No, I don't mean more tea parties. I'm thinking along the lines of what Taiwan did when they realized their health care system was dysfunctional.
Rather than invite Big Pharma and the insurance companies to the table to write the legislation, Taiwan formed a commission to survey the world’s health care systems. Image if we did this. Not a series of closed door sessions, back room deals, and campaign contributions but with high profile public hearings.
The commission should include health professionals like Arnold S. Relman, M.D. a renowned academician past editor of The New England Journal of Medicine. The commission should hold public hearing and release of data on how various systems compare on cost, infant mortality, life expectancy, etc. After all the discussion of this issue I still run into people that have no idea that the U.S. is not number #1 in health outcomes. And I'm not talking about people with no education - I'm talking about people with college degrees. These statistics should become front page news.
How other nations deal with health care should be seriously reviewed like Frontline’s Sick Around the World. All we got was Michael Moore’s Sicko which the right wing attacked not for content but via ad hominem attacks on Moore.
And we need better polling. Not these silly polls asking people if the support or oppose a bill that don't exist and no one understands. We need polls and discussions about specific features in the legislation. "Should insurance companies be allowed to deny insurance for pre-existing conditions?" "Should lifetime caps on medical coverage be allowed."
And there needs to be more coverage of our health care workers. Where was testimony by nurses and doctors? These people are the experts and they are far out front of either the public or Congress. If the nation could catch up with our health professionals real health reform would be easy.
As much as I hate to say this, the Senate Bill should be shelved. We should start over with a plan similar to what I outlined above. The advantages include:
The focus shifts from a few Senators to real solutions including how other nations handle health care.
The commission can issue white papers with comparative data on costs and health measures. There as been very little focus on these data.
If the Senate bill is passed, costs will continue climbing and many will be forced to purchase coverage they cannot afford. Democrats will be blamed. But Republicans will have more problems saying "No" to a commission.
Reform will not be seriously delayed as much of the current Bill does not take effect for years.
As it is we are having discussions like the one Bill Moyers moderated between Robert Kuttner of the American Prospect and Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone. Both agreed the Senate bill was largely a gift for big health insurance companies. Kuttner argues that even though the bill is terrible it should be passed so Obama will have a win over the Republicans and there will be something to modify later. Taibbi says start over and do it right. And by doing it right he is talking about both the content of the Bill and how to pass it.