Jun
21
72% Want a Public Option
ByTaegan Goddard’s Political Wire:
“A clear majority of Americans — 72% — support a government-sponsored health care plan to compete with private insurers, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds. Most also think the government would do a better job than private industry at keeping down costs and believe that the government should guarantee health care for all Americans.”
“The new poll shows the idea of a government-sponsored plan, or ‘public option,’ to be fair non-controversial, though Democrats in the Senate have considered nixing the proposal in order to win Republican support for the bill. House leaders on Friday unveiled a health care reform plan that includes a public option.”
7 Comments
June 21st, 2009 at 1:29 pm
It’s obviously possible to have a public option. The question is whether our political leaders will have the cajones and the vision to create a system that will take some of the power away from insurance conglomerates. The current system is quite broken, and a public option will force the private sector to provide superior service in order to maintain customers. Win – win. The uninsured and underinsured and poorly insured have a viable choice while the happily insured can stick with their private plan.
I’ve never pegged you for a pessimist, Bruce.
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June 21st, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Next Sat @ 10am there will be a protest for Health Care options in Pritchard Park.
(at 5pm in the same location there will be a rally for equal gender rights with the annual Stonewall rally)
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June 21st, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Looks like we’re having a (progressive) candidates forum here.
Gordon’s reference to “Bruce” is a ref to a troll comment which has since been excised.
In opinion polls done for at least a couple of decades people have favored universal, government-based health insurance. It is an astonishing tribute to the power of big Pharma that our elected officials still manage to resist public will.
“Money, it’s a hit …”
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June 21st, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Gordon, your story is a fine example of argumentum ad numerum (argument or appeal to numbers). This fallacy is the attempt to prove something by showing how many people think that it’s true. But no matter how many people believe something, that doesn’t necessarily make it true or right. For example: “At least 70% of all Americans support restrictions on access to abortions.” Well, maybe 70% of Americans are wrong!
Perhaps your next blog article could discuss the actual issues associated with publicly funded health care.
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June 21st, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Thanks for your comment, Brian. You’ll notice the post is simply a link to an interesting poll. That sort of thing happens at this blog. If you’re not finding what you like at this blog, you’re welcome to peruse the many millions of other blogs in the world.
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June 21st, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Update on the Health Care rally this Sat Jun 27 10am Pritchard Park…
We have confirmed speakers Mayor Terry Bellamy, Dr. Richard Walton, ret UNCA prof (and maybe his wife, ret RN Sue Walton), Dr Errington Thompson, Leslie Boyd (her son died to mismanaged care and insurance difficulties) and others.
We’re also getting a petition signed to present to Congressman Shuler later that afternoon.
Sign our petition at our WNC for Change Health Care office inside Mtn Java Coffeeshop on Merrimon. M-Sat, 2-8pm.
more info: wncforchange.com
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June 22nd, 2009 at 10:50 pm
I doubt the large insurers will be left out of the “public” plan just as the “solution” to the banking crisis bailed out the same folks who created the problem and the solution and proposes giving MORE power to the Federal Reserve (sic) owned by some of these same folks. Expect the AMA monopoly to give us more of the same cut,burn,irradiate and poison with the latest pharmaceutical wonder drug that has made the American health care industry so profitable (and DEADLY) I can see how the focus will be by the push for CODEX ALIMENTARIUS in the latest food “safety” bills being proposed making natural dietary supplicants regulated as drugs and ILLEGAL without expensive testing even when they have been used for centuries, again giving more power to the folks who approved NUTRASWEET and various deadly drugs knowing the damaging effects.
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