Backdoor Deals On Health Bill Aren't Needed

IBD Editorials ^ | July 29, 2009 | RUTH MARCUS

[Kaslin]

If only Democrats and Republicans could get together and produce a health care bill that would expand coverage and control costs. But wait — there is such a proposal. In fact, there are two.

The first, which would in a more perfect world be my preference, is the measure devised by the odd couple of the Senate, Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon and Republican Robert Bennett of Utah.

This bill not only has the merit of being demonstrably bipartisan but has been scored by the Congressional Budget Office as fully paid for.

The problem is that the Wyden-Bennett plan would essentially blow up the existing, although rickety, system of employer-sponsored insurance, which is both the substantive attraction and the political drawback.

Under Wyden-Bennett, states would set up purchasing pools through which individuals would obtain insurance. Employers could still offer theirs, but that would probably dwindle over time.

Individuals would be required to get coverage, with subsidies to those with lower incomes; Medicaid would be eliminated in favor of full subsidies for the poorest Americans. The subsidies would be financed by ending the current tax-free treatment of employer-provided health insurance, a move that has the added benefit of constraining costs.

These would be huge changes, which may be why, despite its sponsors' indefatigable efforts, the proposal hasn't gotten added traction.

There is, however, a more politically sustainable deficit-neutral alternative, crafted by three former Senate majority leaders — Democrat Tom Daschle, President Obama's erstwhile choice as health care czar, and Republicans Bob Dole and Howard Baker.

Staffing the work for the Bipartisan Policy Center were Chris Jennings, a veteran of the Clinton health reform efforts, and Mark McClellan, who ran the Medicare and Medicaid programs under George W. Bush.

[Kaslin]

[Bean Counter]

Well shoot! Let’s see what Ross Perot, Henry Kissinger, Jack Kemp (Ooops!), Dan Quayle et al think about this too...

[ASOC]

Sounds like MassCase meets the current - and yet to be evaluated - UtahCare.

Either way, sounds pretty much like
We are all screwed....

[Boiling Pots]

What good is a deal if they’re postponing the vote?

There is no deal, otherwise there’d be a vote.

[Bahbah]

There is, however, a more politically sustainable deficit-neutral alternative, crafted by three former Senate majority leaders — Democrat Tom Daschle, President Obama's erstwhile choice as health care czar, and Republicans Bob Dole and Howard Baker.

NO NO NO. And no mention of Coburn's idea.

[microgood]

Individuals would be required to get coverage, with subsidies to those with lower incomes; Medicaid would be eliminated in favor of full subsidies for the poorest Americans.

We sure have come far from "the land of the free and home of the brave".

[Bhoy]

I don’t want to play. Get out of my life. A “state” is not a person. I want my own kingdom & I rule. Go away. I want a good insurance market (that means they can write the policy I want without gov dictation). I want to be able to call up a doc get an appt & pay for it. Nobodies business but my own.

I want out. I don’t think I should be mandated into anything.

Drop dead.