Senator Blanche Lincoln, (Dem., AR) has said recently that it would be a shame if a public plan undermines competition in the health care field.
As Paul Krugman points out there is no competition among health insurers in Arkansas; Blue Cross covers over 75 percent of the market.
Senator Lincoln isn't defending competition; she defending a highly-concentrated, near-monopolistic insurance provider.
The Arkansas Times also has a wonderful piece on the Democratic Senator from Arkansas with an analysis of some of her other nutty ideas.
As Krugman notes, most of the "blue dog" opposition comes from states where a major health insurer dominates. Thus, Democratic senators who represent states with tiny populations are blocking a public plan to defend an existing insurance monopoly in their tiny state (population wise), denying the overwhelming majority of Americans a plan that operates like Medicare---and that is available before you turn 65.
Over 75 percent of Americans say they want the option of a public plan but the Democratic Senator from the tiny state of Arkansas (population wise) says they shouldn't have that choice.
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