Editorial, Opinion Pieces Address Health Care Reform, President Obama

Several newspapers recently published an editorial and opinion pieces that discuss President Obama and health care. Summaries appear below.

Editorial
Obama has taken steps to "calm" foes of some of his policy stances, but "[o]ne sector stands out as an exception to Obama's charm offensive: health insurers," an editorial in The Hill states. The editorial continues, "So far, Obama doesn't appear ready to play nice with this traditional boogeyman of the Democratic Party." According to The Hill, "Obama and congressional Democrats have opened one front in the battle for comprehensive health reform with the insurance industry." The editorial states, "Obama has long been a critic" of insurance companies." During his campaign, and "[m]ore recently in a Jan. 11 interview on ABC," he "singled out Medicare Advantage ... as an example of 'programs that don't work'" or "make people healthier." The editorial states, "All of this suggests health insurance lobbyists should feel targeted." According to the editorial, Obama's nomination of Daschle as HHS secretary "and his tough talk with insurers suggests the president is serious about changing health care sooner rather than later." The editorial concludes, "While Democrats have acknowledged that their health care legislation will not be fully paid for, they are looking for cost savings" and "it is clear they have health insurance companies in their crosshairs" (The Hill, 1/22).

Opinion Pieces

• Marie Cocco, Denver Post: There "are few Washington traditions as annoying as the cultish worship of bipartisanship, for it ignores the simple fact that sometimes one party gets things disastrously wrong," syndicated columnist Cocco writes in a Post opinion piece. She continues, "Another is the mantra that 'entitlements,'" such as Medicare and Medicaid, "are costly, bloated and threaten the nation's economic future." Obama "already has pledged to undertake 'entitlement reform,'" she writes, adding, "With banks and other financial institutions now 'entitled' to hundreds of billions in public money to bail them out of disastrous decisions, it is impossible to see why taxpayers who have paid for their future benefits through their payroll taxes should not be 'entitled' to receive them." Cocco writes, "Besides, since there is no immediate crisis in Medicare ... there isn't even a reason to mention this right now" (Cocco, Denver Post, 1/23).
  
  
• Froma Harrop, Providence Journal: "A national health plan is again proposed, and its foes are trying to deal it death by unflattering labels," such as "'socialized medicine' and 'government takeover of health care,'" syndicated columnist Harrop writes in a Journal opinion piece. According to Harrop, "Some 61% of Americans think it's more important than ever to fix the health care system -- an encouraging number for" HHS Secretary-designate and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.). "However, it is still remarkably simple to frame health care reform in a way that turns people off," she writes. Harrop continues, "Enemies of national health insurance will no doubt exploit the weak spots in support," and "the group most open to their claims is those who have coverage at work and like their deal." However, she writes, "Insecurity over health coverage is surging" and "[s]piraling medical costs have made American companies less competitive," adding, "Americans are feeling beaten up by the crashing economy." Harrop concludes, "This time, a national health plan may survive the derogatory labels" (Harrop, Providence Journal, 1/22).
  
  
• Paul Krugman, New York Times: "[T]here wasn't anything glaringly wrong with" Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, but "for those still hoping that Mr. Obama will lead the way to universal health care, it was disappointing that he spoke only of health care's excessive cost, never once mentioning the plight of the uninsured and underinsured," Times columnist Krugman writes. According to Krugman, the current "economic crisis grows worse, and harder to resolve, with each passing week." He writes, "If we don't get drastic action soon, we may find ourselves stuck in the muddle for a very long time" (Krugman, New York Times, 1/23).
  
  
• Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), Tallahassee Democrat: "Some say we cannot afford health care reform during this time of economic upheaval," but "I say that we cannot afford to delay any longer and that this is precisely the time to act," McDermott, a physician and psychiatrist, writes in a Democrat opinion piece. He continues, "If we hope for true economic recovery, we have to address the crisis in our health care system," because, "[w]hether we like it or not, our health care financing structure is directly tied to our employment structure." He writes, "As it stands now, American families and businesses are strapped because of health care costs," adding, "As a result, businesses have less to invest in R&D or new technology to remain competitive, and families have less purchasing power." The U.S. government has "spent billions bailing out Wall Street, the banks and the auto industry," McDermott writes. "We certainly can invest an equal amount in our health care system," he continues (McDermott, Tallahassee Democrat, 1/23).
  
  
• Nina Owcharenko, Tallahassee Democrat: "Obama campaigned on a pledge to 'lower health care costs and ensure affordable, high-quality health care for all,'" which is "quite a tall order -- not just for a new administration, but for American taxpayers as well," Owcharenko, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation's Center for Health Policy Studies, writes in a Democrat opinion piece. According to Owcharenko, "Massive health reform is very difficult -- and extremely expensive." She writes, "As the new administration calls for nationwide community 'listening sessions' on health reform, participants would do well to ask themselves how much more they are willing to pay for health coverage and how many benefits and treatments they are willing to forsake in order to bring this campaign promise to life" (Owcharenko, Tallahassee Democrat, 1/23).
  
  
• Michael Tanner, New York Post: "Obama has made it clear that he intends to follow through on his campaign promise to reform the U.S. health care system," but "as so often, the devil is in the details -- and in health care, the details are particularly devilish," Tanner, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, writes in a Post opinion piece. In his inaugural address, "Obama pointed out that our health care system is 'too costly,' and called for reform that will 'raise health care's quality and lower its cost,'" Tanner states, adding, "But, how does Obama expand coverage, increase covered treatments and control costs, all at the same time?" According to Tanner, "Ultimately, controlling costs requires someone to say 'no,' whether the government (as in single-payer systems with global budgets), insurers (managed care) or health care consumers themselves (by desire or ability to pay)." He adds, "No matter, someone's bound to be unhappy." Tanner concludes, "Obama will certainly find the politics of health care reform to be tough" but "getting the policy right may be an even harder job" (Tanner, New York Post, 1/23).
  
  
• Dan Thomasson, Washington Times: Social Security and Medicare are protected by "a legion of older people that is about to get even larger and less tractable," and "without serious adjustments and cooperation from this and other special interests that so far have been unwilling to give an inch, reversing these programs' looming financial disaster will be impossible," Thomasson, the former editor of the Scripps Howard News Service, writes in a Times opinion piece. However, "One reason to hope is Mr. Obama's correct assessment that the success of economic recovery must be tied to controlling entitlement growth." He continues, "The new president has indicated he is willing to do this by putting political considerations aside and placing reform on the list of those things urgently needed to wrench the economy from the throes of disaster." Thomasson concludes, "It won't be easy and may not even be possible on a grand scale" but "any progress at all would bring lasting benefits. Success will depend on whether Mr. Obama's willingness to expend political capital here is matched by his allies in Congress" (Thomasson, Washington Times, 1/23).