As a trained and licensed Employee Benefits Insurance professional for Management 2000 PEO, I am very concerned that a public health plan option currently being considered by Congress and the President will produce an excessive cost burden on the privately insured clients we currently manage. It will limit the professional assistance we are able to receive from insurance professionals when shopping for the best private health insurance for the money for our clients.  Public plan options reimburse health care providers at a lower rate than the private market and, as a result, providers typically shift these costs to those with private insurance.  This means the privately insured are forced to pay more and, in the current economic climate, increasing the cost of health insurance is just creating a greater burden for American businesses and families.

While I support coverage for all Americans and controlling the rising costs of health insurance, I do not believe that creating a public plan option is the right way to go.  It would increase costs for American families as well as limit the use of licensed professionals to help consumers like our clients at our PEO, Management 2000.