problems with the co-op idea

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/18/health.care..cooperatives/index.html

Kent Conrad’s claims regarding health co-ops have been debunked by health care experts. He claims his plan could sign up 12 million users and compete effectively, and control costs. But elsewhere Conrad himself has admitted that co-ops wouldn’t save us money, and experts say his plan simply doesn’t fill in any of the details. A co-op can’t survive unless it’s huge, it would cost a ton of money to launch (possibly with government money, which Republicans would reject), and private insurers could easily elbow the co-ops out of many markets because they are well-established and have sweetheart deals that prevent anyone from undercutting their sky-high rates (something which we need to legislate against in any case). It also would do nothing to get the uninsured insured.

A crappy idea that sounds centrist and trendy to ignorant minds remains a crappy idea.