Johnathan Cohn, senior editor of the New Republic and frequent guest on Keith Olbermann's Countdown, has some interesting analysis on what the Senate health care reform bill would mean for a family's bottom lines.
Thank you for the rec's so far. And of course, please keep them coming. There has been a lot said about HCR, but I had yet to see some analysis on what this means for my wallet. So I hope folks will have this additional piece of information to deliberate on.
Jonathan Cohn takes a look at the criticism of President Obama and Congress efforts to reform our complex health care system, an attempt that has been tried and failed for seven decades.
The Senate Bill Saves Families Money
Health care reform looks like it’s finally ready to pass the Senate, now that the Democrats have 60 votes in hand. But here on the left, not all of us are jumping for joy. Some think the Senate bill is just barely better than nothing. Others think it’s worse than even that.
As this argument goes, health care reform won’t do all that much to help people who need it. Insurance will still be expensive and even people who have coverage will discover they owe significant out-of-pocket expenses once they get sick. A public insurance option might have made this tolerable, since it would have provided better, cheaper coverage. Without it, many of us are arguing, reform is just a big giveaway to the insurance industry--one that produces little social progress.
It’s certainly true that, under the terms of the Senate bill, insurance would cost more and cover less than many of us would prefer. But would it really produce little social progress? Is it really worse than nothing?
Johnathan made a side by side comparison chart of what it would mean for a family's out of pocket expenses if we pass the senate bill, or if we keep the status quo.
An aside. If anyone thinks the insurance companies would rather have the senate bill pass, than to keep things the way they are, I have a bridge in Alaska for sell.
Money talks, the rest of the bullshit walks.
Cohn then goes on to describe what would happen for a family if health care reforms are passed.
So what happens if reform does pass? For starters--and this is no small thing--the insurance company will have to sell you a policy, no matter what pre-existing conditions your family brings to the table. And you’ll know from the start that the policy will cover basic services because the government will be defining a basic benefits package. That package is going to include a broader range of services than the typical non-group policy would without reform. So when your doctor recommends a standard test or procedure, you won't have to panic it falls into some hidden policy loophole.
Jonathan ends with, what is IMHO, a rational approach to what the left's next steps and focus ought to be.
Could the deal be better still? Of course it could. The House bill, for example, offers substantially better protection from out-of-pocket expenses.
That's an argument for improving the Senate bill in conference committee, when its members meet with their House of Representatives counterparts, and for improving the law if and when it goes into effect. Those of us on the left can, and should, fight for both.
But we should also recognize the Senate bill for what it is: A measure that will make people's lives significantly better. Surely that's worth a little enthusiasm.
It's time for us to pull ourselves back together and focus on where the real fight begins and ends....CONFERENCE!
Republicans would love nothing better than for laying the foundation for health care reform to fail. Because they know if this fails, it will make the dems lose seats in 2010, and stall another try at health care reform for another twenty years (see 1994 for reference).
And it may give you instant gratification to think you are joining the teabaggers to undermine President Obama and Congress. It will feel real good today to stick them for not including that all too coveted public option.
However, how will you feel ten years from now with republican in control, and no health care reform? Or even worse, republicans in control and able to push through their ideas on what health care reform should look like? (see Medicare part D) I shutter at the thought.
Don't give up the fight. But don't cut your nose to spite your face. Because believe me at this late hour, that this is exactly what republicans are hoping for.
They already doing it with inviting Markos and Dean on to their shows. The new meme willl be that it was liberal progressives that killed reform, thus allowing the republicans to keep their hands clean and for the next twenty years say it was the liberals fault health care reform was not done. How do you think that will translate at the polls for Democrats?
For all the practical progressives, lets play this one smart.