The Public Option

Hi Humans,
I think that, all things being equal, the Public Option in Health Care Reform is a good thing because it would give the government something to do. Of course, there are problems that require government intervention, but if you don't keep them busy, they will start looking for things to do that are politically expedient but not really necessary. So, if you keep the government busy with its own health plan, it will be less inclined to meddle more than is necessary in all the others.
But, as usually is the case, all things are not equal. The Public Option has become a very divisive issue. The extreme Right hates it because they say it is an opening to a single payer system (or socialized medicine or whatever you want to call it). The extreme Left loves it for the same reason. The fact is, it is not necessarily an opening to anything. It would be just another health plan which might be better, worse, or the same as all the others, depending on how it is run and luck. Although I like it for the reasons I have stated above, it is really not a necessary ingredient in reaching the goals of Health Care Reform, namely cost control and making reasonably good health care available to all Americans.
That's what I think, but of course what do I know? I'm just a dog.
Chloe