My Opinion on the Public Option for Healthcare Reform

The Situation: A happily, married couple with 3 kids are living the regular American life, with a mortgage, a car, and daycare. Both the adults work, but receive healthcare benefits through the husband's job (the mother's doesn't offer healthcare benefits). The husband gets laid off and the benefits will expire at the end of the month. No one in this family is sick or unwell, but there are three kids who will need checkups, shots, dentist appointments, etc, etc. The husband will find a job eventually, but with the way the economy is, how long will that take? And, whenever a job does come along, will it offer benefits?

This is my story and many others across the country. Good, hardworking people are losing their jobs left and right, along with their benefits. Not only that, but those that do have benefits are being dropped from their insurance carriers when they're diagnosed with a debilitating disease (this happened to a few of my family members). Then, there are those that do work, but are not offered benefits. I tried contacting a few insurance companies for a quote. 3 of the insurance companies never contacted me back, and a couple of others came back with quotes ranging from 700 to 900 dollars a month for a family of five with no pre-existing conditions.

Ideally, the public option plan would be beneficial to people like us. We would get to pick from an assortment of plans that would be affordable, yet would still provide quality care. I agree that there should be an option that would provide basic, preventative care, at an affordable price, and if I want or need to add supplemental care, then I'm given that option. I would still pay premiums out of my paycheck and it won't break me or take away from my family.

My opinion: I'm for a public option, but with a few differences. First, I would restrict this option to individuals and families that make less than $50,000 a year. Most people in this country work jobs that range between $11-$18 dollars an hour, some even less. I believe that the public option would be beneficial to this group. Of course, if you can and want to go with a private insurance company, then you could do so. Because the public option will be available to those that couldn't afford healthcare costs, this will eliminate the need for programs like Medicaid.
The advantages to a public option plan, in my opinion, are many. With everyone covered, the hospitals and clinics wouldn't have to worry about not getting paid for their services. Hospitals wouldn't cost as much because they wouldn't be absorbing the costs of unpaid medical bills, therefore it wouldn't cost the insurance companies as much to cover costs, which would result in lower premiums for us.

I've heard many that disagree with a public option plan. I don't see why anyone would disagree if they sat down and thought about it for a while, rather than letting some politician or group of people put fears about "socialism" and "lack of freedoms" in their minds. The following statements I've heard about the public option:

1.) Undocumented aliens would be covered: I don't see how undocumented aliens would be covered under this plan, especially if they're working jobs that pay "under the table". They shouldn't have a social security number, birth certificate, or any other documents that prove one to be an American citizen. They shouldn't be working for companies either, if the company is legit in not hiring undocumented aliens.

2.) "How much is this going to cost me?": Frankly, this is a selfish thought. I'd rather pay taxes in something that benefits my fellow American rather than paying taxes towards funds that are sent off to help another country's government and military become "self-sufficient". Besides, it's costing us money anyway, money that we are paying on out-of-pocket extreme premium costs along with co-pays and still receiving a bill in the mail. I'd like to think that this system would be in place, just in case I lose my job, but will still need healthcare.

3.) "Socialism": I think we can safely say that this will never happen. America is too capitalistic and full of individuals that are in no ways socialist. This is not a legitimate concern and argument against a public option plan for the simple fact that this argument doesn't have anything to do with healthcare. This is just simple fear.

In conclusion, I respect those that agree or disagree with the public option. After all, it's our right as an American citizen to voice our opinion, whether others like it or not. But, it's also the right of every American to the pursuit of life, love, and happiness. It shouldn't cost someone's life just because others fear change.