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To: NOW who wrote (219294)	9/8/2009 3:06:25 PM
From: GraceZ	Respond to of 306849

so you see a strong public option becoming a reality soon? I didn't say "strong" nor did I say "soon". I said in my lifetime it will become compulsory primarily because this is basically how government programs have tended to always go. They start out small and innocuous and then when it is apparent that they will fail if conditions remain constant then they are expanded to suck in more of the population. Eventually they run out of new people to foot the ever expanded bill. If they are voluntary, people with other options want out so the only option for the government is to make them compulsory. Eventually the private market re-emerges because it has to, the same reason black markets appear when government tries price controls and other such nonsense. The other political pressure for compulsory universal coverage aside from policy wonks like yourself, comes from large corporations and industry groups who feel that they are at a disadvantage in providing healthcare insurance while competing against corporations in countries that pay for healthcare via direct taxation. Corporations would love to get out of the business of being healthcare providers (which BTW is a side effect of government wage controls placed post WWII). I think a better option for most people is private health insurance from a "not for profit" that is paid for directly, as I have. One size doesn't fit all. Some people prefer pre-paid healthcare and others like myself prefer to carry the risk of ordinary care myself and use insurance only for those things that would seriously break me. In a private plan I choose the options, it is portable and it is far less expensive than any public option proposed. BTW, considering my excellent health and actuarial chances, I expect to live a long time!