As Tami mentioned, reforming our health care system will require an entire overhaul since you can't just implement one piece at a time. For example, as brought up at LA Care, you can't implement a health insurance mandate without offering subsidies to those who can't afford coverage. I think using examples from the Massachusetts system or from the international community would help give a better example of how universal coverage can actually work.
Also, I'm not sure if the Republicans ever mentioned exactly what they would want instead of the currently proposed bill. If they were able to start from scratch, what would they write as a reasonable solution to covering the 40 million plus uninsured Americans and to control costs and rising insurance premiums and deductibles? I would like to see a draft version of their proposals...
Too bad Democrats couldn't unite together faster while Kennedy was still around...
I agree with Jennie that universal coverage would help with the situation of the uninsured. Universal coverage can make the insurance more affordable for the poor and the sick. Even some people would argue that some of the uninsured are not working hard enough for their life and health, but we cannot ignore the fact that there are people who work hard that still cannot afford health insurance. Also, making the poor even poorer will not make our society any better. On the other hand, it could result in more crimes or violence around our neighborhood and there would be more homeless on the street. Do we really want our children to live in this kind of society?
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a few ideas slipped out in between suggestions to start over and creative use of props. Obama seems to have included a few GOP proposals in his version of the bill (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/health/policy/03health.html), including:
ReplyDelete1) Encouraging tax-advantaged health savings accounts
2) Increasing payments to Medicaid doctors
3) Proactive rooting out of fraud via undercover stings
4) High-deductible policies offered through federal insurance exchange
5) $50 million in grants to try alternatives to current medical malpractice claim resolution system (but no caps on malpractice damage awards)
Somewhat related, somewhat interesting fact: The use of reconciliation to force an up-or-down vote on a bill that may be used to pass the health reform bill was used to pass the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Hopefully this new bill, with the included Republican ideas that seem fairly reasonable, will be more politically successful. I agree with the notion that any reform needs to be extremely wide in scope for it to make any difference; otherwise, it could all topple like a house of cards.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see how this plays out; the health care issue could end up defining Obama's presidency. If the US can join the many other First World countries in successfully getting health care to almost all of its people, I think we'd all be able to hold our heads a little higher.
I am getting sick of partisanship overriding the common good of our nation. I understand politics and the need to support party ideology but when it takes a priority over doing what is right...something is wrong. I know at least one or two republicans believe that national healthcare will solve some of our problems, but they are too afraid of their parties power to go against it's ideology. Its just a frustrating situation to watch.
ReplyDelete