Called out: Obama's health reform czar draws attention broker-less option

With all the talk of a public plan option swirling around health care reform initiatives, Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House's new Office of Health Reform was asked for her own definition of a public plan during a Q&A with reporters this morning:

“A public plan is something that’s sponsored by the government and therefore has very low or almost non-existent administrative costs compared to others — doesn’t have the need to have brokers out selling, it wouldn’t have the need to have a lot of cost and profits the way private plans would, so it has that advantage ... ” she said.

Sure, a broker may not be as necessary with a public plan than a private one, but considering this White House representative brought up brokers of her own volition (no one had asked a question raising the issue) and specifically called their absence out as a top-of-the-mind advantage to a public plan, does this make you nervous about the White House's perception of a broker's role in the future of health care?

Share your thoughts below, or e-mail elizabeth.galentine@sourcemedia.com