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Undid revision 318903656 by Mbhiii (talk) no, these are criticisims of the criticism, clear NPOV issue
Mbhiii (talk | contribs)
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Reverted to revision 318762398 by JEN9841; Another troll inserting unref'd "$201 billion over 10 years" and blanking criticism of Grassley.. (TW)
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There once were numerous rural health cooperatives established by the [[Farm Security Administration]] (FSA). Most of them closed or merged over the years, generally because they lacked a sufficient [[economy of scale]] (i.e., they were too small to function efficiently). Thus, co-operatives currently have so little [[market share]] as to be "invisible".<ref>Michael R. Grey. [[New Deal]] Medicine: The Rural Health Programs of the [[Farm Security Administration]]. Baltimore: [[Johns Hopkins University Press]]. 1999.</ref> <!-- (broken link) In contrast, the currently proposed co-ops would likely be statewide.<ref name="Herald">[http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1190956.html Are health care co-ops the answer for reforming the system? - Miami Herald]</ref> -->
There once were numerous rural health cooperatives established by the [[Farm Security Administration]] (FSA). Most of them closed or merged over the years, generally because they lacked a sufficient [[economy of scale]] (i.e., they were too small to function efficiently). Thus, co-operatives currently have so little [[market share]] as to be "invisible".<ref>Michael R. Grey. [[New Deal]] Medicine: The Rural Health Programs of the [[Farm Security Administration]]. Baltimore: [[Johns Hopkins University Press]]. 1999.</ref> <!-- (broken link) In contrast, the currently proposed co-ops would likely be statewide.<ref name="Herald">[http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1190956.html Are health care co-ops the answer for reforming the system? - Miami Herald]</ref> -->


The bill proposed by [[Max Baucus]], the [[America’s Healthy Future Act]], which uses health insurance cooperatives, was estimated by the [[Congressional Budget Office]] to cost $829 billion over ten years, and because of the increase in taxes of $201 billion over 10 years on premium insurance plans with high benefits, would lead to a reduction in the deficit of $81 billion.<ref>[http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/10/the_baucus_bill_cuts_the_deficit.php "The Baucus Bill Cuts The Deficit" - theAtlantic.com] Retrieved October 7, 2009</ref> It would expand coverage to 94 percent of all eligible Americans.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul "Health bill would cost $829B, help cover 94 pct" - Yahoo! News] Retrieved Octover 7, 2009</ref>
The bill proposed by [[Max Baucus]], the [[America’s Healthy Future Act]], which uses health insurance cooperatives, was estimated by the [[Congressional Budget Office]] to cost $829 billion over ten years, and because of the increase in taxes on premium insurance plans with high benefits, would lead to a reduction in the deficit of $81 billion.<ref>[http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/10/the_baucus_bill_cuts_the_deficit.php "The Baucus Bill Cuts The Deficit" - theAtlantic.com] Retrieved October 7, 2009</ref> It would expand coverage to 94 percent of all eligible Americans.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul "Health bill would cost $829B, help cover 94 pct" - Yahoo! News] Retrieved Octover 7, 2009</ref>


=== Criticism ===
=== Criticism ===
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During a September 2009 report by [[John King]] of [[CNN]], he stated that "supporters know, here in Minnesota and other farm states think co-ops could solve at least a big chunk of the health care access and affordability problem." He interviewed Bill Oemichen, President of the Cooperative Network, who remarked that "where co-ops are, they tend to be very, very high quality because it is the consumer who owns them, that is making sure that their health care provider is a quality health care provider." Oemichen also stated that 65% of those who switched from typical health insurance reported better coverage and service.<ref>{{citenews|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/06/sotu.01.html|publisher=[[State of the Union with John King]]|date=September 6, 2009|author=[[John King]]|accessdate=September 21, 2009|title=Interview With Senators Klobuchar, Nelson; Interview With Governor Pawlenty}}</ref>
During a September 2009 report by [[John King]] of [[CNN]], he stated that "supporters know, here in Minnesota and other farm states think co-ops could solve at least a big chunk of the health care access and affordability problem." He interviewed Bill Oemichen, President of the Cooperative Network, who remarked that "where co-ops are, they tend to be very, very high quality because it is the consumer who owns them, that is making sure that their health care provider is a quality health care provider." Oemichen also stated that 65% of those who switched from typical health insurance reported better coverage and service.<ref>{{citenews|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/06/sotu.01.html|publisher=[[State of the Union with John King]]|date=September 6, 2009|author=[[John King]]|accessdate=September 21, 2009|title=Interview With Senators Klobuchar, Nelson; Interview With Governor Pawlenty}}</ref>


In June 2009, Republican Senator [[Chuck Grassley]] told reporters, "if it’s all done entirely within the private sector, you know, it doesn’t seem to me it’s got the faults that you have... by having the government institute something."<ref name=Boston/> Grassley's opinions on the issue has been criticized by former [[CIGNA]] VP and [[health care reform]]er [[Wendell Potter]], who has said that "this senator has the insurance industry’s best interests at heart, not the American public and not his constituents."<ref>[http://www.democracynow.org/2009/9/30/insurance_industry_whistleblower_wendell_potter_blasts "Insurance Industry Whistleblower] [[Wendell Potter]] Blasts Senate Panel Rejection of Public Insurance Option" [[Amy Goodman]] interviewer, 9/30/09.</ref> Senator Grassley's opinions have also been criticized by the [[Center for Responsive Politics]], a [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] [[think tank]], that stated that he is the ranking Republican on taking funds from lobbyists for anti-health reform and has received more than $2 million from health-related companies since 2003.<ref>Jack Cafferty [http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/03/six-lobbyists-per-lawmaker-enough-on-health-care/ ''Six lobbyists per lawmaker enough on health care?''] [[CNN]] September 3, 2009</ref>
In June 2009, Republican Senator [[Chuck Grassley]] told reporters, "if it’s all done entirely within the private sector, you know, it doesn’t seem to me it’s got the faults that you have... by having the government institute something."<ref name=Boston/>


==Examples==
==Examples==

Revision as of 18:25, 9 October 2009

A health insurance cooperative is a cooperative entity that has the goal of providing health insurance and is also owned by the people that the organization insures.[1] It is a form of mutual insurance.

United States

In the debate over healthcare reform, health care cooperatives are posited as an alternative to both publicly-funded health care and single-payer health care.

It has been proposed as part of the health care reform debate in the United States by the Barack Obama administration as a possible compromise with Blue Dog Democrats (as well as with Republicans) in the search for universal health care in the United States.[2][3][4] As it is being proposed by President Obama and others, a future health insurance cooperative would not be government owned or run, but would instead receive an initial government investment and would then be operated as a non-profit organization.[5]

While a health insurance co-op is not strictly run by the government, hence not making it a public entity, it has been described by Senator Max Baucus of Montana, who is also the chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Finance as "tough enough to keep insurance companies’ feet to the fire."[6] He has proposed a bill that includes a health insurance cooperative instead of the public option.[7]

There once were numerous rural health cooperatives established by the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Most of them closed or merged over the years, generally because they lacked a sufficient economy of scale (i.e., they were too small to function efficiently). Thus, co-operatives currently have so little market share as to be "invisible".[8]

The bill proposed by Max Baucus, the America’s Healthy Future Act, which uses health insurance cooperatives, was estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to cost $829 billion over ten years, and because of the increase in taxes on premium insurance plans with high benefits, would lead to a reduction in the deficit of $81 billion.[9] It would expand coverage to 94 percent of all eligible Americans.[10]

Criticism

Howard Dean and other Democrats have criticized abandoning the idea of a federally-run, statewide, public option in favor of co-ops, questioning whether the co-ops would have enough negotiating power to compete with private health insurers.[11] The activist groups SEIU and MoveOn.org have also stated their opposition.[12] Prominent economists such as 2008 Nobel Economics Laureate Paul Krugman and Robert Reich have also questioned co-ops ability to become large enough to reduce health care costs significantly. Thus, they both support the public option instead, which they state has strong opposition from the insurance industry.[13][14]

Support

During a September 2009 report by John King of CNN, he stated that "supporters know, here in Minnesota and other farm states think co-ops could solve at least a big chunk of the health care access and affordability problem." He interviewed Bill Oemichen, President of the Cooperative Network, who remarked that "where co-ops are, they tend to be very, very high quality because it is the consumer who owns them, that is making sure that their health care provider is a quality health care provider." Oemichen also stated that 65% of those who switched from typical health insurance reported better coverage and service.[15]

In June 2009, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley told reporters, "if it’s all done entirely within the private sector, you know, it doesn’t seem to me it’s got the faults that you have... by having the government institute something."[11] Grassley's opinions on the issue has been criticized by former CIGNA VP and health care reformer Wendell Potter, who has said that "this senator has the insurance industry’s best interests at heart, not the American public and not his constituents."[16] Senator Grassley's opinions have also been criticized by the Center for Responsive Politics, a liberal think tank, that stated that he is the ranking Republican on taking funds from lobbyists for anti-health reform and has received more than $2 million from health-related companies since 2003.[17]

Examples

See also

References

  1. ^ "What Is a Health Insurance Co-op? (Health Insurance Cooperative)" About.com: Patient Empowerment Retrieved on August 17, 2009
  2. ^ "White House appears ready to drop 'public option'" Retrieved on August 17, 2009
  3. ^ "White House Appears Open to Insurance Co-ops" New York Times Retrieved on August 17, 2009
  4. ^ "Chances Dim for a Public Plan" The Wall Street Journal Retrieved on August 18, 2009
  5. ^ "President Obama Considering Insurance Co-Op" KKTV.com Retrieved on August 17, 2009
  6. ^ "Co-op Health Plan Emerging as a Senate Option" New York Times Retrieved on August 17, 2009
  7. ^ "Zen Health Reform" - Slate.com Retrieved September 18, 2009
  8. ^ Michael R. Grey. New Deal Medicine: The Rural Health Programs of the Farm Security Administration. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. 1999.
  9. ^ "The Baucus Bill Cuts The Deficit" - theAtlantic.com Retrieved October 7, 2009
  10. ^ "Health bill would cost $829B, help cover 94 pct" - Yahoo! News Retrieved Octover 7, 2009
  11. ^ a b Wangsness, Lisa (June 21, 2009). "Health debate shifting to public vs. private". Boston Globe. Retrieved September 21, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ Ibid.
  13. ^ Robert Reich's recent references to health insurance cooperatives
  14. ^ Paul Krugman (September 17, 2009). "Baucus and the Threshold". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ John King (September 6, 2009). "Interview With Senators Klobuchar, Nelson; Interview With Governor Pawlenty". State of the Union with John King. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
  16. ^ "Insurance Industry Whistleblower Wendell Potter Blasts Senate Panel Rejection of Public Insurance Option" Amy Goodman interviewer, 9/30/09.
  17. ^ Jack Cafferty Six lobbyists per lawmaker enough on health care? CNN September 3, 2009
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