James Pethokoukis
Politics and policy from inside Washington
Why is the healthcare reform effort failing?
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Healthcare reform enthusiast Ezra Klein (WaPo) seems very worried about the troubled healthcare reform effort:
To put it another way, every wonk in Washington — conservative or liberal — will tell you that health-care costs threaten to bankrupt the nation. But it is proving virtually impossible to get serious health-care reform through a Senate that requires 60 votes to overcome the filibuster.
My spin: Any why is that, Ezra? Because wonky Washington hasn’t made the case why higher taxes in a recession and more spending in a time of huge budget deficits are good ideas. The “It costs money because it will save you money” apporach is failing …
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FrontLine and others have convinced me that the key to the relative success of some foreign healthcare systems is to commoditize “core” healthcare–care one must have to avoid serious further sickness or early death. Once that’s done, one can negotiate rates for related products and services, control profits, and, most importantly, assess and encourage improved productivity and efficiency. (Non-core health care can remain is, but the boundary between the two will be a continual thorn in the foot.) The spiraling cost of medicare shows me that commoditization must come with or before any attempt to assure universal coverage. But commoditization and the rest implies massive government regulation and is the epitome of Republican whipping boy “one size fits all”. I’d like to be wrong, but I don’t think we are ready. Once our system falls apart and our national life expectancy falls to the bottom of the pile, then maybe we could try again.
The USA has by far the most inefficient health system in the world, costing multiples of other better systems. Paradoxically, it can only aspire to about 30th in measures of effectiveness such as life expectancy and maternal mortality. The “best” of American medicine is certainly technologically advanced but even in the USA this level of medicine cannot be afforded by all. At present healthcare is rationed by the wealth of the recipient. It would be saner and more ethical to ration it by outcome. Doing so would improve the system and could potentially halve (or more) Health costs.
Health Care reform is a Red Herring, it has been a Red Herring since the Truman Administration, it is a quixotic battle that always generates populist support. Clinton used it effectively appointing his Wife Hillary to handle it, showing how the matter lacks any earnest political seriousness. Health Care reform is political silliness to take the heat off that things that could be done, are not. Every politician pulls out health care reform when domestic policy is failing.
The truth is if we had Jobs where people had employer’s Health Insurance there would be no problem. The Health Care battle is an acknowledgment that the administration does not know how to create (“A”) job, let alone Job(s).
So drag out the ol’ reliable Red Herring of Health Care Reform.
Obama said that the economy would turn in the second half of the year, but it appears (“All”) the 40 something professionals I know are going bankrupt right now, not just a few – a lot.
You know why? No financing, No Jobs, No funding, No Fees, No innovations, No new business, so no new house, no new car, no new refrigerator, furnishings, tv’s, etc.
The people I know are falling from 6 figures to no figures and adjusting from high income to unemployment or low hourly wages.
Health Care? Don’t we get it on Welfare?
That’s what the Banking Industry wants us all to be on, working for FREE and living on Welfare!
Drop the Red Herring and Create a job you blowhard!
Health care reform is being tackled by congress as a problem of who pays what, and that approach though politically correct is no reform at all. Wake up America! your health system is one of the worst of the world, corrupt , overregulated , it is failing to serve the needs of the people, and it is bad system even for the wealthy, in any other place in the world Michael Jackson would had been able to get a non life threatening sleeping aid, my 4 year old niece would have received emergency attention in less then 4 hours screaming with othitis in an emergency room, it would be more important for an squizophrenic to take his meds than to go to the doctor just to get the prescription refilled.