Sen. Rockefeller: Co-ops are an unacceptable alternative to a public option

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Last night, on the Ed Schultz show:

SCHULTZ: ...Would you sign onto a co-op? Or is that unacceptable?

SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: That`s unacceptable, and I can almost prove it.

We`ve been in touch with the folks that oversee all the -- represent all the co-ops in the country on all subjects, and they point out that there are probably less than 20 health co-ops in the country. There are only two that really work that well, one in Puget Sound, one in Minnesota.

Except for those two, they`re all unlicensed. All present health co-ops are unlicensed, they`re unregulated, nobody knows anything about them, nobody has any control over them. And nobody`s ever, they said, which is a stunning thing to me, no government organization or private organization has ever done a study on what effect they might have in terms of bringing down insurance prices.

SCHULTZ: Well, Senator, they`re talking about, if I have this correctly, putting $6 billion in start-up money.

ROCKEFELLER: Well, that all to tell you something. In other words, put $6 billion out on the table in 50 states, and then hope that somebody comes in and picks it up to start it.

Look, health insurance is complex, it has a long history. There`s billions and billions of dollars involved.

These little tiny entities that will be starting up in states where there have never been any before -- remember, there aren`t any in the South, there aren`t any in the Northeast, there aren`t any in the Mid-Atlantic, there aren`t any in the Southwest. They`re only in the upper Midwest and the Northwest.

They`re not a good idea. They`re untested. They are unlicensed. They`re unregulated. They`re unstudied.

Why would we even think about putting them in as a control on this massive insurance industry instead of the public option?

SCHULTZ: So, Senator Rockefeller, you were at serious odds then with Max Baucus and Kent Conrad on this.

ROCKEFELLER: I would guess that would be the case, yes.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/3...eller-Rebelling

[mawilson 2,133]

Sure, when your name is Rockefeller, you can afford to buy your own health insurance.