Health Care From Your Faucet?

[marmar]

from OurFuture.org:



Health Care From Your Faucet?
By Sally Kohn

June 11, 2009 - 5:51pm ET


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What do health care reform and drinking water have in common? Just as we spend more than any nation in the developed world on health care, Americans spend over $15 billion a year on bottled water.

Now bottled water may be expensive and plastic bottles may be bad for our general, planetary health. But this is America and we have a private market and if we allow companies to sell water and you want to buy it, that's your right. But we still need public tap water. Millions of Americans can't afford bottled water. Others just prefer tap. And pretty much all of us when we brush our teeth or drink from a water fountain or order a glass of water at a restaurant are relying on good ol' fashioned public water.

In other words, for reasons of public health and equity and just having a fall-back option in case the store runs out of Poland Springs, it's important we have tap water and that choice.

Health care reform is really no different. Millions of Americans have private health insurance that they're pretty happy with. They like their doctor, they have reasonable co-pays and prescription drugs are fairly affordable, too. But millions of Americans have no health care at all. And millions more are fed up with rising deductibles, no coverage for preventative care, exclusions for pre-existing conditions and other deep flaws in the private insurance system. And the American thing to do is make sure they have another option, a choice.

Options are voluntary. You don't have to pick them. You can choose to keep your current insurance. With a public health insurance option, that's your choice. The alternative plan is just there for you, as an option, if you want it. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2009062411/health-care-your-faucet