Health Care For America Now

Last night on the Ed Show, Senator Rockefeller absolutely destroyed the idea of a co-op as a viable means of reforming our health care system. His main point: Co-ops are unproven ideas, with only a few examples that actually worked available throughout the country. What's more, no study has ever been done to figure out if these organizations work or affect the health care marketplace in any way. On top of that, there is no regulation on health care co-ops currently.

They are not a public health insurance option, and not a viable solution. Watch:

Scarecrow drives the point home:

It's telling that some Republicans have claimed to be open to the co-op idea. The GOP doesn't think the insurance companies should face competition — Senator Kyl said today the insurers don't need to be kept honest — or that Americans should be allowed to choose between private, for-profit insurers and a Public Option. So co-ops must be okay because they would be too week to provide meaningful competition. So how does a co-op stack up against a robust public option?

Co-ops are not a public option, because they are not nationwide and not accountable to voters and to Congress, and they will not keep insurance companies honest.