed specification of what was meant by "public option". There was also bad luck - Kennedy and Dodd have for different reasons not been out leading this as much as would have happened had Kennedy's health been better and if Dodd were not somewhat tarnished by Countrywide. That has left the discussion to mostly Baucus and Conrad. Obama likely waited too long to get personally involved.