As if health care reform couldn’t get more complicated, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has decided to add yet another variable to what is already a lingering health care debate. Reid plans to include a public option in the bill he will take to the Senate floor in the upcoming weeks, The New York Times reported.
What makes this plan different is that states will have the option to opt out of the public option by invoking a law against it. While Reid may have the best of intentions with this compromise over a possible public option, reform is not reform if states can rule against it.
Both sides can agree that the health care system is a big mess and that trying to fix it is a nightmare. But the government option is just that — an option.
Consumers don’t have to buy health insurance from the government — it is not forced upon them. Why would we give states the option to choose whether or not they want to participate when a public option in itself is an option?
If a bill is passed, Americans are going to have to buy health insurance. This is a given. However, giving citizens the choice of whether they want to buy insurance from the private sector or the public option is something states should not interfere with.
According to The New York Times, those who lack health insurance are far more likely to live in states that vote Republican, which means that if Reid’s bill is passed, it’s not going to reach the people it was designed for — the uninsured. In the end this is a consumer choice.
Any kind of reform is going to take a lengthy amount of time. This has become apparent. The bill hasn’t even been presented on the floor yet.
If the legislation Reid is proposing is passed, it’s going to take an even longer time for states to decide if they are going to opt for or against the public option. Why create more steps and make the process longer?
It’s time for Democrats to the step up to the plate. They have spent enough time trying to compromise.
This is not the time to go halfway. Considering Sen. Olympia Snowe — the Republican senator who actually considered supporting health care reform — doesn’t support the bill, this is not a compromise.
Democrats are going to have to work hard to unify the party and get Independents on their side, even without the opt-out for states being on the table.
Why the United States cannot adapt a health care system that virtually every other developed country considers workable has made our country look horrible for years. Now that health care is finally center stage, it’s time to go all in — no holding back. Go big or stay at home.
Kasia Hall is freshman journalism and political science major and a contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
