As for the Republican side, I see the Massachusetts plan as it’s been implemented as decent, but flawed. They impose the same kind of regulations on the insurance providers they approve that a public option would take care of, and they subsidize these private firms indirectly by subsidizing the people who can’t afford insurance and then telling them to choose a company to go with. Consequently the plan has been more expensive than was promised to the state of Massachusetts and the bureaucrats who decide what drugs are on your formulary and what treatment plans are “medically necessary” still get to hid behind the curtain of being a private corporation.

If I’m spending public dollars on health insurance:
– I don’t want to see it go to subsidize for-profit companies
– I want to see more transparency
– and most importantly, I want the doctor making the decision on my care based on what s/he feels I need, not on “balancing” that with my financial situation and a set of treatment options that the insurance companies believe are cheap enough to pay for.

Although some republican plans seem to satisfy the first goal, I don’t see any that satisfy the latter two.

Oh, and sorry to take so long to approve your comment. I didn’t see it.

Thank you for sharing this.

Jacqui.

P.S – Have you heard of Three Pillows? I think they would like this.