Crash Couse in the Public Option: Learn What It Is, What It Isn't, And How It's Doing

The four articles are written by Kip Sullivan, a nationally recognized expert on health care systems whose life work is to analyze and explain health care systems to non-experts in the field. (That would be you and me, legislators, unions, clergy, news organizations, citizen groups) If you read these information rich, well documented, well written, and easy to understand analysis of the history of the "Public Option" , the current state of the "Public Option" and the future of the "Public Option," you will know more about the "Public Option" than 99% per cent of your friends, and more about it than most congress critters do.



Bait and Switch: How the Public Option was sold.--- History and overview of the "Public Option" and how it came into vogue
http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/07/20/bait-and-switch-how-the-%e2%80%9cpublic-option%e2%80%9d-was-sold/

Does The Congressional Progressive Caucus Care About It's Public Option Principles?---- Public Option and Congressional Politics: What's going on?
http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/07/28/does-the-congressional-progressive-caucus-care-about-its-public-option-principles/

Reply to Critics of Bait and Switch: How the "Public Option" Was Sold --- A Rebuttal To A Scandalized Bloggosphere
http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/08/08/reply-to-critics-of-%e2%80%9cbait-and-switch-how-the-%e2%80%98public-option%e2%80%99-was-sold%e2%80%9d/

The Senate HELP Committe “Public Option” Will Be Multiple “Options,” And These Will Be Run By Insurance Companies ----Analysis of the "Public Option" in the Senate HELP Committee Bill
http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/08/14/the-senate-help-committee-%e2%80%9cpublic-option%e2%80%9d-will-be-multiple-%e2%80%9coptions%e2%80%9d-and-these-will-be-run-by-insurance-companies/#comments

Happy Reading.

actual in depth analysis of the public option as written into the Senate HELP bill and HR3200?

Because I haven't seen any. I read a transcript today of Dean on TV claiming the public option is like Medicare, but he didn't mention if that particular one could be found in HR3200 or in the Senate HELP committee bill or if he was speaking "in theory."

He gave no numbers as to estimates of how many would be enrolled, he gave no time lines, and he didn't mention who would be eligible to enroll.

I know he was on TV and probably wouldn't have time for that, but is there any kind of web site that gives actual real in depth information about the plan as currently written into the bills?

And if there isn't, why for god sake isn't there? I would think that would be critical for building support, wouldn't you?

So thanks I await your links to those resources.

In the mean time, I offer my links to the resources I know about. I hope you read them instead of running in fear from anything that threatens your world view. You know, you might learn something if you aren't afraid to learn something.

Stating that we would be starting anew - and no more non transparency in terms of bills.

Now we not only have non transparency - we have multiple bills floating around, and some are over 1`2,000 pages long.


That being the case, we cannot know what is what. And if their votes for the PAtriot Act and for the Bailout Monies are any indication, many in Congress are probably just as clueless as we are.

although PNHP's Dr. McCanne did believe the original Hacker model was a compelling model and said so in 2007, what is before us now does not resemble the original plan.


http://pnhp.org/about/pnhp_mission_statement.php

"Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) believes that access to high-quality health care is a right of all people and should be provided equitably as a public service rather than bought and sold as a commodity...

...PNHP believes this program should be financed by truly progressive taxation. PNHP actively opposes current changes in the health care system that are designed to maximize the profits of investors and the incomes of high-level executives rather than to serve patients.

PNHP's goal is the restoration of what it views as the primary mission of physicians, acting as professional advocates for our patients..."


http://pnhp.org/about/about_pnhp.php

"Physicians for a National Health Program is a single issue organization advocating a universal, comprehensive single-payer national health program. PNHP has more than 16,000 members and chapters across the United States.

Since 1987, we've advocated for reform in the U.S. health care system. We educate physicians and other health professionals about the benefits of a single-payer system--including fewer administrative costs and affording health insurance for the 46 million Americans who have none...

PNHP is the only national physician organization in the United States dedicated exclusively to implementing a single-payer national health program."

I am on this discussion too late to recommend, but three topics earlier that I watched had their status on Greatest Page reversed, even though I added to the positive side of things.

Several times till its in the ol' noggin.