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There has been a great deal of discussion lately about President Obama’s proposal for a Public Health Plan. While, at first blush, the concept of equal access to healthcare for all citizens seems like a noble and appealing concept, closer scrutiny reveals many dangers inherent in such a plan.
 
A Public Health Plan would not only ruin the private insurance market, it would actually limit everyone’s access to healthcare, dramatically increase our deficit, increase taxes, and significantly socialize the fabric of America. The current system of employer-sponsored health insurance works very well for about 80% of the American public. Contrary to what many people would have us believe, increases in private health insurance premiums are not a result of greedy insurance carriers raising their prices to line their own pockets. They are a direct result of increases in the cost of health care—part of which can be directly traced to underfunding and mismanagement of existing Public Health Plans (Medicare and Medicaid) which face rapidly approaching insolvency.
 
Before it is given the opportunity to create a new Public Health Plan, government needs to prove that it can properly manage Medicare and Medicaid. Further, it is unethical for President Obama to say, "If you like your current private market insurance you can keep it," because he knows that a Public Health Plan that reimburses at the same underfunding levels as Medicare and Medicaid and also is an entity that does not pay taxes can easily snuff out our current private insurance market within 12 to 24 months.
 
We need to act today and every day. We need to talk to and engage with our clients, physicians, and politicians.   Also, we need to become active in blogs, email, newspapers, radio, and TV. This summer is a time for a “full court press” on this issue of a Public Health Plan.
 
Most importantly, most Americans do not understand that a Public Health Plan option sets the framework for a full-blown socialized medical system. It is clearly our responsibility as health insurance agents and brokers to explain healthcare NOW, if we want the opportunity to explain it in the future!
 
Sincerely,
 
Kevin W. Smith
AAHU Immediate Past President