Democrats, Republicans, Health Industry ‘Players’ Consider Compromises in Health Debate, According to Journal Editorial, Times Opinion Piece

An editorial and an opinion piece on Monday addressed health care reform. Summaries appear below.

Editorial
Democrats' insistence on the budget reconciliation option for health care reform is meant "to coerce Republicans into rubber-stamping liberal policy," namely a government-run public insurance option, a Wall Street Journal editorial states. According to the editorial, even a "soft" public option that would limit enrollment to the uninsured or employees of small businesses would eventually result in wider enrollment, because "any policy guardrails ... can be dismantled once the basic public option architecture is in place." The editorial states that government health programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP started with limited enrollment and then expanded to include more types of beneficiaries. From there, people would be drawn to government-subsidized policies that "would quickly crowd out private insurance," eventually creating a true "single-payer system," the editorial states. According to the editorial, Democrats prefer bipartisan legislation over budget reconciliation, which is why they are willing to threaten the latter strategy to "intimidate" Republicans. The editorial concludes that the health care debate now is "about whether [Republicans] still stand for anything at all" (Wall Street Journal, 5/11).

Opinion Piece
A letter sent by health care industry representatives to President Obama suggesting strategies to control health care costs seems to be a positive development, but could be a "Trojan horse," columnist Paul Krugman writes in a New York Times opinion piece. According to Krugman, there are reasons to be "suspicious" and "cynical" regarding the motives of representatives of the health care industry because "what the rest of us call health care costs, they call income." According to Krugman, the industry might have realized that reform is imminent and that if they do not try to aid the government, then they are denying themselves an opportunity to provide input on the process. Krugman writes that America's Health Insurance Plans "will surely try to use the good will created by its stance on cost control to kill" a public insurance option. Krugman concludes that although "the fact that the medical-industrial complex is trying to shape health care reform rather than block it is a tremendously good omen" he "still won't count my health care chickens until they're hatched (Krugman, New York Times, 5/11).

Broadcast Coverage
American Public Media's "Marketplace" on Monday reported on the efforts of Obama and health industry leaders to reduce annual health care spending increases (Hobson, "Marketplace," American Public Marketplace, 5/11).

MSNBC's "The Ed Show" last week reported on Democrats' consideration of budget reconciliation to pass major health care reform. The segment includes comments from Ezra Klein of American Prospect (O'Donnell, "The Ed Show," MSNBC, 5/8).