Healthcare (excuse me, Health Insurance) reform debate has heated up lately, esp. in those contentious townhall meetings. One hot issue in debate is the Public Option (not the stock option, but rather a public choice for general public to buy). It seems to me this is losing steam recently, because of a mistake made by President Obama. This thing goes sour like this.
Suppose, you are a college student, and you want to ask $5,000 from your father for college. Suppose your father loves you but he is a thrift person (like Buffett). So what would you do? You ask $10,000 or $8,000 and if your father refuses, then you can go the lower number (5,000). What did President Obama do when he wants the public option?
He asked for public option. It’s a mistake. I think he should have asked for single payper system (like Medicare), make conservatives and insurance companies really nervous, then he can back up, and offer the public option.
Now he asks for public option, what will he (or more importantly us) get? Something less than public option for sure. I think a cooperative type of insurance will likely emerge (in other words, small business and unemployed people can bang together and buy insurance just like big companies do, maybe with some help from government).
This is my thoughts summerized after seeing all the craziness of townhall, and reading the psychology book “Influence”, Chapter 2.
So now you know how to ask for salary increase before your boss 🙂