"The public option is our best shot at affordable health care for all, and I was honored to portray the public option."Heather Graham,
actress from Boogie Nights and Austin Powers
At least they chose a spokesperson who always represents classy characters.
The add, if you can stomach it, says competition is as American as apple pie. That's absolutely right. The public option, however, isn't a fair competitor. Let's look at this with some honesty. Instead, think of Heather Graham, since she is portraying the public option, as a cheat.
She steps up to the line, flexes her muscles a bit to look good, waves to the adoring crowd, and then saunters over to the winner's circle and waits. She didn't even break a sweat.
The other runners, those greedy companies actually providing health insurance, are held to different standards. They have to wait for the shot. They have to actually run the race. They have to compete and offer incentives to customers and lower their prices beyond what is profitable. In the race of a free market, they have to make money. They can't, however. No matter what they do, even if they beat out all the other private company runners, in the end they know they still can't win.
Companies and individual customers will opt out of private care and opt in for health coverage they believe is paid by the faceless rich. In other words, they think Heather Graham is free, even though she's a cosmetically enhanced mirage made to look pretty while costing them their future and their health.
That's the public option. I'm glad she felt so proud.
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