In states where private insurers fail to offer affordable coverage, Carper said the alternative would permit them to set up a non-profit board, likely appointed by the president, to offer insurance.
“That kind of approach might come close to hitting a sweet spot for a lot of people,” said Carper, noting the approach “addresses concerns about government-owned, government-run.”
The plan would be a form of a so-called trigger option pushed by Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and some Democratic moderates. Moderates have been meeting to coordinate some of their efforts on the overhaul.
A senior Democratic aide said that some senators “think of [Carper’s alternative] as a centered solution … in between what the current plan is and the trigger.”
Hey Democrats – you can’t just make something and call it the public option and hope people won’t notice. Insurance mandates + no public option = massive transfer of government money to private insurance companies.
I think we need to change some terminology here. First, you can’t call a co-op or a trigger a “public option,” especially if they are trying to take government out of it. Government-backed insurance is the point of the thing. I know Republicans don’t trust government. Well, I don’t trust private insurance companies. They make money by taking money from healthy people and denying service to sick people.
Secondly, can we stop calling them “moderates?” The public option polls anywhere from 55%-75% popularity. People who are to the right of more than half of the nation are not “moderates,” they are conservatives.