How Would a Health Co-Op Work?

    The Obama administration is now considering the idea of a health care co-op instead of a public option.
  The “public option” of the Obama plan has been a decisive issue in the debate over health care reform.
    But it seems that a health care Co-op would be able to reach across party lines.
    On Sunday, Republican Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama told Fox News that it is something that opponents on of the current plan should consider.
    So how exactly would a co-op work for health care?
    A co-op (which is short for cooperative) is a business run by its customers.
    They focus primarily on providing a service rather than turning a profit.
    There are already health care co-ops in different places across the country.
    One of the biggest is the Group Health Cooperative which is based in Seattle.
    The health care co-op that is now being tossed around in congress would also be non-profit and while the White House has said it would prefer to see a public option, the idea of a co-op has been floating around in congress for months.