Sunday, August 23, 2009

Lawmakers and the Public Option

The Washington Post puts up an admittedly unscientific poll this morning, but one that asks a question that lots of folks would like to weigh-in on.
Do you think lawmakers should be forced to use the public option if it's left in the health care reform legislation?
Oh, absolutely. I think lawmakers should be forced to be subject to any law that they legislate.

Right now, it's running about 83% thinking that lawmakers should be forced to use the public option. I'd like to expand that to everyone who draws a paycheck through Congress. Staff, aides, everyone who goes to work in a Congressional Office. Let's give them the opportunity to ride that donkey.

4 comments:

Windy Wilson said...

My only question to the 17%is, "what possible rationale could there be for exempting anyone? If the public option is good enough for engineers, accountants, doctors and lawyers, why not Congressment?"

Old NFO said...

Windy beat me to it... And the congresscritters will NEVER give up their cushy set up until they are voted out!

J said...

> Windy Wilson said... My only question to the 17%is, "what possible rationale could there be for exempting anyone?

Under the presidents plan if anyone is satisfied with their private insurance or their group insurance they can keep it. "Anyone" means anyone.

Windy Wilson said...

J.
Read the fine print.
1. You can keep your group insurance, but that option expires after a few years, I forget how many, but only a few.
2. If you want to change, you can change only to the public option. If you have Blue Cross you can't change to Aetna, nor vice versa.
3. If you take the public option you can not change to a private plan. That is, once you leave Toyland you can never return.

Doesn't sound like much freedom to me.

I'll bet if it were explicit that this health plan applied 100% to all elected federal employees more of the resistance to it would disappear as it would be less obvious that it was a plan for the herd not the anointed.