Democrats Misguied on Health Care Reform

Two recent pieces in the NY Times have piqued my interest: one an editorial that was affirming the Democrats’ approach to health care reform, another opinion piece slamming the Democrats (and Pres. Obama) for not focusing on the economy in an obsessive attempt to reform health care. Add to that a spirited debate on my younger brother-in-law’s Facebook page on this subject, and I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. So here are my most recent thoughts on health care reform

What I Like
Let’s start with the positives. There are several pieces of the proposed legislation that I like. I think insurance companies should have to accept you even with pre-existing conditions. I think the changes to Medicare are realistic and could pay for the additional coverage for other Americans. Giving options to people who don’t work for big corporations is also a positive. It’s also not the ‘government takeover’ many conservatives have called it.

What I Don’t Like
This list is a little longer. Let’s go one-by-one.

Making Americans buy health insurance. I don’t like forcing people to do things. Maybe it’s the little Libertarian voice in my head, but this part of the health care reform bills make me nervous.

Too little focus on cost. According to the Congressional Budget office, Pres. Obama’s plan would actually reduce the deficient. That is good. There are also indications that it would reduce the overall US expenditure on health care. Also good. But this bill is not about reducing health care costs, it’s about covering more Americans. I would have worked on cost reform first.

The wrong priority. Like in the Bob Herbert piece above, I find this obsessive focus on health care reform puzzling. We’re mired in the midst of the greatest economic slumps in 80 years, but the Democrats are hell-bent on reforming health care over all else. Would most Americans struggling with a cold, dark economic reality rather have a job or decent health care coverage? Three years ago it might have been health care, but now people want jobs and economic growth. I would prioritize the following over health care reform: education; reducing poverty; economic stimulus and reform; repairing some of our ancient infrastructure (like highways, bridges and water systems). I think most Americans would put health care reform as a necessary but secondary reform. Somehow the Democrats have missed this and are forging on anyway. But the price could be good economic reform, because the will of the people may be dissolved by the divisive health care effort.

The assumption of a right. Is access to affordable health care a fundamental human right? I don’t believe so. But it seems like this debate has assumed that. Because if it’s not a right, it is something that can be prioritized and treated differently. If it’s a right, then the government would have a moral obligation to provide it. I don’t believe it is.

Abortion. As a pro-lifer, this part bothers me a lot. I don’t believe government should pay for/sponsor any abortions. That is the current status quo, and I don’t want pro-choice Democrats slipping this one in. Pres. Obama promised the status quo on abortion. Reminder No. 547 that he’s a lying politician.