In a country with an estimated 22,000 deaths and 700,000 bankruptcies last year due to gaping holes in health care coverage – outcomes not found in any of the world’s other developed nations – one might consider significant and immediate health care reform in America to be a “no-brainer.”
Add to this the fact that America spends roughly twice as much per capita for health care as the rest of the developed world – to the tune of 2.3 trillion dollars last year – and with national health outcomes rated well below many other developed countries by the World Health Organization.
Not even considering the avoidable deaths (which should be a moral outrage in the world’s richest country) America’s next economic collapse will likely be fueled by this type of national inefficiency along with the related rash of personal bankruptcies. The net economic result could make the recent housing-bubble /banking-fiasco economic collapse look mild in comparison.
Many among our elected representatives and the public at large have drifted into the belief that this important reform task can be deferred to some future date without consequence. They are wrong. Many on the political right are of the opinion that nothing is so broken that it cannot be resolved with minor refinements.
Conversely, some on the left feel that current proposals are too moderate or incremental and that reform should be deferred until a ‘perfect” plan can be agreed upon. A review of the facts indicates both of these positions to be incorrect, that immediate reform is essential, and that the current Obama proposal (or something similar that can be passed now) may be America’s best shot at avoiding a further economic “train wreck” due to an imminent health care implosion. A review of successful and sustainable health care approaches throughout the developed world reveals the following common elements:
1) Universal coverage is essential. Without this, economies of scale and accountability cannot occur to keep costs down.
2) Coverage cannot be denied due to pre-existing conditions. Regardless of moral arguments, this is essential in avoiding potential bankruptcy among those who would be denied coverage.
3) Cost-control measures are essential. These would minimally include disease prevention as a central strategy, administrative overhead reduction and windfall profit elimination.
A review of Obama’s most recent reform proposal shows it offering considerable attention to each of the above-note elements of sustainable health care. The plan would significantly reduce the number of uninsured, moving the country much closer to a goal of universal coverage. It would guarantee that no one can be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions, and it would also include important cost-control provisions.
The plan is far from perfect, but it offers significant improvements in all key areas that have been proven to work in health care systems throughout the rest of the developed world. For example, even if the plan doesn’t include a “public option” as many on the left prefer, it does include cost control provisions applying to insurance companies – which is really a key point of a public option anyway. Though it may not cover everybody immediately, as many would prefer, it moves significantly in that direction.
A “Do Nothing Wait Until We are Back in Power” plan as per the current Republican approach is a sure recipe for a second wave of financial disaster and should furthermore be morally repugnant to Americans, who are largely a caring people.
Americans must press representatives in the House and Senate to pass a health care reform bill now. There may not be another chance while America still has any kind of credible economy with which to resolve such issues.
Those with further interest should consult a very readable and well researched book by Washington Post Correspondent T.R. Reid entitled: “The Healing of America – A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper and Fairer Health Care”, or view Mr. Reid’s excellent video on the same subject: “Sick Around the World” which can be found on the Web. These two works provide a compelling case for U.S. health care reform based on concrete examples of what has already been proven successful and affordable throughout the rest of the developed world.
Brad D. Segal lives in Boulder. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.
