Op-Eds Discuss Methods for Overhauling U.S. Health Care System

Summaries appear below of opinion pieces by two lawmakers discussing ways of improving the national health care system.

• Gov. Phil Bredesen (D-Tenn.), USA Today: "Gas prices are in the political spotlight right now," but "it is worth remembering that when it comes to real, sustained growth in costs, when it comes to real, sustained erosion of families' disposable income, gas still can't hold a candle to the real elephant in the room: health care," Bredesen writes in a USA Today opinion piece. He continues that his experience as governor and as CEO of a publicly traded health care company has shown him "that Americans of many different political stripes are ready to stop tinkering and instead devise a fresh and national solution to our health care challenges." Bredesen suggests "three basic principles to guide" policymakers in overhauling the health care system." The first is "to once and for all fix" economic incentives for providing quality care because they "are all wrong; they work against value, not for it," according to Bredesen. He writes, "One way to start would be to develop a national standard for what constitutes optimum quality health care in treating some of the more common and expensive diseases." Bredesen continues, "The second principle is to build a solution good enough for all Americans," adding, "The examples are under our noses: Build it as we did Social Security or Medicare." The third principle, according to Bredesen, is that changes should be made "a step at a time" because health care "reform is a huge undertaking" and "no one can design the perfect solution right out of the box." He notes, "The first [stepping-stone] might be federal underwriting of the costs of some of the most expensive diseases." According to Bredesen, "In this election season, we need to demand more attention to health care" because it is "not the squeaky wheel now, but after gas prices have been driven down or we have bought smaller cars, our health care problem will still be with us" (Bredesen, USA Today, 7/31).
  
  
• Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), Washington Times: "Today, both parties stand together ... bound by the idea that we require a fundamental health care overhaul to ensure every American has access to quality, affordable care," Price, who practiced orthopedic surgery for 20 years before serving in Congress, writes in a Times opinion piece. "What is troubling, however, is that many in Washington see Medicare as the blueprint for this reform," Price writes, adding that it is "clear to me that Medicare is incapable of providing quality care for every American and must not be the model for national health care reform" because its "flawed structure increasingly fails our seniors on all counts -- responsiveness, innovation, access, cost and quality." He continues, "Quite simply, Medicare fails to put patients first," but "many in Washington proclaim all our health care problems would be resolved if only more Americans were enrolled in Medicare -- a tragic misdiagnosis." Instead, he writes, the focus needs to be on "patient-centered improvements, not broad expansion of a broken system." In order to "ensure all Americans have access to quality care," plans should be "controlled by the patient -- regardless of who is paying the bill," and it must make "financial sense for all Americans to purchase insurance," according to Price. He adds, "This may be readily accomplished through the adoption of tax equity for the purchase of insurance, active pooling mechanisms for increased purchasing power and focused reform of tax credits and deductions." He continues, "Restoring proper incentives and the power of patient ownership and control is the best way to meet the obvious need for an improved health care system in America" (Price, Washington Times, 7/31).