Paper Examines Potential Effects of Public Health Insurance Program

"Can a Public Insurance Plan Increase Competition and Lower the Costs of Health Reform?" Urban Institute: The paper examines the argument that a The paper examines the argument that a public health insurance plan that competes with private insurers within an organized health insurance market would have lower administrative costs and more ability to control provider payment rates. The paper concludes that such a plan would enhance competition in health insurance and hospital markets, but that savings likely would be less than some estimate (Holahan/Blumberg, "Can a Public Insurance Plan Increase Competition and Lower the Costs of Health Reform?" 10/2).