Recent Editorial, Opinion Pieces Address Health Care Reform Efforts

Summaries of opinion pieces and an editorial from several newspapers regarding health care reform appear below.

Editorial
Democrats and Obama might "all now apologize to [former Republican presidential nominee] John McCain (Ariz.) for trashing his proposal" to tax health benefits to offset the cost of universal health coverage because they are now considering similar proposals, a Wall Street Journal editorial states. The editorial continues, "The worst-kept secret on Capitol Hill is that Democrats have always planned to tax health benefits to pay for their 'universal' health care plans," adding that aides to Obama are "whispering that they're also open to the idea." The editorial states, "Anyone who believed Mr. Obama when he said that under his plan 'you can keep your health insurance, keep your choice of doctor, keep your plan' should think twice." It concludes, "Everything else he said during his campaign is obviously subject to change, as John McCain can attest" (Wall Street Journal, 3/21).

Opinion Pieces
Mark Lange, New York Times: President Obama "will have to create meaningful competition between drug companies, and between public and private" health insurance plans in order to generate efficiency in the health care market, Lange -- a technology industry consultant and former White House speechwriter between 1989 and 1991 -- writes in a Times opinion piece. Lange continues, "Congress's attempt at market-driven health care offers good instruction in what not to do." Lange suggests reforming the Medicare prescription drug benefit as a means to "build momentum for effective market-driven health care reform." According to Lange, "Enlisting real competition will be crucial to containing costs." Therefore, "before offering a new universal benefit for the millions of Americans who lack health insurance, Congress should put an end to manipulative profiteering in Medicare," he adds. He concludes, "As challenging as the program's problems may be, they do not prove that a market-based approach can't work" (Lange, New York Times, 3/21).

Ruth Marcus, Washington Post: It is "crunch time on health care reform" as "critical decisions are being made that will help decide whether the comprehensive health reform that has eluded policymakers for decades finally comes to fruition -- and what the system will look like for decades," according to Post columnist Marcus. She continues, "What's being fitted together right now ... are interlocking parts of an intricate jigsaw of clashing ideologies, interest groups, political personalities and congressional fiefdoms." Marcus also examines "Five Hard Pieces" of comprehensive health care reform: "Should there be a public insurance option?"; "How to pay for the program?"; "Should individuals be required to purchase insurance?"; "What mechanism should there be to control costs?"; and "How much muscle should Democrats use to get health care reform done?" (Marcus, Washington Post, 3/22).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

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