New York Times Editorial: After the Summit
New York Times Editorial: After the Summit
Copyright by New York Times
February 25, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/opinion/26fri1.html?ref=global
The main lesson to draw from Thursday’s health care forum is that differences between Democrats and Republicans are too profound to be bridged. That means that it is up to the Democrats to fix the country’s dysfunctional and hugely costly health care system.
At the meeting, President Obama laid out his case for sweeping reform that would provide coverage to 30 million uninsured Americans and begin to wrestle down the rising cost of medical care and future deficits. The Republicans insisted that the country cannot afford that — and doesn’t need it. The House Republican leader, John Boehner, trotted out the old chestnut that the United States has the “best health care system in the world.”
This isn’t a question of boosterism or patriotism. If there’s any doubt about whether to stick with the status quo, Americans just need to look at their relentlessly rising premiums or think about where — or even whether — they can get coverage if they lose their jobs.
Thursday’s meeting — more than seven hours broadcast for the hardy — was billed as a last-ditch effort to try to find common ground. There was plenty of wonkish discussion. Each party put its best face forward in a mostly civil exchange of ideas, and both professed to see some areas of potential agreement.
Mr. Obama seemed ready to take stronger steps toward malpractice reform, a top issue for Republicans. And he agreed with Senator John McCain that a special deal to protect Florida residents enrolled in private Medicare plans was hard to defend.
Republicans stuck to their script and argued for small solutions, such as letting people buy insurance in other states that might allow skimpier — and thus cheaper — coverage. That is a formula for helping healthy people cut costs while driving up premiums for sick people unable to get similar coverage.
Republicans balked at any big expansion of Medicaid or any big subsidies to help middle-class Americans buy insurance on new exchanges. As a result, their plans would cover only three million uninsured over the next decade, a tenth of what the Democrats are proposing. That is not enough.
Mr. Obama should jettison any illusions that he can win Republican support by making a few more changes in bills that already include many Republican ideas. Republican speakers made clear that the only thing they would accept is starting over from scratch. That would be the end of sweeping reform.
The Republicans tried to wring a pledge from Mr. Obama that he would not resort to “budget reconciliation,” a parliamentary maneuver to sidestep a filibuster in the Senate and pass legislation by a simple majority. Reconciliation is a last resort. But Republicans and Democrats have both used it for major bills in the past. The president wisely refused to tie his hands.
Here is a basic fact: If the House Democrats voted tomorrow to approve the Senate bill, health care reform would become the law of the land.
The president and Speaker Nancy Pelosi should push the House to accept the fundamentally sound Senate bill. If they still cannot garner enough votes from their own caucus, they should alter the Senate bill slightly with parallel legislation that could be passed with budget reconciliation.
Mr. Obama needs to keep explaining to Americans that this health care reform is critical — to give them security, to hold down costs and ease the strain on federal budgets. His main challenge, and his best chance, for passing it is to get his own party in line
Copyright by New York Times
February 25, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/opinion/26fri1.html?ref=global
The main lesson to draw from Thursday’s health care forum is that differences between Democrats and Republicans are too profound to be bridged. That means that it is up to the Democrats to fix the country’s dysfunctional and hugely costly health care system.
At the meeting, President Obama laid out his case for sweeping reform that would provide coverage to 30 million uninsured Americans and begin to wrestle down the rising cost of medical care and future deficits. The Republicans insisted that the country cannot afford that — and doesn’t need it. The House Republican leader, John Boehner, trotted out the old chestnut that the United States has the “best health care system in the world.”
This isn’t a question of boosterism or patriotism. If there’s any doubt about whether to stick with the status quo, Americans just need to look at their relentlessly rising premiums or think about where — or even whether — they can get coverage if they lose their jobs.
Thursday’s meeting — more than seven hours broadcast for the hardy — was billed as a last-ditch effort to try to find common ground. There was plenty of wonkish discussion. Each party put its best face forward in a mostly civil exchange of ideas, and both professed to see some areas of potential agreement.
Mr. Obama seemed ready to take stronger steps toward malpractice reform, a top issue for Republicans. And he agreed with Senator John McCain that a special deal to protect Florida residents enrolled in private Medicare plans was hard to defend.
Republicans stuck to their script and argued for small solutions, such as letting people buy insurance in other states that might allow skimpier — and thus cheaper — coverage. That is a formula for helping healthy people cut costs while driving up premiums for sick people unable to get similar coverage.
Republicans balked at any big expansion of Medicaid or any big subsidies to help middle-class Americans buy insurance on new exchanges. As a result, their plans would cover only three million uninsured over the next decade, a tenth of what the Democrats are proposing. That is not enough.
Mr. Obama should jettison any illusions that he can win Republican support by making a few more changes in bills that already include many Republican ideas. Republican speakers made clear that the only thing they would accept is starting over from scratch. That would be the end of sweeping reform.
The Republicans tried to wring a pledge from Mr. Obama that he would not resort to “budget reconciliation,” a parliamentary maneuver to sidestep a filibuster in the Senate and pass legislation by a simple majority. Reconciliation is a last resort. But Republicans and Democrats have both used it for major bills in the past. The president wisely refused to tie his hands.
Here is a basic fact: If the House Democrats voted tomorrow to approve the Senate bill, health care reform would become the law of the land.
The president and Speaker Nancy Pelosi should push the House to accept the fundamentally sound Senate bill. If they still cannot garner enough votes from their own caucus, they should alter the Senate bill slightly with parallel legislation that could be passed with budget reconciliation.
Mr. Obama needs to keep explaining to Americans that this health care reform is critical — to give them security, to hold down costs and ease the strain on federal budgets. His main challenge, and his best chance, for passing it is to get his own party in line
posted by Carlos T Mock at 12:50 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home