In the next few years, the government health insurance plan will begin to take on a greater role in the American health care landscape as details are hammered out and the government commits to a dedicated plan of action. Over the last several years, the Obama administration has made numerous changes to the proposed health care bill in order to both get the bill through the House and provide the greatest amount of benefit to the largest number of Americans. Unfortunately, the federal government has done a poor job of advertising exactly what the new health care bill will entail and how it will affect Americans, both in terms of overall policy details and health insurance discounts. While getting the goods on health insurance can be difficult, there are a number of pieces of information that are known for sure.

The first "good" that will be delivered with the new health care plan is the creation of a public insurance organization, run by the government that will offer health insurance services to the general population. The idea behind the creation of this public insurance body is to allow those who cannot afford private insurance options a way to obtain a health insurance plan. In addition to creating this insurance body, however, the government is also enacting laws that will make it illegal to not hold health insurance coverage, and a violation of these laws could result in fines or jail time for someone who chooses not to purchase health insurance. The hope of the current government is that the public plan will be affordable enough for anyone who needs health insurance. The plan is not intended to provide specific health insurance discounts, but rather an overall limitation on the price of insurance plans for Americans.

In addition the creation of a government-run plan, the new legislation will also include the development of nation-wide standard for care and insurance administration that will need to be followed by all insurance companies, both public and private. The hope of this standard is to ensure that all Americans are receiving care equitably and safely and that no one company is choosing to cut corners or ignore rules. There is some concern that the "red tape" of this rule will cause issues when it comes to claims and payouts, but the ultimate results are yet to be seen.

While the new government health insurance initiative is a bold step away from the traditional model used in the United States, it has the potential to benefit a large number of Americans by providing a viable and safe public alternative and stricter control over the private insurance industry.