A Selection Of Editorials And Opinions

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 16 Jun 2009 - 6:00 PDT

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Wrong Way On Health Reform Washington Post
The trouble is that what's being promoted as health-care "reform" almost certainly won't suppress spending and, quite probably, will do the opposite (Robert J. Samuelson, 6/15).

The 'Public Plan' Would Be The Only Plan Wall Street Journal
In reality, equal competition between a public plan and private plans would be impossible. The public plan would inexorably crowd out private plans, leading to a single-payer system (Scott E. Harrington, 6/15).

Reform Measures Should Not Weaken Our Health Care Chicago Tribune
Is it the goal of some individuals to eventually wipe out all private insurance plans and house all health care under the umbrella of the federal government? These types of government-controlled systems already exist in other countries, and all have stories of patients who had to wait months to see specialists (Donald J. Palmisano, 6/15).

Deluded On Health Care Chicago Tribune
The Clinton plan lost partly because Americans were not willing to accept that you can't have it all. From everything that has occurred since then, it's apparent they are still unwilling (Steve Chapman, 6/14).

GOP Should Favor Health Overhaul Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nine of the 10 Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee have sent a letter to the Obama administration rejecting a public plan option, much less a single- payer system, in the coming debate over health care reform. As a Republican, a health care executive and former chairman of the Republican Party of Jasper County, I believe this is a mistake, technically and politically (Jack Bernard, 6/14).

Something's Got To Give In Medicare Spending New York Times
Medicare expenditures threaten to crush the federal budget, yet the Obama administration is proposing that we start by spending more now so we can spend less later. This runs the risk of becoming the new voodoo economics. If we can't realize significant savings in health care costs now, don't expect savings in the future, either (Tyler Cowen, 6/13).

Is More Care Better? New York Times
In sum, the evidence for regional variations in the United States and in other countries is strong, and every study indicates huge levels of inefficiency in health-care spending.

This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org.

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