Public option will create ‘more of an economic crisis’

Tony Ondrusek
Insurance & Financial Advisor
Nov 23, 2009

Sen. Harry Reid sent his proposed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act back and forth to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) several times until he got the fiscal answers that he wanted. But in the end, the Senate version of health care reform will still cost the American people at least $850 billion (probably double or triple that…this is the government, after all), will impose new taxes and will increase premium payments for those who already have health insurance.

Not to mention the millions (some say close to 90 million) of workers who will find that their employers will shift them to the public option, in effect forcing them to leave their current coverage and sign onto a government plan. And the uninsured that the House and Senate Democrats were so worried about covering in the first place? Most will find that they still remain uninsured.

But at least one Democrat appears to be leading a charge to have this disastrous legislation halted, according to an article on IFAwebnews.com. (click here for the article)

Sen. Joe Lieberman said of the bill, “I don’t want to fix the problems in our healthcare system in a way that creates more of an economic crisis, either short-term to inhibit businesses from hiring more people, creating jobs, or long term to add to the debt.”

Yes, Lieberman voted to debate the bill, but he is making no secret that he will be full on board for a filibuster to stop its passage.

He went on to say, “[The public option] doesn’t offer free insurance. It won’t get one more poor person insurance. It won’t force one insurance company to give insurance to somebody who’s got a pre-existing condition. And it won’t even lower the cost of health insurance, which the advocates said it originally would, because the Congressional Budget Office has now said to us that the public option in Senator Reid’s bill will actually charge more for insurance than the average charge by health insurance companies.”

It can’t be stated more succinctly than that.