How stupid do our faithful public servants think we are? The public option is in real political trouble, so what does Senator Harry Reid do? Proposes a state opt out. From the story:
Reid and his supporters are touting a national insurance plan to have state legislatures vote to opt out of the insurance program. The proposal would be set up with government seed money and then run by a private, not-for-profit board. Under the proposal, states would have to prove they can provide comparable coverage in order to exit out of the federal plan. The plan would also negotiate rates with providers just like private insurance companies do, presumably keeping premiums on a level playing field with the private industry.
Then, why have the public option? That point aside, the “state opt out” would mean state taxpayers would pay billions in taxes for the thing without being able to participate. Fat chance any state would opt out. So, this is just another in a long series of ruses. But Reid thinks we won’t realize that. He thinks we’ll praise him for compromising!
On the positive side, that Reid feels the need to play these dumb games shows that the anti Obamacare side has won the political debate in the country. On the negative side, our political overseers don’t care. Indeed, they think we should shut up, mind our own business, and let them decide what’s best for us.
