Spotlight: A Public-Insurance Option

As the debate over health care gathers momentum, attention is focusing on proposals for a new, government-administered health-insurance program to help lower costs. President Obama said on June 23 that the so-called public plan "makes sense" as part of an overall health-reform package; on Capitol Hill, lawmakers are sparring over its pros and cons. Democrats--who favor a public option--can't agree on a plan among themselves, while across the aisle, Republicans are warning of creeping socialism and health-care "rationing." Hold on tight: this battle is just beginning.

PUBLIC PLAN

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