Speaker Comments:
The session focused on the positive and negative impacts of a public insurance plan on the country and insurance industry. Andrew Hyman from the RWJ Foundation noted that the public plan could provide a degree of efficiency and could improve competition. Or on the negative side, Kenneth Sperling of CIGNA noted that a public plan could undercut private plans and run them out of business. The insurance industry supports a reform proposal that includes an individual mandate and insurance portability. More on the plan supported by the insurance industry can be found on the industry trade association’s website (www.ahip.org). The question was also raised about whether the reform debate should be as black and white as public plan or no public plan. There are other health reform options that aren’t receiving as much attention.
Audience Comments:
Everyone in the audience agreed that there were problems in the health insurance industry that required solutions. There was a great deal of debate about what the best reform options were and how much different parts of the system would have to sacrifice for reform to pass.
Key Quotes:
•“Everyone has to lose for health reform to pass.”
•“If you have a 401k with an index fund then you want the insurance companies to maximize profit.”
•“Reform is not an all or nothing option. The choice is not a public plan option or nothing.”
•“People view reform as black or white. They think it will bring nirvana to the health care system or bring the end of health insurance or perhaps western civilization.”
