Students weigh in on health care, public option
Four students explore issues surrounding health bill, find different solutions to acknowledged problem; public option, single-payer system, government influence key topics
Marieke van der Vaart
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: News
In the midst of busy schedules and stressful weeks, four students sat down with The Collegian to discuss their ideas on the health care bills in Congress.
Representing different backgrounds, students agreed America should provide the best possible care to the most people. But how students saw that ideally accomplished varied drastically.
A public option is the major controversy in congressional bills.
Senior Larissa Swanson said a public option would increase competition between insurers to provide lower prices and better quality to consumers.
"I don't think you're diminishing the private sector," Swanson said. "You're just providing [private insurers] with something to compete with."
The public option is government-offered insurance. This type of health care would provide care to uninsured people who fail to qualify for Medicaid.
Other students on campus are skeptical about the public and private sectors working together.
Sophomore Elliot Gaiser pointed to Medicaid and Medicare as experiments with meshing the private and public sectors. Based on their results, he said he doubts a larger-scale effort will bring about needed change.
Swanson said she understands the concerns conservatives have with expanding what they see as failing systems, but considers it a call to improvement rather to abandoning programs.
Gaiser also cited problems with the implementation of the option.
If instituted, Gaiser said the system would require some 110 new agencies to oversee and manage the program. And, although it might cut costs in the short run, the program would be unsustainable in the long run, he said.
"Once you remove [the profit incentive] I don't see how the supply is going to meet the demand," he said. "Imagine if the government says 'It's free!' stimulating demand while cutting down on supply."
Sophomore Sonny Gast attended a town hall meeting this summer where supporters of single-payer health care met to discuss their ideas. The experience was eye-opening, she said.
Representing different backgrounds, students agreed America should provide the best possible care to the most people. But how students saw that ideally accomplished varied drastically.
A public option is the major controversy in congressional bills.
Senior Larissa Swanson said a public option would increase competition between insurers to provide lower prices and better quality to consumers.
"I don't think you're diminishing the private sector," Swanson said. "You're just providing [private insurers] with something to compete with."
The public option is government-offered insurance. This type of health care would provide care to uninsured people who fail to qualify for Medicaid.
Other students on campus are skeptical about the public and private sectors working together.
Sophomore Elliot Gaiser pointed to Medicaid and Medicare as experiments with meshing the private and public sectors. Based on their results, he said he doubts a larger-scale effort will bring about needed change.
Swanson said she understands the concerns conservatives have with expanding what they see as failing systems, but considers it a call to improvement rather to abandoning programs.
Gaiser also cited problems with the implementation of the option.
If instituted, Gaiser said the system would require some 110 new agencies to oversee and manage the program. And, although it might cut costs in the short run, the program would be unsustainable in the long run, he said.
"Once you remove [the profit incentive] I don't see how the supply is going to meet the demand," he said. "Imagine if the government says 'It's free!' stimulating demand while cutting down on supply."
Sophomore Sonny Gast attended a town hall meeting this summer where supporters of single-payer health care met to discuss their ideas. The experience was eye-opening, she said.
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