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Opinion editorials Handling of Pit Appeal Calls for a Time-Out |
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opinion editorialsThis editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by editorial page staff and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers
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Friday, November 06, 2009
Let This Patient Die a Natural Death
Americans can't afford the health care legislation the House of Representatives could vote on as early as this weekend.
There are some useful insurance reforms in the nearly 2,000 pages of legislation, such as portability and the elimination of coverage denials for pre-existing conditions. These could be pulled out and passed separately.
But the positives don't offset a price tag now estimated by the Congressional Budget Office at $1.2 trillion over a decade. If history is an accurate guide, the actual cost will be much higher.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to tap Medicare and Medicaid for $400 billion and levy a significant tax hike on wealthy Americans to pay for much of the added cost. There's not much sympathy for people making over $500,000. But will that further hurt job creation? And if you hit them now can you go back to them again for money to stanch the other red ink flowing from Washington? Our deficit numbers are soaring, and the nation's debt is currently pegged at $11.9 trillion and growing.
In reality, the legislation is likely to cost middle-income taxpayers a substantial chunk of money as their premiums increase to cover any shortages in payments made to providers by a government-run health insurance plan, as now happens with Medicare. And it appears employed Americans won't be able to do much about it. The government-run “public option” apparently is not open to most people with jobs.
On that score, don't believe for a minute that if the government injects enough subsidies to keep premiums for that plan lower, it won't have the political will to open it to everyone. That is the goal for some on the left who don't think this legislation goes far enough in the government takeover of health care.
Many older Americans also will be forced to abandon their current health care program if Medicare Advantage is eliminated as part of the cuts to Medicare.
On the flip side, there are some excellent ideas Congress is overlooking — or not interested in — but should consider if health care reform and cost-cutting are the real goals.
Competition created by allowing health insurance companies to sell across state lines would drive down costs for premiums nationwide, just as it has for life, auto and home insurance.
And tort reform would hold down malpractice insurance costs and cut down on defensive medicine — and the excuse to overuse it. Medical providers who carry out the millions of unnecessary tests and procedures ostensibly done to provide legal protection make a lot more money off the system than lawyers do.
At the end of the day, this legislation addresses coverage issues but does little to control costs.
There's no doubt changes are needed. Too many people are uninsured. Too many are afraid to change jobs or can't get insurance because of a pre-existing condition. Billing systems don't make sense, and costs for insurance premiums and prescriptions keep skyrocketing.
But this is bad legislation that could set in motion devastating consequences for future generations that will have to pay the bill.
Just because much time and effort have been spent in pushing this legislation forward isn't justification for adopting it. Lawmakers need to apply the brakes and come up with solutions — even if done piecemeal — that work.
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