In response to the question, “Should President Obama continue to push for a health care overhaul?", I can honestly say that this is a tough one being that I am not an expert in this field. I do believe, however, that it would be very premature to judge Obama’s plan with any critical eye, due to the fact that the bill has yet to be created. At this point, all that we do know about the plan is he-says, she-says. Looking at what’s being reported, here is what I’ve gathered about the plan.

According to New York Times writer Sheryl Stolberg (2009), a central component of Obama’s agenda for overhauling the health care system is a new government insurance program (similar to Medicare) called the “public option.” This program, however, has been greeted with much anger and opposition, leading many Democrats to fear that dropping the public option might weaken the support for the health care overhaul.

What’s the deal then??

According Stolberg, as President Obama sees it, “the public option would be a government- backed plan available to consumers through a health exchange where people could buy insurance, public or private, that best fits their needs” (para. 17). While the plan will require government funding initially, the plan is for it to eventually become financially self-sustaining and require no subsidies.

The plan is countered with much distain from Republicans, being that they argue such a public plan would perpetually drive private insurers out of business and prompt employers to drop private coverage, therefore, forcing individuals who are already receiving health care benefits onto a plan run by the government. (Stolberg, 2009)

In response, President Obama has held many town-hall style meetings, with one most recently in Grand Junction, Colo., where he sought to play down the significance of the public option and after strongly defending the public plan, stated that “the public option whether we have it or do not have it, is not the entirety of health care reform, [but]... one aspect of it.” (Stolberg, para. 8, 2009)

According to Stolberg, for Obama, dropping the public plan would entail great risks and rewards – specifically, a reward being that he could challenge Republican arguments that he wants a “government takeover” of health care and, consequently, winning some Republican votes. Risks being that he could lose the Democratic support which he will need to pass the bill.

Senator Kent Conrad, Democrat of North Dakota and chairman of the Budget Committee, predicted that President Obama would have no choice but to abandon the public option, due to the fact that never in history has there been support for such a plan. He believes he will most ultimately have to give up the plan in order to have the bill passed and that continuing would be a waste of effort. (Stolberg, 2009)

With that Senator Conrad and the Senate Finance Committee have been expected to develop a bill featuring a non-profit co-op. According to Stolberg, the co-op is modeled after “rural electric and agricultural cooperatives in Mr. Conrad’s home state,” which would offer “insurance through a non-profit, nongovernmental consumer entity run by its members.” (para. 16) Whether such a plan will bring Republicans on board is still uncertain.

Taking from all of this, I believe that the President’s main concern is to promote competition with the private sector. What’s important is choice and competition and, at the end of the day, I believe that Obama’s plan will encompass both of these qualities – I mean, it has to in order to receive backing from the majority.

So to answer the question, “Should President Obama continue to push for a health care overhaul?... I think he should…as long as he really means what he says when he states “I don’t believe anyone should be in charge of your health care decisions but you and your doctor – not government, not bureaucrats, [nor] insurance companies.” (Stolberg, para. 25, 2009) I believe that something does need to change within our health care system, and I believe it’s his job as the president to continue to point light at the areas where we are needing the most help as a country and come to the best conclusion that is most beneficial for all.

Cited Sources

‘Public Option’ in Health Plan May Be Dropped, The New York Times.