>>>>Health Care Reform:
>>>>
>>>>http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/HealthCare/story?id=7919991&page=1
>>>>
>>>>SNIPPET:
>>>>
>>>>Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist and researcher at the New York University Langone Medical Center, said that elites often propose health care solutions that limit options for the general public, secure in the knowledge that if they or their loves ones get sick, they will be able to afford the best care available, even if it's not provided by insurance.
>>>>
>>>>Devinsky asked the president pointedly if he would be willing to promise that he wouldn't seek such extraordinary help for his wife or daughters if they became sick and the public plan he's proposing limited the tests or treatment they can get.
>>>>
>>>>The president refused to make such a pledge, though he allowed that if "it's my family member, if it's my wife, if it's my children, if it's my grandmother, I always want them to get the very best care
>>>>
>>>
>>>Did you watch the accompanying video? From what I gather, Obama is proposing a public plan as *another* option to existing private plans, not as a compulsory replacement. Anyone who can afford higher-priced, more comprehensive plans can continue to buy them. I imagine Obama would be in this category, so the questions become moot.
>>
>>The worry is that when the public plan becomes available, employers will stop providing it and that puts the alternative out of reach financially. Most folks have medical insurance provided by their employer and only pay 25% of the cost.
>
>Maybe you missed it, but Obama specifically addressed that in the video. He calls it "play or pay": a company can continue to provide private insurance, or will have to pay to support their portion of the public plan. Basically, remove the incentive to dump their existing policy holders.

Let's hope that's the case - that's it's more cost effective to provide a good plan.