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Article: Reforming Health Care; How a government-run plan could fit -- or not
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- April 27, 2009
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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OF THE many possible issues that could snarl health-care reform,
one of the biggest is whether the measure should include a
government-run health plan to compete with private insurers. The
public plan has become an unfortunate litmus test for both sides.
The opposition to a public plan option is understandable;
conservatives, health insurers, health-care providers and others see
it as a slippery step down the slope to a single-payer system
because, they contend, the government's built-in advantages will
allow it to unfairly squash competitors.
For liberals, labor unions and others pushing to make health care
available to all Americans, however, the fixation on a public plan
is bizarre and ...