Health Care Reform: The Trigger Option

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Tom Daschle chimes in on the fate of the public option.

Don’t throw a victory party yet. That was the message from former Sen. Majority Leader Tom Daschle this morning in a speech to health care professionals, students and legislators in Columbia.

… On the so-called “public option,” or a safety-net insurance option operated by the federal government, Daschle said something will likely appear in the final legislation, but he doubts it will be a robust, no-strings-attached public option.

“Most likely, it would be one that involves a great deal of flexibility among states whether it’s opt-in or opt-out,” he said.

“If I had to guess today, I think the best thing we’re going to get is a trigger,” Daschle said.

I hope he’s wrong on the trigger option. It would appear to be the worst possible way to go. If health care is in as dire a condition as Democrats claim it is, then how does it make sense to let it continue on as is for another 2 or 3 years. The health industry would love nothing more than to delay true reform.

The trigger option is nothing more than a shallow ruse to appease both progressives and conservatives (the Republican and Democrat variety). If anyone believes that the health industry will police themselves and cut into their profits as a way of bringing down the cost of premiums and make insurance affordable to all, then they just haven’t been paying attention for the last 40 years.

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