Imagine a world without health insurance companies where the government does it all. Imagine all the unemployed health insurance employees. Now imagine the government hiring those people to run the government health care.

NOW WAKE UP!

What incentive does a manager for a government healthcare program have to be efficient???

Has anyone every accussed a public utility of being efficient?

Has anyone ever accused a private health insurance company of being fair, accountable, honest and looking out for it's client's well being before it's bottom line? If there ever was one, it likely went bankrupt shortly after inception.

For profit health insurance is an oxymoron. It's a fundamental conflict of interest.

A public option may not start off smoothly, but it'll work itself out. Crying about postal service inefficiencies will never trump the underlying NEED for a not for profit insurance option.

Then let insurance companys sell across state lines. Why are the Dems against this? It will instantly bring down premiums. A family of 4 policy caosts around 12,000.00 in NJ thanks to all the mandates but under 5000.00 in Kansas thanks to all the mandates. This is not rocket science.Open up the competition seeing how good this is supposed to be as congress tells it.

re: ckone

Why do you repeat this INANE talking point?

There is no law stopping any health insurance company from selling in any state, and the big ones like Atena already does!.

Do you not grasp that you are advocating is that health insurers not abide by the laws of the state in which they operate?

Are you also for companies not having to follow the tax laws of the state in which they operate?

I thought people who repeated this inane talking point were big on the 10th amendment?

I am also willing to bet based on your others posts that you think "tort reform" is the answer.

Why in the world would you think that "tort reform" will turn my $600 a month health insurance premium into something that a $10 an hour worker will be able to afford?

Why do you think the health insurance company will past those savings on, or are you also for a law that dictates the money saved by the health insurance companies from tort reform has to passed on to the consumers?

How does either of those two proposals help a working poor person get health insurance?

How does either of those two proposals make an health insurance company accept a sick or injured person without chargng them a premium so high that they can't afford it?

You really have not put much thought into this topic have you?

Hey, I don't know where you live, but when I turn on a switch, my lights come on. turn the tap and I get clean drinking water. And my trash guys haul away anything I put on the curb. Municipal trash collectors at that. What's your gripe?

"Then let insurance companys sell across state lines. Why are the Dems against this? "

There is no federal law prohibiting the sale of insurance across state lines. However, insurance companies are accountable to consumer protection laws in each state.

If you want a federal law that overrules state law and CANCELS all state consumer protections for health insurance, why don;t you say so?

You have fallen for the big lie of utilities. I didn't say they couldn't deliver. I said they were not efficient at it.

Consider this:

An electric utilities manager has the choice of fixing a transformer or buying a new one. It is more expensive to buy the new one and the repair will last just as long as a new transformer. However, it is easier to buy one. If he buys one he can pass the cost on to the consumer. Fixing will require him have labor costs which will be difficult to come by because utility workers would rather hunt or go to ball games than work overtime. Not only that but the workers tend to take their bucket trucks home and trim their bushes or fix their roofs on company time. What incentive does the manager have to control costs when the state guarantees the utility company x% profit over their expenses and/or capital costs? The difference between utilities and health care is there is not enough health care to go around and there is no incentive to control costs.

BTW,

You might want to get your water tested and I wouldn't get caught throwing a refrigerator out that still has its Freon in it.