The debate over health care has been raging at the national level for the past few months, dominating the news cycle and engaging many Americans in the political process. The most heated part of this issue is the discussion surrounding the “public option”.

First, let’s establish why the issue of health insurance is being addressed now. In the United States, there are currently 47 million uninsured American citizens, which is over 15 percent of our population. College-age adults (ages 18-24) are the most likely to be uninsured, as 27.9 percent of people in this age group are currently going without insurance. Those between the ages of 25 and 34 are almost equally as likely to not have insurance, at 25.9 percent. This debate is not just about the uninsured, however, as millions more are underinsured. These are the people that are spending a significant portion of their annual income on out-of-pocket health care costs outside of their health insurance premiums.

The public option is a government-organized health insurance option that citizens could opt-into if they are uninsured or have issues with their current coverage provider. Take note: people still have every right, and it will likely be the norm, to retain their private health insurer. This option benefits from the increased efficiency that the government brings in regards to overhead costs. Only 2 percent of Medicare costs are administrative costs, compared to over 25 percent for most private insurance providers. This efficiency will save consumers money on their health care costs, allowing many low-income people to get the coverage that they need.

The under-regulated health insurance industry, along with the pharmaceutical industry, capitalizes on people getting sick. In order to maximize profits, these companies have begun focusing on denying the claims of the ill. So while ordinary citizens, young and old, are being told that they’re going to have to pay for their treatments out-of-pocket even though they have insurance, health insurance CEOs are raking in tens of millions of dollars every year. Their business model is to limit the amount of old, sick, and other high-risk individuals that they are covering while raising prices on the rest of their customers. The most significant problem with this model is the fact that those same high-risk individuals are the ones that are most in need of health care. A public option would help people who are being discriminated against by their health insurance provider receive the care that they need without going bankrupt.

The President’s plan for a public option will not add additional costs to the national debt. In fact, the White House predicts that finding savings within the existing health care system can pay for the entire plan. There will be a provision in the plan that requires the government to come forward with more spending cuts if the savings promised don’t materialize. Health Care reform now will help our country avoid the very real situation of rising health insurance costs, and the resulting increase in uninsured Americans, bankrupting our country.

Opponents of health care reform will have you believe that relying on a government-operated health care plan that is accountable to the public through elections and oversight is worse than a private system with no public involvement or oversight in its operation. You might expect a statement like this from the insurance industry; in fact, they are funding the opposition.

Let’s be clear: health care reform will probably not help the CEOs of health insurance and pharmaceutical companies. The people that will be helped by this reform plan are the rest of Americans, 25 percent of which are currently uninsured or underinsured. By restricting the ability of insurance companies to deny a person health care due to a “pre-existing condition”, Americans rich and poor will face far less discrimination when they are just trying to get better. An efficient, effective public option will benefit not only those enrolled in the plan, but also those whose insurance companies realize that they need to start focusing on running an ethical, efficient business instead of focusing on how to make the most money off of the sickest people.

Is the status quo really what we want? As college students, we often feel invincible when it comes to issues like these. The majority of us have not had to face a life-threatening condition, but we likely will at some point in our lives. If the health insurance industry goes without reform, if these trends continue, those that are insured will become the exception instead of the rule.

The Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) is a grassroots, non-partisan, nonprofit, student-directed organization that empowers and trains students and engages the community to take collective action in the public interest throughout the state of Minnesota. www.mpirg.org