Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The Public Option

There's a debate going on over a "public option" in our health care reform.

In response to Paul Krugman, economist Greg Mankiw's writes:

The bottom line: If the goal is honest competition in the provision of health insurance, the public option cannot do much good but can potentially do much harm.

"Honest competition in the provision of health insurance" absolutely should NOT be the goal. The primary goal should be the elimination of for-profit health insurance. So long as it is in the interest of the insurance companies to make a profit, patients will always be de facto on the losing side of the equation.

We should not even be debating a "public option". That health insurance is for profit to begin with is immoral. Capitalists think health care is a privilege, not a right. But a society can only be as sustainably successful as its populace remains vibrant and healthy. Rising tides lift all boats, except those with holes.

More on this later.

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