Estimates suggest public option not threating to insurers

2009-11-04 02:52:38 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - News, US Presidential News)

A recent estimate suggests a public health care option may not be utilized by a large percentage of Americans.

A recent estimate by the Congressional Budget Office suggests only approximately two percent of people under the age of 65 would sign up for a public option.

Washington, D.C. (WiredPRNews.com) – A recent estimate by the Congressional Budget Office suggests that a small percentage of Americans under the age of 65, 2 percent, would sign up for a government run health care plan as opposed to obtaining plans under private insurers. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), the estimate has led some experts to question why there is such intense debate over the inclusion of a public option in Senate health care plan proposals when it may not actually be a threat to private insurers.

Drew Altman, Kaiser Family Foundation President, is quoted by the AP as stating of the issue, “The public option is a significant issue, but its place in the debate is completely out of proportion to its actual importance to consumers… It has sucked all the oxygen out of the room and diverted attention from bread-and-butter consumer issues, such as affordable coverage and comprehensive benefits.”

Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, is further quoted in the report as stating, “The concern was that the public option would destabilize the bulk of private insurance, but in fact what Congress has fashioned is very targeted… It’s not going to be taking away the insurance industry’s core business.”

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