Debate Centers on Details of Health Care Public Option

Whatcom Democrats passed a resolution at the July 16th membership meeting expressing profound disappointment with Congressman Rick Larsen’s statement that he would not support the public option in current health care reform legislation.
The Whatcom Democrats platform endorses a national single-payer health care plan. Since single payer health insurance legislation is not currently being considered, Whatcom Democrats consider inclusion of a public option an essential part of any Health care reform bill.

A recent poll shows that 76 percent of the American public feel it is important to “give people a choice of both a public plan administered by the federal government and a private plan for their health insurance.”

Congressman Larsen had stated that he would not vote for the current public option because payments were tied to Medicare reimbursement rates.

On July 28th, Congressman Larsen announced that a deal was reached between House leadership and a health care “equality coalition” of Members of Congress including Larsen, other Washington Democrats and Representatives from sixteen other states who are working to fix long-standing Medicare reimbursement problems that have hurt access to health care for Washington seniors.

Larsen has pushed to get a fair deal for Washington state and change the way health care is delivered to reward “value not volume” – value for the patient, not volume of tests or procedures.
“One hundred and four thousand of my constituents don’t have health insurance, and local families and businesses are struggling with the high cost of care,” said Larsen. “My constituents deserve health care reform that works for our state. That is why I am working to pass health care reform that expands access to care for local seniors and other patients. Our deal is an important step toward reaching that goal.”

The initial idea of a public option was to bring needed competition into the financing of health care. John Geyman MD, of Physicians for a National Health Program says, “ Forget that dream.  Although the current House and Senate bills both include a “public option”, it is in name only. What might have roared like a lion is becoming, at most, a mouse that barely squeaks.”

While the position of the party is clearly in support of single-payer, it is unclear at what point the legislation is so compromised as to warrent opposition.