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.
No comments:
Post a Comment