I was reading a thread in the Soapbox on Healthcare, and I took a particular interest in Jamessavick's ultra moderate posts on the issue. He made so many good points that I hardly know where to begin. For me it all comes down to two points:

a) How the United States pays for a public option (there's currently no viable plan.)

and

b ) We shouldn't be talking about reforming health care. We should be talking about reforming health insurance. I was reading some of the posts from people who had some trouble getting coverage, and it made me wonder what health care had to do with their issues. It should be about reforming the insurance industries, its policies and structure, and how to make sure that Americans who pay their premiums get the coverage that they paid for.

For some reason, the people who are for a public option insist on calling it health care reform, but they don't seem to understand that Americans don't want their health care f**ked with. We have the best health care in the world here in the US. What people would like to see is insurance reform.

I think it all comes down to the emotions that a word like health care conjures up. Pro reform folks know that it strikes at the heart of everyone. We all want great health care. But what they didn't expect was that the republicans, under the leadership of the neutered Michael Steel, would be able to twist the debate. So instead of talking about comprehensive coverage, there's talk of "death panels." Instead of dealing with dental coverage, there's talk of "rationing." Instead of talking about affordable premiums, there's talk of a bureaucratic government run system where people die waiting their turn for breast cancer screenings.

So what should we do? Simple. We have to rise above the crap that's being thrown from one camp to another and start talking about the real issue. It's all about reforming the insurance coverage that we pay for. That doesn't mean making the insurance companies non profit. If we do that, why would they want to stick around. But what we can do is pass laws forbidding them from denying coverage that people have paid for. If we want a public option, we should be also be willing to pay for that option. That means being brave enough to say that we need a new tax; maybe a national snack tax. I can't imagine that some sweat hog looking for a Snickers or a Milkyway would be willing to let a few cents worth of sales tax stand between them and their candy bar.