Government should take time to do health care right
August 16, 2009
But little has been said about the government’s even more amazing ability to grossly underestimate the cost of what’s being proposed.
Consider the fairly simple exercise of offering Americans $3,500 to $4,500 to trade in specific “clunker” vehicles for more environmentally friendly new cars. The $1 billion program ran out of cash in just days after eager buyers and motivated auto dealers made deals at a rapid pace, forcing Congress to quickly authorize another $2 billion in spending for the program.
Compared to revamping the entire American health care system, executing Cash for Clunkers was a first-grade math test for adults. Uncle Sam failed.
Thus, when we hear Washington politicians begin talking about keeping the cost of health care reforms to less than $1 trillion, we get quite concerned.
This is especially true against the backdrop of our current economic realities and $11 trillion national debt. According to the Associated Press, tax receipts are on pace to drop 18 percent this year, the biggest single-year decline since the Great Depression, while the federal deficit balloons to a record $1.8 trillion. Individual income tax receipts are down 22 percent from a year ago. Corporate income taxes are down 57 percent.
What does this all mean? President Barack Obama and Congress better do their homework and present the American people, federal analysts and health care industry plenty of time to review a final plan.
The amazing complexity of the four bills currently pending in Congress make it difficult for any of us to know what’s really involved and how it might impact all of us.
Yes, we agree there’s urgency to help the uninsured in America, but there’s also a need to make sure the insured are not damaged by any plan either.
Congress needs to remember it works for Americans, not the special interest lobbies that try to sway public opinion to suit their needs.
We welcome the current debate, even if becomes a bit too spirited at times.
There’s no more personal issue than one’s health care.
Just like in the operating room, there’s no margin for error.
