Government Doctorin'

Come down to it, nobody can criticize the "public option" because it doesn't exist. The best argument for a public option is an argument against those heartless insurance companies. They deny too many claims. And the government wouldn't do that; they just want to help, right?

So how often do those heartless bastiges deny claims? We don't have a public option to compare them to, but the above chart from the AMA's 2008 National Health Insurer Report Card (PDF) gives you an idea of how they stack up against Medicare, the government's closest approximation to public option. Whoops. Looks like the largest denier by far is Medicare.

And while we're on the subject: public option would become single payer. It would become government supplied health care because the government would regulate insurers while offering its own alternative. In that situation it's a simple matter to force the competition out of business. When they're gone, all you have left is Doctor Obama. So, bend over the gurney and try to relax, the man who fixed GM will be with you shortly.

(chart lifted from article at Big Government)