Haha. Pres. Obama ALMOST got angry when the guy asked about driving private ins. out of business.

He seemed geniunely annoyed there. Just sayin'.

are driving Americans out of business. But what DID he say?

Listen, we cube rats appreciate your online coverage of these press conference, but could you please also reference exactly what Obama says in response?

:headbang:
rocktivity

... but he basically said (and very forcefully) that its not at all logical to think that private insurance would be driven out of business just because they would have to compete with a public plan.

on so fast and so many great comebacks from Obama!

Later, when I can just sit and watch the tv screen and not be having fun here at DU at the same time.

The president started out quiet building momentum throughout. And he came loaded for bear. Nice.

I want to do!

of business if they offer good plans. On one hand, the opponents say they are against a public option because it won't offer good quality care and yet they worry it will drive the private plans out of the market. He implied this just doesn't make any sense.

The whole argument against the public plan defies logic.

The insurance companies claim that they already provide a competitive and affordable service for their customers, why would a public option change that?

Unless of course the insurance companies are lying. Suck it up assholes.

He should go after the insurance industry with the same force.

since many of them will be pounding the pavement or acting solely as independent contractors in the not too distant future. Why are they so concerned about the continued wellfare of the private insurance industry?

people who are happy with there insurance will keep it. This has been said from day one. What we hope is that it will have a public option as well.

Which is becoming a cliche...

Is it pushes some myth that people are happy with their insurance compared to what they would get with single-payer. It assumes there is some value to being able to keep or choose expensive and inferior coverage options.

Of course, we're only talking about a infinitesimally SMALL handful of people who are so wealthy that they can afford the high premiums, deductibles, co-pays, etc. without worrying one microsecond about being able to pay their other bills or losing their home.

Although I personally think we should have a single-payer system, I understand why President Obama is NOT pursuing it even though he seems to think it's the best option because he is trying to "blunt" the opposition to the plan by making it clear at the outset that people who, for whatever reason, *like* their private plans don't feel like they are being FORCED into accepting "socialized medicine" for themselves and their families.

However, if and when we get a robust public option that people can sign up for, the people whom still have private plans might come to think differently about single-payer but forcing people into a single-payer system overnight is politically just not going to work IMHO and I think President Obama sees the situation in the same way. I do, however, believe that a single payer system is inevitable- it's just not going to happen right away.

These are most likely the people who think that any public option will tell them which doctor they can see, and make them wait for weeks before blah blah blah.

I don't know why it's so hard to imagine that some people consider their plans fine, given all the anti-public-option and anti-single-payer propaganda out there. It seems pretty straightforwardly logical to me.

However, my point is that President Obama is being VERY shrewd and doing the smart thing politically by offering "choice", thus removing the Repukes' and Big Pharma's best fundraising and opposition "tool" in regards to healthcare reform. Screeching about how horrible a single-payer system would be for people can't/doesn't really have the same resonance if people know that they don't HAVE to have it. The major obstacle is probably going to be figuring out how to pay for the public option, particularly since some people won't opt for it and will feel indignant about having to pay for something they're not using.

Forcing people to change to something new would be handing the opposition free ammo.

But employment for life is not in the cards anymore. It would be nice to have a public option to fall back on.

...therefore my company doesn't offer healthcare at all. If the government offers me decent coverage at an affordable price, I'm buying it, period.

Business"

Owned

;-)