news-record.com

Although the corporate lobbyists who sabotaged health care reform in 1994 promise that Harry and Louise are gone, the couple has been sighted in North Carolina.

On May 18, the Washington Post revealed that Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina was preparing an ad campaign to mislead people about the public insurance option that should be one choice included in any legislation for affordable health care.

Why are the insurers like BCBS so afraid of the public insurance option similar to Medicare? Because its administrative costs are 30 percent less and its lower premiums would provide real competition for private insurance companies.

After all, no government employee would have to be paid $3.99 million like the CEO of BCBS.

Nor would the public plan motivate bureaucrats to increase profit margins by denying people coverage. How, by the way, does BCBS pay for its campaign contributions to politicians and for ads like these except through the premiums it charges?

The number of uninsured in North Carolina is increasing daily as unemployment rises. We should not allow BCBS to use Harry and Louise to fool us again. Tell your senators and representative that you want the choice of a public insurance option.

Denise Baker
Greensboro