After reaching a compromise agreement over the weekend, the Senate looks poised to pass a health care bill by Christmas. This bill will then be merged with the House version to produce the final bill that will be voted on by both chambers. (How much more the Senate bill will ultimately reflect the more liberal House bill is another matter).
The Senate bill is far from perfect. Progressives failed to secure a government run insurance plan in either a weak or strong form. They also failed to secure an expansion of Medicare that would allow people ages 55-64 "buy in" to Medicare early, a would-be compromise that was shattered by recalcitrant Senator Joe Lieberman. The absence of these provisions from the bill have, rightfully, caused frustration among Progressive proponents: The private insurance sector is left largely in place without a substantive public competitor.
Yet despite these imperfections, I agree with Paul Krugman, Ezra Klein, Jacob Hacker, and others that this bill should be supported, passed, and built upon in the years and decades to come. This bill represents the most significant expansion of the social safety net since the Great Society programs of the 1960s and begins the process of complicated reform. To not pass this bill would be politically unwise, throwing away a chance at reform that will not be available again for perhaps a decade or more, by which time the system will have grown more costly and countless indivduals and families will continue to suffer.
Furthermore, the expansion of coverage and reforms contained in this bill will positively affect tens of millions of people. Premiums for many families and individuals will be substanially subsidized by the federal government; out of pocket expenses will be capped; insurers will no longer be able to refuse coverage due to preexisting conditions; and many other reforms.
This is a no brainer: Pass the bill and work hard to strengthen it over time.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
What I think I think - Part 2 - Sports and Culture
-Okay, so the Yankees have won their 27th World Series championship as my beloved Red Sox were swept in the first round of the playoffs. Hats off to the Yankees for their terrific season and for being bold enough in the offseason to add the top three free agents in baseball.
-Important question: Is the Patriot mystique gone? After a heartbreaking loss to the Indianapolis Colts and an absolute drubbing by the explosive New Orleans Saints, it appears the Patriots are no longer among the true "elite" of the NFL. What's worst, the "Patriot Way" is in serious disrepair. This current manifestation of the Pats resembles their dynastic predecessors less and less each week. And with each passing week and month and season, the Brady/Moss/Belichick window of opportunity gets a little bit smaller.
-U2 finished their North American leg of the U2-360 tour in Vancouver, British Columbia on October 28th. What a tour! Having seen four shows live myself, I can honestly say it may have been the best U2 tour in many, many years. The performances were generally solid, the setlists were consistently good, and the presentation was spectacular. The edifice known as "the Claw" was breathtaking and magnificent (no pun intended). I've been to at least one show for each of the last three tours--Elevation, Vertigo, 360--and was most impressed with the most recent. Elevation was intimate and "back to basics", a truly great show. Vertigo was full of energy and emotion. But, as odd as it sounds, this tour was full of energy and surprisingly intimate for a stadium show--consisting of the best of Elevation and Vertigo. Now we await the (eventual?) release of the follow-up album to No Line on the Horizon, rumored to be called Songs of Ascent.
-Important question: Is the Patriot mystique gone? After a heartbreaking loss to the Indianapolis Colts and an absolute drubbing by the explosive New Orleans Saints, it appears the Patriots are no longer among the true "elite" of the NFL. What's worst, the "Patriot Way" is in serious disrepair. This current manifestation of the Pats resembles their dynastic predecessors less and less each week. And with each passing week and month and season, the Brady/Moss/Belichick window of opportunity gets a little bit smaller.
-U2 finished their North American leg of the U2-360 tour in Vancouver, British Columbia on October 28th. What a tour! Having seen four shows live myself, I can honestly say it may have been the best U2 tour in many, many years. The performances were generally solid, the setlists were consistently good, and the presentation was spectacular. The edifice known as "the Claw" was breathtaking and magnificent (no pun intended). I've been to at least one show for each of the last three tours--Elevation, Vertigo, 360--and was most impressed with the most recent. Elevation was intimate and "back to basics", a truly great show. Vertigo was full of energy and emotion. But, as odd as it sounds, this tour was full of energy and surprisingly intimate for a stadium show--consisting of the best of Elevation and Vertigo. Now we await the (eventual?) release of the follow-up album to No Line on the Horizon, rumored to be called Songs of Ascent.
What I think I think - Part 1 - Policy and Politics
Quite a lot going on since my last set of posts.
-Healthcare reform has moved further along than at any other point since Medicare. The current makeup of both the Senate and House bills is not ideal, but we'll take what we can get and make improvements over time. My biggest concern is that the set of reforms likely to pass will be so watered down as to be ineffective at bringing costs down in any meaningful way. I stand by my assertion that a "strong" public option is necessary to keep long term costs down and to provide sufficient competition to embedded insurance companies.
-The state of the economy. With unemployment over 10% and rising, it is becoming increasingly apparent that those who called for a more robust stimulus back in February were correct. Although there has been at least a partial recovery in financial and stock markets, the real economy continues to suffer. Projections indicate that unemployment will remain high for several years, with far reaching political, social, and economic repercussions. (Speaking of which, a blog post exploring the social implications of persistent high unemployment may be in the offering soon).
-Escalation in Afghanistan. Can it work? It's almost impossible to truly know at this point. There are so many variables that are out of our direct control. Will the Afghan government increase its legitimacy among its own people? Will it reduce corruption? Will the Afghan security forces improve? Will Pakistan continue to hedge its bets by appeasing Taliban and Taliban-like groups in Northwestern Pakistan? A lot depends on the eventual answers to these questions.
-The rise of the Glenn Beck/Sarah Palin fringe. There have been right wing fringe groups in American politics, with varying degrees of power and influence, throughout this country's history--e.g. read Richard Hofstadter's The Paranoid Style in American Politics. But this group seems especially crazy. That's all I'm saying...
-Healthcare reform has moved further along than at any other point since Medicare. The current makeup of both the Senate and House bills is not ideal, but we'll take what we can get and make improvements over time. My biggest concern is that the set of reforms likely to pass will be so watered down as to be ineffective at bringing costs down in any meaningful way. I stand by my assertion that a "strong" public option is necessary to keep long term costs down and to provide sufficient competition to embedded insurance companies.
-The state of the economy. With unemployment over 10% and rising, it is becoming increasingly apparent that those who called for a more robust stimulus back in February were correct. Although there has been at least a partial recovery in financial and stock markets, the real economy continues to suffer. Projections indicate that unemployment will remain high for several years, with far reaching political, social, and economic repercussions. (Speaking of which, a blog post exploring the social implications of persistent high unemployment may be in the offering soon).
-Escalation in Afghanistan. Can it work? It's almost impossible to truly know at this point. There are so many variables that are out of our direct control. Will the Afghan government increase its legitimacy among its own people? Will it reduce corruption? Will the Afghan security forces improve? Will Pakistan continue to hedge its bets by appeasing Taliban and Taliban-like groups in Northwestern Pakistan? A lot depends on the eventual answers to these questions.
-The rise of the Glenn Beck/Sarah Palin fringe. There have been right wing fringe groups in American politics, with varying degrees of power and influence, throughout this country's history--e.g. read Richard Hofstadter's The Paranoid Style in American Politics. But this group seems especially crazy. That's all I'm saying...
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