Nancy Pelosi and her union allies have purportedly reached a “deal” to soften the concerns of union leaders about the tax to be levied on high value health plans as part of the monstrosity of a health care bill being developed in Congress. The principle behind this deal is this: her political allies are entitled to a sweetheart deal and all other Americans are left to pay the bill.
Category Archives: Healthcare
Frank Guinta Continues to Duck Debates
Please, let’s have a true discussion of the issues instead of the current pantomime we are playing where we go around and lecture the same people over and over again as to why we are the best qualified to help shape the future of our country; it is not for us to say. Let’s take this election and our country’s future seriously; let us show respect for the intelligence of the voters, and finally let us show some respect for the process and the purpose of an election.
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HEALING OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
The focus of the national agenda this summer has clearly become reforming America’s health care system. Bring it on! There is no question that our health care system needs to be reformed to squeeze out the much inflated expenses and to assure high quality care. The American healthcare system is the most expensive in the world. And it is clear that, by any statistical measure, we are not getting value for money. Not only do these costs put proper heath care out of reach for many middle class Americans, but these inflated costs are also making our products uncompetitive in the world economy, adding to our other economic problems.
Unfortunately however, in the proposals that have emerged, we seem to have taken our eye off the ball. The true challenge - the cost vs. quality issue - has become sidetracked. The debate has now become about health insurance, though this is only a part of the problem. Important as it is, insurance coverage is merely a way to pay for medical care. The focus should really be on the actual medical care delivery system, where the costs versus quality problems are to be found. To date, we have not touched those issues. We are, in effect, putting the cart before the horse. And if the acrimony over insurance is any guide, the storm from that debate will be even more ferocious than today’s.
Public Health Care Competition?
As the health care reform debate rages in Congress, the establishment of a new publicly funded medical insurance provider seems to be on center stage. With their monopoly on power in Washington, the Democrats are fully intent on creating yet another new government agency to handle this function. This is hardly shocking; the Democrats have always represented growth in government.
But what is interesting and new is the argument being used that the creation of such entity will keep the private sector competitive and on its toes. This novel idea represents a first. Where, one is tempted to ask, has the public sector ever provided honest competition to the private sector?