The more things change the more they stay the same. A full 24-hour news cycle after the media and its audience have had the time to adequately digest what it means to choose a health care cooperative over what’s left of a public option (it almost sounds anachronistic now), no one — not even Republicans or Democrats — knows exactly what the floor vote will eventually entail on health reform next month.

To review: a health cooperative is a non-profit, member owned and operated organization that would provide health care insurance to its members. The Senate Finance Committee estimates that “start up” costs would be about 4 billion, an amount to be made available by the government to local, regional or national organizations who wish to get into the game.

Haven’t we been down this road before? Here’s another reason why any reform going down this path satisfies criteria for insurance reform and not healthcare reform. It’s a very daunting exercise in optimism to ponder how non-profit co-ops can compete with Big Insurance to obtain money-saving, highly accessible, quality healthcare options for its members. With the power of literally thousands of members in for-profit standalones, is there any way for the nonprofit startup to compete with other negotiating third parties in securing cost-effective healthcare?

For a public eagerly waiting to listen to hawkers of any plan as long as it doesn’t include the words “public” and “option”, it’s time for someone to be schooled. Sticking to the same gameplan will continue to hurt the one articulate person to whom this country can turn for leadership of the first truly significant piece of domestic legislation of the 21st century – Barack Obama. | LINK

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