Sorry I've just got to say it.....A Public Option would have avoided most of this crap [View all]

[Armstead]

I'm in favor of single-payer universal coverage. A basic coverage plan based on an affordable percentage of income for everyone.

That's what most of the civilized world does now.

Not perfect, but a huge improvement over allowing the health care system to be submerged in the shark tank of private-insurance pirates we have now.

But since that was not even considered, the "public option," seemed to be the best alternativ e available. Give younger people the option to buy into Medicare coverage, while allowing the private insurance market to also function.

That would have given people the choice. It would have also set a public-insurance benchmark that the private insurers would have to compete with -- which would hopefully cause them to act somewhat more reasonably in order to keep customers.

But noooo. Instead we got stuck with this beast that combines the worst of all worlds. It has the "mandatory" coverage that conservatives hate, while continuing to allow the "markets" to hold us hostage.

As a nation we collectively screwed the pooch on this one. We refused to implement a very modest compromise step in the right direction by simply opening up the option of public social insurance while also allowing "the market" to continue to operate for those who want that.

Because of this, in my opinion, the loony left has every right to say "We told you so."