An amendment offered by Rep. George Radanovich, R-CA. would move to create a true level playing field between private insurers and the government plan by requiring the government plan to be subject to the same standards and business environment as private plans. Currently, the government plan doesn't have to pay state premium taxes, state and local property taxes, corporate taxes, market rates for buildings, equipment, and services, or finance its own start-up costs. Additionally, the government option would have exclusive access to government agency data, special protections from lawsuits, exemption from financial stability requirements, and the implicit financial backing of the entire U.S. Treasury. Finally, the government option could undercut healthcare providers by only paying for a portion of services, forcing providers to shift costs onto private insurers. These provisions don't exist to keep private plans honest, they exist to drive them out of business. This amendment will eliminate the exhaustive list of exclusive benefits afforded to the government plan, thus leveling the playing field with private insurers so that the American people really can keep their health insurance plans if they want to. For text of this amendment, click here.