Forget about health care reform, everyone else has…for now

The fog is descending, the memory of health care (oops, health insurance) reform is fading.  Many of the people so opposed to this legislation are about to become reconciled and complacent.  Oh heck, it’s over and there is nothing to do but to live with it.  How is that possible?  Well, there is always hope there is something in it for me. 

As one letter to the Editor in a New Jersey paper put it:

March 21 marked an historic moment when Congress passed the health care bill. To those who opposed its passage, guess what? The sky didn’t fall. Get over it. Let’s move on and deal with other issues.

 Hey, it will be years before anything substantial happens. That is not completely true, one thing substantial will happen today, health care costs will continue to rise annually well beyond inflation and the average American will continue to be oblivious to health care costs.  Why should they care, if someone else is paying your electric bill do you holler at your kids for leaving the lights on? If  your employer is paying the bulk of your premiums and those payments are tax free to you, what the heck, reform all you want all it means is I get more. 

Talk of repeal is nonsense, it is never going to happen the American people will not stand for it.  What is that you say, people want this health care reform?  In fact, some polls are showing just that, support for this legislation is growing. Over the next several months we will hear stories about children who can obtain coverage, seniors who received $250 for prescription drugs, adult children who lost coverage and now have it again and that one person in a million who did not exceed the limit on her benefits because there is none.  In other words, it all sounds quite appealing even seductive. 

My favorite unanswered or should I say unasked question is this.  If health insurers and health insurance premiums are the problem, why have large employers who can design their benefits any way they like, do not use insurance and cover about 70,000,000 Americans struggled with the cost of health care for decades?  You lie Mr. President!   Oops, sorry about that I was caught up in the moment. 

I am not sure if liberals are smarter, but they sure understand human nature better than folks who profess to approach these issues with common sense and a long-term practical view.  Nobody is elected to office by taking away a goody from the voters no matter how responsible it was to do so.  

I will never forget what a Democratic staffer in the House told me a few months back.  “We know this will mean rationing of health care at some point to control costs, my member knows it too, but we can’t say that to the American people.”  He is right you know, some form of what most people call rationing will be necessary. In fact, this expansive entitlement virtually guarantees it.  Actually, that should have happened years ago and perhaps we would not be headed for the cost crisis in health care that is still on our horizon. In many cases, less is better in health care, but an American public besieged by drug advertising, conditioned to expect a myriad of tests and more tests and expecting the latest in technology to treat acne ain’t buying the less is more scenario.  Another staffer told me flat out that as soon as the legislation passed they would get to work on changes. Congress likes to tinker. 

We accept that insurance companies and their premiums are the cause of our woes, they are abusive, they discriminate, they deny us care (still trying to figure out how that works) and their salaries and profits are exorbitant.  On the other hand, when the politicians tell us about the $500 billion they are going to save by removing the waste and fraud from Medicare, nobody asks, “Hey, I thought a government system was efficient, how is there $500 billion in waste and fraud, who is minding the store?” 

When all the provisions kick in many people will see how this legislation affects them, some will be pleased, some will perceive no changes, some Americans will have less, everyone will pay more than they do today and more than they would without reform (except those Americans receiving government subsidies).  Eventually all Americans will see higher taxes and fees to pay for this change.  No doubt, there are those who see that as the price of progress. 

However, we could have done it a better way and while we may grow accustomed to health insurance reform, we still need to accomplish health care reform and that is going to hurt.

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