Why did Baucus's state co-op plan fizzle?

[Recursion]

I don't know if it got much past the trial balloon stage, but IIRC Snowe made some positive noise about it. (Then again maybe Baucus was just playing Snowe's "kick the can" game.)

But looking back, it seems like a pretty good idea: every state would establish a health insurance co-op that any citizen could participate in.

This is, roughly, Canada's system: Provincial-level insurance pools that all participate in, with some combination of direct funding and premiums as its revenue source. Actually, that sounds like a pretty ****ing good idea.

Now that I say that, I'm not sure that Baucus wanted anyone to be able to join the co-op, it might have just been people who didn't get insurance through work. But, seriously, this seems like a decent idea, and basically fits under the rubric of "a public option".

I remember it was met with great skepticism on DU the few times it was brought up, I'm not sure if there was a problem I didn't know about with it or just the name "Baucus". Anybody remember?

[sgtbenobo]

1. The Insurance Industry paid him well...

just a little less than Hillary. But, she was running for President. He was never going to lose his senate race. Hmmm....I wonder why the insurers think he needed all that money. Now he's in China. Reminds me of an old political axiom - "Pass the whore around, pass the whore around, we will all be happy, if you pass the whore around, Hey!"


Carry on.