www.iowamedical.org
LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY
IMS JOB BANK The Pros and Cons of a Public Plan
September 25, 2009
This month's issue of Iowa Medicine features articles by our two U.S. Senators who debate the pros and cons of a public plan. We encourage you to read their articles and tell us what you think in our special comment section. This is an important debate for physicians and their patients, so we hope you'll share your views and find out what your colleagues think about a public plan option.
Read Senator Tom Harkin's Article (PDF 636KB)
Read Senator Charles Grassley's Article (613KB)
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Harkin.
I do not accept Medicare, but not because of the reimbursement. I do not accept it because of fear of audit from the government. The penalty is so stiff, that it is not worth it. The reimbursement is fair enough. This sounds strange coming from a doctor, but I think that doctors make more than enough money and scaling back the reimbursement rates on doctors is not a bad idea. Please, we really need some type of health care reform. More importantly, we need private insurers to be more morally compliant by providing quality health care at reasonable rates. If this were happening, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. They need to stop talking and start working. All the public option does is provide an alternative to the private insurers to provide reasonable health care rates. Finally, as a self employed person, I do not have health insurance. It is my little protest to private insurance and their ridiculous conditions and rates. Please stop being greedy and do something for the public good. 10/28/2009 at 07:15:53 AM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Grassley.
Very few if any government programs run efficiently. If the public option takes over, there are no incentives for the goverment to make it more efficient. It will be run by government employees, where all have jobs for life regardless of how productive they are. Medicare is already subject to fraud and waist which is not being addressed. It will be more of the same with the public option. I certainly would not want someone from the goverment telling me how much I can charge, and eventually where I would have to work. Senator Grassley is right. We should impose rules to keep the insurance companies accountable, and not allow them to drop sick or cronically ill. At the same time, Medicare needs to stop the cost shift to the insurers. Most doctors I know limit the number of Medicare patients due to low payments from the Gov. It will only get worse with the public option. 10/21/2009 at 07:35:38 PM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Harkin.
Why is the study by Lewin Group, which is an Ingenix company a wholly owned subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group listed as an independent analysis by Senator Grassley? It seems the have some bias given their owners. 09/23/2009 at 09:49:13 AM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Harkin.
In Senator Grassley's article he asks some good questions that would need to be addressed for a successful public option. Lets address those problems and create a strong and fair public option that protects providers and the insured. The GOP states that the current healthcare system can be saved but offer no real substance as to how. It does seem to be true that a strong public option would out compete private insurance. Why is that a bad thing? I also agree that more accessible preventative care will lower costs greatly. 09/17/2009 at 03:48:49 PM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Harkin.
Most of the doctors I have spoken to are for the public option. Obviously we'd want to ensure payment is fair, but I'd much rather deal with the government than insurance companies. 09/16/2009 at 07:23:32 AM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Harkin.
Grassley's argument is entirely based on "maybe"s and a certainty in the "slippery slope". Aren't our legislators smart enough to put protections in place for these specific "maybe"s? A lot of us are in favor of SOME form of public option. I'd love to see one written BY the GOP. 09/09/2009 at 02:26:52 PM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Grassley.
Public plan would be a disaster within 3 years 08/29/2009 at 02:54:00 PM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Harkin.
Changes have to be made in health care. It needs to start now. 08/29/2009 at 11:37:44 AM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Grassley.
08/29/2009 at 07:32:58 AM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Harkin.
08/27/2009 at 08:27:28 PM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Grassley.
Public option would be a disaster. 08/25/2009 at 07:41:07 AM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Harkin.
08/24/2009 at 05:49:11 PM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Grassley.
I think Senator Grassley shows good insight when he predicts the gradual "creep" that would take over with a Public Option. Then just as we have seen with Medicare and Medicaid, the government would proceed to break every promise and commitment laid out in such an Option, ultimately putting the bottom line ahead of patient care. Strict regulation of the private insurance market would push competition from within instead of from the outside. If all insurers have to accept pre-existing conditions, for example, then the playing field is more level. I have one major disagreement with Senator Harkin, I do not believe Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer are diseases that can in a large part be prevented by lifestyle choices and decisions we make in our lives. Diabetes, heart disease and obesity certainly can be in large part influenced by our decisions however. 08/17/2009 at 09:41:55 AM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Grassley.
08/17/2009 at 08:20:27 AM
|
|
wrote: I agree with Senator Harkin.
I think we can all agree we need to do something. So far President Obama's plan makes a lot of sense to me. 08/14/2009 at 12:22:32 PM
|
More News