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Greetings, The time for healthcare reform is now, and the facts must be heard. Opponents of health insurance reform are taking their message across the country and spreading myths about what healthcare reform will mean for Americans. The AFT is initiating a series to get the facts straight on healthcare reform.
Here are the facts on one of the many myths being spread.
MYTH #4: Co-ops are an adequate substitute for a national public insurance plan.  THE FACTS: A co-op is not a substitute for a national
public health insurance plan, nor are co-ops a new
idea. During the 1930s and 1940s, a healthcare
cooperative movement was introduced in the United States; it
failed. Co-ops were too small and undercapitalized to survive a
physicians’ boycott. Today, experts estimate that co-ops
would need at least 25,000 participants to be financially viable
and more than 500,000 participants to be able to negotiate for
lower rates. They would be essentially too small and too
fractured to have effective bargaining power against the health
insurance industry. For example, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Michigan controls 65 percent of the state’s commercial
market and would not be challenged by a "start-up"
co-op.
Visit www.aft.org/fight4america to learn more about the AFT's position on health insurance reform, other facts and how you can be part of the action.
Spread the Truth. Debunk the myths about healthcare reform. Forward this e-mail to five of your friends. |
