As of this morning the Democrats’ proposed government insurance option may be negotiable. Note that this is not because of a heroic Republican effort to offer ideas that are better for the future of our nation, but due to the town hall protests. The Republicans have the opportunity to take the stage from Democrats by offering good solutions to a real problem but they have nothing to offer.
Our nation’s founding fathers were concerned with two issues that have come into play in this health care debate. The founders:
• Did not want an established political class running the country, and;
• Intended to keep the political power structure separate from the financial power structure.
Both concerns were based on the founder’s knowledge of European kings and their courts. The kings and courts controlled the country and provided the king with a source of money to fund his wars.
The health care issue has pushed the United States into a debate over the future relationship between the nation’s entrenched political class and its once separate financial structure. (See, One chart to rule them all at DougRoss@Journal ) for insight on just how the political class has established itself.
Notwithstanding President Obama’s statements to the contrary, there is a very large movement in this country that is set on getting nothing less than a government run, single payer universal health care system. The current plans under discussion are intended to lead directly to that government run plan. That means that the political and financial structures representing 20% of the nation’s economy would be managed by whichever of the political parties is in control of the government. This 20% is in addition to the amount of the economy controlled through current government spending and the companies the government has recently taken over. Note: Both parties will get to control your health care if government gets to run health care.
I do not believe that the health care status quo can be maintained. The system is far too burdened with an unbalanced tax structure and inefficient regulations to continue. The answer, in my view is not more government control as currently being considered, but a government effort to reduce these burdens while establishing standards for managing the exchanges of information central to high quality and cost efficient care.
If you believe that health care is burdened with taxes and regulations than you can also see opportunities to improve the system that are in line with the founding fathers concern for this country. If you recognize the risk of the political class controlling an additional 20% or more the economic power of this nation you can see a need for powerful opposition party to present some balance of power.
We have a political party in this country that allegedly stands for a strong Constitution as the means to insure individual rights and freedom. That party should be leading the debate on the merits and disadvantages of the various proposals (there are merits to the proposals but to find them means actually reading the bills). That party, the Republicans, seems to have absented themselves from one of the most important debates in United States history.
A few individual Republican politicians have offered up ideas for health care reform. The Republican party actually has a health care platform, though you wouldn’t know it from terrible job they have done to promote it. The Republicans are either unable or unwilling to put together a cohesive, sensible plan and communicate that plan to Americans. That is a huge problem because that is their job and right now they are failing to do their job.
Yes, I know all about the liberal mainstream media and how that media places Republicans at a very real and very serious disadvantage in communicating their platforms. But keep in mind that any good Republican would respond to a liberal’s claim of being disadvantaged with a statement to the effect that the disadvantaged person should try harder. That type of response is often justified. Republican’s need to take that advice for themselves.
The Republican party of the United States of America should be engaging the Democrats in intelligent debate. They need to force the Democrats to define the problem they are trying to solve. That problem is not simply soaring health care costs and insurance industry bad practices. The problems go deeper and understanding the problems means gaining the ability to negotiate a solution that meets the broader base of American’s needs. If they are unable to fill that role at this monumental point in U.S. history then they have a patriotic duty to resign in mass to make room for people that can do the job.
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Until they talk about and try to come up with ways of addressing the numerous cost drivers of health care and related health insurance, all of this discussion about the delivery of health insurance and how it’s paid for will be rife with extreme points of view.
You can’t increase the number of people and increased utilization of a system without seeing increased expense, unless the cost reductions are are clear-cut and consider everything. For example, I hear absolutely nothing about revising the way liability issues are handled and their effects on health care costs. (actually, one of the drafts of the house bill actually strengthened lawyers rights).
A ground up approach is necessary to follow all the expense and where and how to control it.