16. The United Kingdom has a "socialized" health care system, in which all doctors are government employees. Canada has a "single-payer" system, in which all health care is run by private industry but it is paid for completely by the government. President Obama and the current bill do not advocate adopting either system.
17. In 2006, Massachusetts passed a health care reform bill that is very similar to what the Democrats have proposed for the nation; it includes mandated coverage, a penalty for not having coverage, an insurance exchange, and provides free or subsidized care for those who cannot afford it. The number of uninsured Massachusetts residents dropped to around 5% as a result of the bill, but the cost of the program has been much larger than projected. It is notable that though it was seldom mentioned in the 2008 presidential campaign, Governor Mitt Romney signed the bill into law.
18. One unique and effective health care system that many people have looked to for reform ideas in the last year exists in Sweden, where private insurers are required to offer coverage to all citizens, regardless of age or medical history. Those people, in turn, are obligated to buy health insurance. This results in a system with more coverage and less costs than the U.S. system, all without the stigma of government run or funded health care.
19. Some analysts argue that Obama's health care plan is at least as conservative as Richard Nixon's.
20. The Congressional Budget Office (an independent, trustworthy group which predicts the future costs of proposed bills) agrees with Obama that despite Republican claims to the contrary, the current health care bill will reduce the deficit, in stark contrast to past Republican policies such as the Bush tax cuts. However, the current bill relies on members of Congress to approve very large tax increases and cuts to Medicare reimbursements, which are so politically unpopular that they are very unlikely to actually happen. Republicans have been touting tort reform (limits on medical malpractice lawsuits) as an important component in reducing health care costs, but the CBO found that it would only reduce national health care spending by 0.5%.
21. Even though most Americans support the idea of a public option, it now appears very unlikely to make it into the final bill. As a counter-measure, Democrats have proposed allowing seniors to buy into Medicare. How this is going to keep from ballooning the deficit by adding members to a system that is already killing us financially is lost on me.
22. One of the least-talked about but perhaps most important reforms proposed is the creation of health insurance exchanges.
23. There is substantial evidence that the current bill will cover more of the uninsured and will not have a massive impact on the deficit. However, there is also evidence that it will not fundamentally reform the health care system, leaving problems like the disconnect between patients/doctors and costs untouched. Consequently, there's a good chance it will not significantly curb health care costs in the future.
24. In case you didn't know, all those "death panel" accusations made by Palin and friends were a bunch of baloney. So are the claims some politicians (such as Congressman Mike Rogers) have made that the current health care bill will decrease cancer survival rates for women in the U.S.
25. Many Republicans have called for an end to state barriers for health insurance—ridding the country of laws which require you to get health insurance in your state to increase competition. This was also a part of John McCain's health care plan in '08. Democrats fear that if such a reform were to take place, the large insurance companies would all set up shop in the state with the least regulations, further crapifying American health care.
26. One element of the current bill is the "Cadillac Tax," which proposes to tax wealthy health care plans and encourage businesses to find cheaper plans for their employees. Some economists think this will result in better wages and better care for employees.
27. Do not count on any member of Congress reading any health care bill they do or do not pass.
28. I am pretty concerned about the effect of the current bill's requirement that businesses provide health care for employees. I spoke to a former small business owner last month who said she never would have been able to keep her doors open if she had been given such a requirement. In fact, many have speculated that Wal-Mart's support of the employee health insurance mandate is an effort to drive smaller businesses out of business. On the other hand, Hawaii has had such a mandate since 1974, and small businesses there don't seem to be floundering because of it.
29. Last year, Nancy Pelosi said, "I think we would do almost anything to pass a health care bill." Isn't that a little concerning?
30. Then there's the politics. A lot of folks out there are saying Obama overreached, that he tried to do too much too fast (health care overhaul in a recession??), that he overestimated his abilities. I disagree. I think Obama's mistake was not in trying to do too much, but placing too much faith in Congress and allowing the far-right to steal the conversation. Obama's expectation that Congress could create and pass a massive bill like this in six months in a bitterly divided political climate was wishful thinking. He should have known better. And as much as centrists like me love to hear his measured, thoughtful approaches to issues, his abandonment of his campaign fervor left the doors wide open for the crazies to rush in with their "death panel" and "socialism" claims. Health care reform is the change Obama promised, it is something that we should all have the audacity to hope for. The country needed to hear a message of strength like that to diffuse the screaming on the right. It didn't, and now the bill is in the hands of a handful of Democrats who are scared stiff of the November elections and a public which doesn't support it.
If there was a way to give you a standing ovation through the internet for compiling all that information in two very thoughtful, well-composed, neutral blog posts, I'd be doing that. Awesome dude.
ReplyDeleteAwh, thanks Swirly.
ReplyDelete17/19/25: If McCain was elected, do you think the Republicans would be currently pushing their own reform? Or do you think them now coming to the table is disingenuous.
ReplyDelete21: Do a majority of Americans support a public option today?
28: I assume it would close if the theater I perform in was forced to buy health insurance for its two employees.
I want reform. America wants reform. But I want small changes to increase competition and release government regulation. Like 25 said, I want there to be a race to the state with the best (or as you call it worst) regulation.
Thanks again for the summary (insert standing ovation).
17/19/25/21 -- I don't know. Sorry for the cop out. That's the best I got right now. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, I'm glad you liked it! However, I definitely wouldn't call this a summary -- this barely scratches the surface of the issue and I didn't take any efforts to make it comprehensive; I just posted a bunch of things that have interested me over the past year. I'd encourage you to find what things interest you in the debate and share!