Category Archives: The Economy

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.