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Editorial: Health care for all: one last push for reform

Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010

Updated: Thursday, March 18, 2010

Before the end of the week, House Democrats will most likely vote on the historic health care bill that will expand medical coverage in this nation and lower costs for taxpayers.

In recent days, supporters from both sides of the aisle have made last-ditch efforts to sway public opinion on health care in the most divided congressional districts.

Commercial and radio ads have aired in districts in Ohio and Pennsylvania urging voters to contact their representatives to support or denounce the bill.

According to The New York Times, Democrats have secured 194 "yes" votes, including Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who switched his vote after attending a health care rally with President Barack Obama in his home district earlier in the week.

Estimates have pegged either 39 or 40 votes remain in play in the House.

Therefore, it will be pivotal for the Democrats to secure an additional 22 votes to reach a 216 simple majority.

Two of those wavering Democrats include West Virginia House Reps. Alan B. Mollohan and Nick Joe Rahall.

Both previously voted "yes" when the health care bill first passed the House in November, but their allegiance has come into question amid a negative backlash from their districts due to continued misinformation from the right.

West Virginia’s other House member, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, is staunchly against increasing medical coverage to millions of this nation’s poor and sick.

In a recent editorial in the Charleston Daily Mail, Capito wrote, "We all share the common goal of providing access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans."

Yet she stands in the way of Democratic attempts to do just that.

Instead of actual reform, Capito proposes "enacting medical malpractice reform, prohibiting insurance companies from discriminating based on preexisting conditions, promoting wellness and increasing competition across state lines."

Yes, preventing insurance companies from discriminating due to preexisting conditions would be a good first step. But the current bill will do just that.

Notable academics, including Tom Baker, William Maul Measey Professor of Law and Health Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and author of "The Medical Malpractice Myth," do not believe medical malpractice coverage more than 1 to 1.5 percent.

Allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines would result in a situation closely resembling the credit card industry.

Insurance companies would move operations to those states with the fewest regulations, offer less coverage and exacerbate the problem of adverse selection.

The economics of reform make sense. Recently, 41 of the nation’s preeminent economists sent a letter to Congress and the president urging them to pass reform to put "the brakes on health care spending."

Reform makes sense. It’s time for the United States to join the rest of the advanced world and provide health care for all its legal citizens.
 

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5 comments

We need sensible Reform, not this crap
Fri Mar 19 2010 10:02
@Fed up: I agree, both sides name call. However, from what I've seen, it is a tactic by the left, right now, to launch personal attacks on people rather than actually attack what they are saying. See 90% of the attacks on Glenn Beck- they say he's a fearmonger, madman, etc... but its not often that anyone wants to actually debate the factual basis of what he presents. Its the old "attack the messenger because you can't attack the message" tactic.

I've presented actual arguments against the Health Care bill. This DA article is largely an attack on Capito and Republicans that is unfounded (they are against getting health care for everyone! No, they aren't... they are just against what is being proposed now). No doubt, there are republicans that oppose things just to oppose Obama... just as there were democrats that opposed things before just to oppose Bush. But there also Republicans and Democrats opposing this because they see serious flaws in it.

As far as what history tells us- do a little research. Medicaid/medicare was supposed to cost a fraction of what it has ended up costing. Same with social security. The stimulus was supposed to keep unemployment under 8%. The Iraq war was proclaimed to be over 7 years ago. Our government consistently underestimates costs and overestimates the effectiveness of their programs. Why in the world would anyone think that this will be any different? And this time around, there is no margin for error. We cannot possibly sustain more deficits (the fact is, we can't even sustain the one we are running now). And it is very arguable that MORE government is going to actually help people out.

Fed up
Thu Mar 18 2010 16:55
@We need sensible reform, not this crap: Are you kidding me? And who is more guilty of name calling? You're definitely joking. Listened to Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly lately? Give me a break. To your comment "these are the things that history tells us." This Health Care Reform Bill is unprecedented, and please don't bring up Canada. Furthermore, many Republicans are not voting against the bill because they believe they believe it's in "good conscience," they are voting against it because it's a vote against Obama and it will be a failure for his administration. Face it, your comments are "nothing more than a partisan attack."
We need sensible Reform, not this crap
Thu Mar 18 2010 13:39
Okay Jeff.. what is sensible about the reform, and what in my argument is "crap"?

Thanks for the namecalling, btw. For some reason, it seems like people on the left always resort to that....

Jeffery A. Horton
Thu Mar 18 2010 13:00
To We need sensible Reform, a bit of advice, pull you head out of your backside and start living in the real world. You, like your arguments are completely full of crap. The Legislation that Congress is considering IS Sensible Reform, if you actually take time to read it and not rely on dips*its like FOX Noise and The morons on WAJR. And Lastly, to your statement about the Editorial being "nothing more than a partisan attack featuring lack of research and poorly thought out arguments", YOUR entire comment is exactly that, jackass. So don't accuse The DA of doing something that YOU are already doing.
We need sensible Reform, not this crap
Thu Mar 18 2010 08:34
Actually, in a move that can only be described as completely absurd and ridiculous, the House is going to pass the bill by not voting on it. The so called "deem and pass" rule whereby they can essentially "deem" that they "passed the bill- rewriting history I suppose. Whenever Congress, whether led by Republicans or Democrats, tries to do crap like that, Americans should march to Washington in unison and demand their resignations.

Also, it is very misleading for you to say that Capito is "is staunchly against increasing medical coverage to millions of this nation’s poor and sick." That is a complete and total lie, and very, very bad journalism to report that. What would be correct is to say that Capito is against the proposal currently being floated around Congress. Nowhere have I seen her, or any other Republican, say they wouldn't support a vastly different bill. She, like many others in Congress and in America, believe this bill is nothing more than a major expansion of government power that will degrade the quality of healthcare in this country while increasing government control over the economy and our lives. If she feels this way, why should she vote for the bill? If, in all good conscience, many members of Congress believe this bill will harm America, it is their job to stand in its way.

The things you say Capito supports "instead of reform" make much more sense than the 2,500 page blasphemy that the Democrats are pushing right now. They could be part of a much smaller, realistic, common sense approach to health care reform that the Democrats have rejected. You state that "Allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines would result in a situation closely resembling the credit card industry." I completely and whole-heartedly disagree with that assessment. Opening the insurance industry up to a nationwide free market would increase competition and drive prices down, while providing consumers with many, many more choices than they have now.

This reform does NOT make sense. I'm not sure how you can say that it makes sense, seeing how big it is and that no one really knows what all is hidden in it. What is clear is that they keep making up numbers to support the bill that don't really add up. The CBO score recently revealed that premiums will still rise under this bill. Malpractice suits will go way up. People will have a much harder time seeing their doctor. Fraud will increase. The budget deficit will balloon. These are things that history tells us.

This article amounts to nothing more than a partisan attack on Capito and Republicans featuring lack of research and poorly thought out arguments. Another gem from the DA editorial team!







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