The "public option" mirage
"The promise of the public plan is a mirage. Its political brilliance is
to use free-market rhetoric (more 'choice' and 'competition') to expand
government power. But why would a plan tied to Medicare control health
spending, when Medicare hasn't? From 1970 to 2007, Medicare spending
per beneficiary rose 9.2 percent annually compared to the 10.4 percent
of private insurers -- and the small difference partly reflects cost
shifting. Congress periodically improves Medicare benefits, and there's
a limit to how much squeezing reimbursement rates can check costs.
Doctors and hospitals already complain that low payments limit services
or discourage physicians from taking Medicare patients."
Robert Samuelson at The Washington Post.
Robert Samuelson at The Washington Post.
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