The Republicans at the Federal and State levels are trying to privatize public health insurance programs. They see the increasing costs of these programs as major reasons for our government deficits. This is part of their agenda to solve all our problems with competition and the "free market". The "free market" has brought us to a government run by large corporations through their money buying elections.
They also conveniently forget how Wall Street created our current mess, not the public health insurance and other social programs.
Here in Minnesota the Republicans have put forward a privatization plan to change existing state public health insurance plans to a voucher system. Low-income Minnesotans would use vouchers to buy coverage in the private marketplace. The StarTribune has an article on how this would work, http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/119371774.html.
The voucher system is complex and works fine as long as a person doesn't get sick. But the whole purpose of health insurance is to protect you when you do get sick!
If the Republicans were open to creative ideas they would embrace the Minnesota Health Plan (MHP), which covers everybody and cost less.
(c)2011 Senate District 25 DFL / Steve & Joan Janusz. All rights reserved.
Note: Opinions expressed in this article are that of the authors and do not neccessarly reflect the views of the Senate District 25 DFL or DFL in general.
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