How a public ins. option may affect you

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - One of the more controversial parts of President Barack Obama's health care proposal is a so-called "public option" for health insurance.

Some say it's necessary to provide more competition for private insurers, while others say it's too much government involvement.

24-Hour News 8 spoke with one Indianapolis woman with insurance. Jennifer Rhor doesn't see a great need for change.

"I feel like my insurance covers what we need for now. Prescriptions and things like that are a little bit high, but I feel like I'm pretty well covered for right now," said Rhor.

But another Hoosier Shalonda Brown has no insurance.

"If an emergency arises, I'll go to the emergency room," she said. "Other than that, unless I have a sharp pain or something where it's killing me, other than that I'll have to ignore it because I can't just call the doctor and make an appointment."

Brown might benefit from Obama's proposal for a public option for health insurance.

"This public option is to provide, by the federal government, an option to individuals to get their insurance from the federal government as opposed to private insurers," said Professor William Rieber of Butler University. "The idea being it would instill more competition and insurance would be lower cost."

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Is it government overreach into the private sector, or necessary to bring down costs?

Rieber said two factors can help individuals decide where they stand.

"First, your own individual experience in the health care system and with your insurance provider. Secondly, what's your philosophical view of government? Do you see it as being able to come into the private sector and improve it, or are you concerned that government in the private sector will make things worse?"

The president hopes to extend health coverage to the tens of millions of Americans who are currently without it.

The Associated Press said the upfront costs could be one to one and a half trillion dollars over ten years.