Word: plan
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...Contrary to those who say a public plan is a prelude to a single-payer system, Obama insists that it would make sure the competitive free market thrives by "keep[ing] the insurance companies honest." This would be most apparent in parts of the country where some private insurers have virtual monopolies in the individual and small-group market...
...Insurers have consolidated," says Linda Blumberg, an economist and health-care expert at the Urban Institute. "Similar things have happened in the provider community. In a lot of areas, insurers will tell you they have no negotiating power with providers and they're held over a barrel. [A public plan] would force insurers and providers to negotiate with each other, which they aren't doing today...
...Senate leaders prepare to unveil specific health-care proposals in the next week, it's clear that a public plan could mean many things. But given the levels of Republican and even some moderate Democratic opposition - and the sizable wiggle room the Administration has left itself in order to compromise down the line - it seems very unlikely that it would end up being a liberal approach: a system heavily subsidized by the Federal Government that pays medical providers the same rates they are currently reimbursed by Medicare. Such a proposal would be a battle cry for doctors and hospitals, which...
...more tenable option, at least politically, might be a public plan that operates much like private insurance companies. This kind of plan could be self-sustaining, funded by premiums, and available to consumers via a so-called insurance exchange, a clearinghouse through which Americans could choose from a selection of health-insurance options. (See pictures of the Cleveland Clinic's approach to health care...
...question remains, however, whether a public insurance plan that operates like a private insurance company could actually do what it's supposed to: lower the cost for consumers. But many health-policy analysts believe that even such a plan - whether it's one national provider or it's broken into regional systems - could create a large enough pool (or pools) of patients to be able to offer lower premiums than those now offered to individuals and small businesses. In addition, a public insurance plan would not have to cover overhead for marketing or profit margins, part of the reason...