All about the Public Plan
In all my discussions with people about current healthcare reform proposals, by far the Public Plan is probably the most thoroughly misunderstood. I have encountered very few individuals, amongst either reform supporters or opponents, who have anything close to a correct conception of what the “public plan” is or what it’s designed to do. I read an article on the Huffington Post the other day in which the author admitted that until very recently, he had thought the public plan being debated was a “medicare style unrolled plan”. This is probably the general public’s perception as well. A part of me feels that there’s very little excuse for this since the bills and summary sheets have been available for months now, but I acknowledge that this issue has been so skewed and twisted by politicians, pundits, and the media that finding the truth can be difficult. So here are the facts, as best as I can find:
