Today’s Selection Of Opinions And Editorials
Reform And Your Premiums The New York Times"After months of seeming mostly supportive of health care reform - and just before the Senate Finance Committee was set to vote on its bill - the leading industry trade group issued an inflammatory and utterly self-serving report alleging that the committee's bill would drive up premium costs for Americans by thousands of additional dollars a year. The committee sensibly went ahead and approved the bill. But the anxiety raised by the report needs to be addressed head-on" (10/14).
Obama's Moment To Mold Health Reform The Washington Post
"Through careful navigation of the fiscal and political barriers that have doomed efforts by other Democratic presidents to grasp this nettle, Obama has steered the enterprise to the point that odds now favor a bill-signing ceremony. But the hardest choices still lie ahead, and what Obama and his key aides -- Rahm Emanuel, Peter Orszag and Nancy-Ann DeParle -- do from this point on will determine whether this is a substantial achievement for the country or simply another gesture toward real reform" (David S. Broder, 10/15).
Uninsured In Chicago: Not Much Of A Choice WBUR
"Maybe someday I will get hired full-time and score a benefits package in spite of the conditions that so many recent graduates are dealing with: a crappy job market and no health care. Until then, I have to decide between every extra purchase and health coverage. And right now, it really doesn't feel like a difficult decision" (Molly Adams, 10/15).
Is Fine In Healthcare Bill Big Enough To Ensure Coverage? The Los Angeles Times
"By provocatively releasing its report on the eve of the Baucus committee's vote, AHIP gave suspicious lawmakers a pretext for abandoning that bargain. There's less now to keep liberals in Congress from tightening regulations on the industry even more and, for centrists, less of a rationale for raising the mandated penalties and increasing premium subsidies, if that looks like a giveaway to corporate barons" (Michael Hiltzik, 10/15).
Getting To 'Yes' With Olympia Snowe The Washington Post
But what does Snowe really want? It's not clear that even she knows the answer to that question. Many on the left are worried about how she'll use her power. The irony is that it might take a Republican from Maine to advance causes dear to progressives -- if she makes those causes her priority" (E.J. Dionne Jr., 10/15). This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.