National healthcare debacle

Do you ever get the feeling that members of Congress are so determined to pass healthcare reform that they don’t care what it looks like or if it will work, they just want to get it signed and move on? Well, to me, that is definitely the case and I am bothered by what I see. Change is needed but it must be done right.

When it comes to medicine, you need to take the time and do your research so you don’t push something through that won’t work. It is looking like many in Washington feel a bill, no matter how bad it is, is better than no bill at all. To me, this is wrong.

A recent editorial in The Wall Street Journal accurately describes the outrageous idea proposed just last week to expand Medicare access - the Medicare “buy-in” idea that now, thankfully, has been put to rest and is a thing of the past. The editorial reads:

This last-minute, back-room ploy shows again that Democrats are simply winging it as they rush to pass something-anything-that can get 60 votes by Christmas. President Obama praised the proposal as “a creative new framework,” while Finance Chairman Max Baucus told the Washington Post, “If there’s 60 senators who can reach agreement, I’m for it.” Now there’s a model standard to use for reordering 17% of the U.S. economy.

Those in favor of pushing reform through at any cost want the kudos. They want to be part of the “team” that finally changed healthcare in America.

But what will actually happen is: three to five years down the road, they will realize this was the worst thing they ever did after not taking the time to debate the ideas and issues. After failing to talk further with experts in healthcare and after failing to make sure changes will actually work. Oh, and one more thing: after failing to actually implement changes to defray healthcare costs as part of their final plan.

Wasn’t that the whole point in the first place?

Don Ammon blogs regularly at Action for Better Healthcare.