Public Option: “Only One Part” of the Problem
Washington,
Sep 17, 2009 -
During his speech to Congress and the nation last week, President Obama had this to say about the so-called public option:
“It is only one part of my plan, and shouldn't be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles.” (Address to Joint Session of Congress, 9/9/09)
One of these days perhaps the President will acknowledge that Americans’ opposition to his government-run plan is based on principle and experience rather than a desire for political gamesmanship.
However, he does raise an important point. The public option is just one part of the Democrats’ plan. Even without it, their proposals are riddled with bad ideas that will lead to government control of health care.
Individual Mandates
If the federal government requires individuals to purchase health insurance, the federal government must also define “health insurance.” Forcing all insurance plans to fit cookie cutter government models will limit choice, competition, and innovation. Patients wind up on the losing end. And if the coverage you currently have doesn’t fit Washington’s definition, too bad! So much for “if you like what you have, you can keep it.”
Employer Mandates
Talk about a job killer in the middle of a recession. Businesses that can’t afford to provide health insurance to their employees will hire fewer workers, cut back workers’ hours, or even layoff current workers. An employer mandate means more rigidity in labor markets.
A System Built on Rationing
The Democrats created a federal Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) council earlier this year via the Porkulus bill and tasked it with identifying effective treatments. Studies and research will always play a vital role in health care innovation, but they tellingly refused to limit the council’s scope to judging clinical effectiveness. Government bureaucrats view health care in terms of dollars and cents, and this body is really a precursor to health care rationing boards that will prohibit the use of certain treatments based on cost.
Health Benefits Advisory Boards
With the plethora of new health benefits advisory boards and commissions, Washington would decide what a health package should look like – terms, benefits, service, etc. Want the freedom to build a plan that meets your individual needs? Forget about it.
Silence on Lawsuit Abuse
You cannot credibly bring down health care costs without reducing the practice of defensive medicine. Rather than proposing common sense measures to allow doctors to worry about their patients rather than worry about trial lawyers, the plan provided by Democrats in the House is silent on this fundamental issue.
Even without a government-run plan, the Democrats’ proposals will put bureaucrats in charge of making your personal health care decisions. In the end, it comes down to who has control in the system. If there is a common denominator, it’s that Washington rakes in the power and takes it away from people and their families. Any way you slice it, that’s a bad idea. Instead, let’s work for reform that empowers patients.
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