Liberals howled when the White House signaled willingness to give up the government-run public-option health plan in its insurance reform package. “Without a public plan, it’s almost worse than not doing anything,” came Rep. Anthony Weiner’s response. The New York Democrat was just one among many to promise he would oppose any bill that lacked a public- option plan.
As the White House has furiously backpedalled in response to such protests, several commentators have asserted that President Obama must give up the public option if he wants a bill to pass Congress. But Obama’s predicament appears to be worse than that. Rasmussen Reports found last week that a minority of 42 percent of Americans supported Obamacare. But this week’s poll shows that, if the public option is removed from his plan, support actuallydecreasesto 34 percent, due to waning Democratic enthusiasm.Weiner and many other prominent liberals openly hope that a public option will lead ultimately to a single-payer health care system – “Medicare for all,” as Weiner put it. Without that, what’s the point for liberals?
Removal of the public option also does little if anything to improve the bill’s support on the Right or among independents and centrists, thanks to the growing consensus that the rest of Obamacare is just as bad. Two provisions that almost certainly would be included in any Obamacare legislation have already increased the price of insurance dramatically in states with similar measures.”Guaranteed issue” requires insurers to accept all applicants, regardless of their condition, past or present. “Community rating” effectively prevents insurers from adjusting premiums to account for projected risks. Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey adopted both policies and people in those states now must pay family premiums twice the national average.
Obama can gain the support of insurers if he drops the public option. They support the rest of his bill, which would require all Americans to buy health insurance or pay a fine. Drug makers are also on board, eager as they are to see a new federal dollars to purchase their products. PhRMA, the drug industry trade association, plans to spend another $150 million to promote the plan after previously spending $78 million lobbying for Obamacare in the first half of 2009. With or without the public option, Obamacare means a payoff to several special interests, which inevitably will mean higher prices and lower quality care for consumers. The only question at this point is how many more special interests will pay to promote Obamacare because it will put their hands in your pockets.
