Obama’s health plan - will it work?

Where to start?  On June 3rd 2009 Obama announced that he had sent letters to key congressional leaders outlining the key provisions of his health care plan.  He wants legislation completed before the end of August.   Here is a link to a New York Times article about this: 

Obama Open to a Mandate on Health Insurance

I have hopes ….and concerns about this approach.

Hopes:

We need a healthy private sector insurance choice.  This seems to offer it……….If people are required to buy the insurance then everyone is covered  (just like car insurance - you drive you must be insured; otherwise it affects everyone else if you cause an accident - hey maybe we should have no fault health insurance.  If you hit me and I go to the hospital I still have to pay for it!)……..This forces everyone to be responsible…..If agents can still be given commission for signing people up Obama has an army of willing helpers to make sure everyone has coverage……public option can be valid alternative if priced right.

Fears:

lots of em….in Mass. the only state to implement this type of plan, there is an escape valve for those who say that they can’t afford it. 76,000 people have been granted the right not to have insurance.  That’s way too many.  There has to be a system to include everyone. … In Mass the goverment mandated the plan design and did not allow high deductible plans….That choice has to be allowed for people willing to take the risk…..The government, which means us - the taxpayers, needs to price (or fund) the public coverage appropriately so that they don’t come to the congress in a few years saying that they totally underestimated the cost of the plan and need lots more money.  We all will have been tricked into a costly national health plan.  If this is what we want lets all decide that we will pay the price — I don’t think we will.

that’s all I have time for now